Why? Upcoming Events!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Gauri (Comment #1), randomly-selected winner of 2 general admission tickets to the Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen.***

As we head toward summer, there are a ton of great upcoming events to take advantage of around the Cleveland area.

Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest

Saturday, May 18 at 12pm

Erie Street in Downtown Willoughby

Image Source – seriouseats.com

Downtown Willoughby presents the second annual Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest. From noon to 8pm, Erie Street will be turned into a pedestrian mall lined with restaurants serving up tasty BBQ and libations. Willoughby Brewing Co., Lure Bistro, Olivor Twist and many other Downtown Willoughby favorites will be participating. There will also be two stages with live music from eight different local bands and artists. Red, White & BBQ falls on Armed Forces Day and will be honoring our nation’s heroes by asking all attendees to donate $1 to the USO of Northern Ohio.

Recruit Cleveland Alumni-Only Career Expo

Thursday, May 23 at 11am

Veale Center at Case Western Reserve University

Image Source – hirecleveland.eventbrite.com

If you’re an alumni from John Carroll University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, or a host of other local schools (see the graphic above), you are invited to attend a career fair with job opportunities from over 75 local employers, including the Cleveland Clinic, PR Newswire, Huntington Bank, and more. Admission is $10 for VIP early access and featured resume placement or free for all other alumni. Space is limited! For more details and to register, click here.

Woof, Wag and Wine

Saturday, June 1 at 1pm

Grand River Cellars

Image Source – lakehumane.org

An event that combines pups and wine? Be still my heart! Bring your pup along for a tour of Grand River Cellars, a wine tasting, live music, auctions, and more. Admission is $15 and includes your wine tasting. Proceeds benefit the Lake Humane Society. Click here for more information.

13^thAnnual Race for the Place

Sunday, June 2 at 8am

Beachwood Place

Image Source – touchedbycancer.org

Get out, get moving, and raise money for The Gathering Place, a community-based cancer-support center. There is a 5K chip-timed race or a one-mile fun walk, as well as family activities in the Celebration Village. Join honorary cancer survivor chair Jim Donovan, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, and The Gathering Place for this great event. Registration ranges from $10-30 depending on age and event. Click here for more information and to register.

15^thAnnual Farm to Table Benefit

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Monday, June 3 at 5:30pm

Image Source – cbgarden.org

Join 20 Cleveland chefs, from restaurants such as Spice Kitchen and Bar, Crop Bistro, and The Greenhouse Tavern, for a strawberry-inspired farm-to-table tasting event. At 5:30, there will be a panel discussion on “Berry Benefits,” then from 6:30-9, let your tastebuds explore the different tasting stations and enjoy live music on the Garden’s Geis Terrace. Tickets are $100 ($85 for Garden members) and proceeds benefit Green Corps and the North Union Farmers Market. For more information and to purcase tickets, click here.

10^thAnnual DePiero Family Charity 5K Run and 2K Walk

Saturday, June 8 at 8:30am

Byers Field

Image Source – deandepiero.com

Join former Parma Mayor Dean DePiero for a 5K race or 2K walk, along with refreshments and raffles, to benefit the Cleveland Courage Fund, recently established to raise money for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight. Registration is $20 and the first 300 registrants receive a t-shirt. Click here for more information and to register.

Piggy Stardust & the Flavors from Mars

Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30pm

The Beachland Ballroom

Emerging Chefs, Chef Brian Doyle, and Chef Brian Rosander have teamed up to create a rock ‘n roll glam foodie event. A multi-course dinner, cocktail pairings, and live music from Vanity Crash, along with the cool surroundings of the The Beachland Ballroom will make for an evening not to be missed. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Farm to Table Garlic Dinner

Saturday, June 22 at 5pm

Thaxton Garlic Farm

Join Thaxton’s Organic Garlic and Hudson’s Restaurant for a delicious farm-to-table dinner experience showcasing vendors from the Hudson Farmers Market. The dinner will include a cocktail hour, tour of the garlic farm and neighboring alpaca farm, and a five-course dinner with wine pairings. Tickets are $125 and proceeds benefit the Hudson Farmers Market. Click here to purchase tickets.

What upcoming events are you looking forward to?

***Disclosures: I am the VP of Special Initiatives for the John Carroll University Cleveland Alumni Chapter. Also, I was invited by Emerging Chefs to attend Piggy Stardust with a complimentary media pass, but declined due to scheduling conflicts. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Silver Spoon Awards Party!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win 2 general admission tickets to the Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival? Today is your last chance, so check it out! Remember, you can tweet once per day for additional entries.***

Last night, Matthew and I attended one of the hottest foodie parties in Cleveland: the 19^th Annual Cleveland Magazine Silver Spoon Awards Party. This event not only honors some of the best chefs, restaurants, and dishes in town, but also raises money for the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region, Northeastern Ohio.

The ballroom at the Intercontinental Hotel was packed to the hilt with fine food. Some of our favorites of the evening included Pier W‘s poached salmon and mushrooms, Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar‘s chicken paprikash, Light Bistro‘s spring pea and mint soup with ramp pesto, Taki’s Greek Kitchen‘s lamb chops, and Sweet Melissa‘s decadent dessert spread.

Hodge’s and Spice Kitchen and Bar rocked out the VIP room, with craft cocktails that included hibiscus-infused tequila at Spice and bourbon and strawberries at Hodge’s and delicious nibbles like smoked lamb tacos with strawberry jalapeno salsa from Hodge’s and smoked fish on spelt pancakes at Spice. Plus, two of the nicest, most personable local chefs you’ll ever meet in Chris Hodgson and Ben Bebenroth!

Aside from the food, there were fabulous wines, wonderful silent auction and Chinese auction prizes, and lots of friends to mingle with. The Silver Spoon Awards Party is definitely one of the premier fundraising events of the year.

Kudos to Alicia for all her hard work in planning. I’m already dreaming about next year’s fun!

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Arthritis Foundation to help promote the Silver Spoon Awards Party. In exchange, I received 2 complimentary VIP tickets. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival Giveaway!

Can you believe it’s almost Memorial Day and the unofficial kickoff to the summer season? One of the biggest parts of Memorial Day weekend in Cleveland is the Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival, now in its 22^nd year!

Image Source – marcs.com

From Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27, the Nautica Entertainment Complex will be filled with tasty, finger-lickin’BBQ. There will be 10 professional chefs from across the country competing for three prizes: “Greatest Ribs in America,” “Butch Lupinetti Greatest Sauce in America” and “People’s Choice.” There’s also a Marc’s Amateur Grilling Competition on Saturday, May 25. You can even win a chance to be an official Rib Cook-Off judge by texting “LNAPP” to 404040 and downloading the free Live Nation app.

Image Source – marcs.com

Aside from filling up on ribs, you can also jam to some fun music, with Mega 80’s on Friday, Rick Springfield on Saturday, Buddy Guy on Sunday, and Bret Michaels on Monday. As a “Rock of Love” fan, I’m pretty excited for Bret to rock my world! Entertainment is included with your general admission ticket.

If that wasn’t enough there will be booths to benefit the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and the Cleveland APL, contests, prizes, a new Riverfront dining area, and more! This is a great way to kick off your summer in CLE!

General admission tickets, which include entertainment, but not food and beverage, are only $5 with a coupon available at Marc’s or $8 without the coupon. Or you can enter to win 2 general admission tickets, good for any day of the festival, right here!

Here’s how to enter: you can complete one, two or all three entries, just leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry:

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite summer grilling food.

2. Follow both @MarcsStores and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave one comment letting me know you’re following.

3. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to win BBQ with Bret and Ribs with Rick at @MarcsStores #GreatAmericanRibCookOff from @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1uA

You can tweet once per day for additional entries, just leave a comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close at 11:59pm on Thursday, May 16 and the winner will be announced the following day. Good luck! And for another chance to win, check out Eat*Drink*Cleveland’s giveaway.

***Disclosure: I was asked to help promote the Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival. In exchange, I will receive 2 general admission tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. As always, all opinions and reality TV addictions are 100% my own.***

Why? Zippity Zoo Doo!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Valerie (Comment #7), randomly-selected winner of the $100 gift card to Provenance. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen. If you didn’t win, stay tuned to Clue Into Cleveland on Monday for another Provenance giveaway!***

The Cleveland Zoological Society, which raises money to support the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and zoo programs, throws some great parties, including Twilight at the Zoo and Animal Attractions. The Zoological Society’s fundraiser of “fabulous fun and community support for our zoo” is coming up on Friday, June 7 with the 40^th annual Zippity Zoo Doo.

The evening kicks off at 6pm with a cocktail hour, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. At 8pm, there is a seated dinner and Wild Side live auction, with special zoo experiences up for bidding. Following that is live music courtesy of The Orchestra and dancing under the summer stars until midnight. Dress in fabulous cocktail attire and strut your stuff!

The menu for this year’s event is nothing short of amazing, with roast duck and cocktail shrimp shooters among the hors d’oeuvres, filet mignon or stuffed Portobello mushroom for the entrée, and more! Check out the entire menu here.

Plus, there’s the opportunity to get up close and personal with zoo animals, like owls and snakes. Kallie the elephant even went swimming during last year’s event!

This is sure to be a great party to benefit a great Cleveland institution! Still need convincing? Check out the slide show from last year’s Zippity Zoo Doo.

Tickets for Zippity Zoo Doo are $250 and can be purchased by clicking here. I hope to see you there!

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Cleveland Zoological Society to help promote Zippity Zoo Doo. In exchange, I will receive 1 complimentary media pass and 1 discounted guest ticket. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Silver Spoon Awards Party Giveaway!

In recent years, Cleveland has landed a firm spot on our nation’s map of cities with great restaurants. Through Food Network appearances by Chefs Michael Symon, Jonathon Sawyer, Chris Hodgson, Rocco Whalen, Kimberly McCune, and more, Cleveland is making its mark.

This summer, Chef Chris Hodgson is returning to the Food Network to compete to be The Next Food Network Star.

Image Source – clevescene.com

But, you don’t have to just turn on your TV to catch up with Chef Hodgson. From his restaurant to his food trucks, “Chef Hodge” is a familiar face around Cleveland. And he’ll be showing that familiar face in the VIP Room at one of Cleveland’s premier food events, the 19th Annual Silver Spoon Awards Party, happening Wednesday, May 15.

Image Source – poiseinparma.com

The Silver Spoon Awards Party is a strolling food and wine tasting event, featuring many of this year’s Cleveland Magazine’s Silver Spoon Awards winners, such as Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar, Chinato, Melt Bar and Grilled, and more.

Image Source – clevelandmagazine.com

Chef Hodgson will bring his comfort food with a twist and his Food-Network-ready personality to shine in the Silver Spoon VIP room, along with Spice Kitchen and Bar, Great Lakes Brewing, and Watershed Distillery. Having just been at Hodge’s this past weekend, I have to say that Chef Hodgson is creating some of the tastiest and most fun food in town.

The Silver Spoon Awards Party is sure to be a night you won’t want to miss! Plus, proceeds from the evening benefit the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region, Northeastern Ohio.

Image Source – clevelandmagazine.com

Tickets are $85 for general admission and $135 for VIP admission and can be purchased by clicking here. Or, you can enter to win two general admission tickets right here!

Here’s how to enter: You can do one, two, or all three of the possible entries, just be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry.

1. Leave a comment letting me know who your favorite Cleveland celebrity chef is.

2. Follow @SilverSpoonCLE and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave one comment letting me know you’re following both.

3. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to celebrate CLE’s food scene at @SilverSpoonCLE with @WhyCLE! Enter to win two tickets here: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1s9

You can tweet daily for additional entries, just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close at 11:59pm on Sunday, May 5 and the winner will be announced the following day. If you have won another blogger’s Silver Spoon giveaway this year, you are ineligible to win this giveaway.

Good luck! And for another chance to win, check out Cleveland’s a Plum’s giveaway.

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Ohio to help promote the Silver Spoon Awards Party. In exchange, I will receive 2 VIP tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Band Aid Bash!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Today, Sarah from Our Journey is stopping by with her guest post recap of MedWish’s Band Aid Bash. Sarah was kind enough to step in and attend the event in my place, as well as writing this fabulous recap. Take it away, Sarah!***

I was so excited when Jen reached out to me with tickets to this event and an invitation to guest post on her wonderful blog.

Amazing food and drinks by top local chefs, a live band and an auction all within an awesome warehouse?

SOLD!

The annual event benefits MedWish which sends doctors and humanitarians usable medical surplus donated by hospitals. It’s a wonderful, local organization that’s been around for 20 years now!

The VIP reception began at 6:30 with the music of solo guitarist Dan Bankhurst and a look around at the silent auction items.

Shortly after, dinner and drinks began from local celebrities like food truck master Chris Hodgson (of The Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race”) and expert mixologist Joseph DeLuca.

The raffle for this year was for this blue 1994 Porsche 968!

There were so many wonderful items to bid on starting at smaller price tags but for those looking to open the wallet a bit more, there were much higher items. Some of which included a week stay at a luxury villa in Turks and Caicos, an adorable labradoodle puppy, a 2.3 carat diamond necklace and a round trip flight to New York City in a private jet!

Once the live auction ended, the warehouse turned into a nightclub with music by an awesome group called Party Crashers. And just when you were wondering if dessert was going to be served, Mitchell’s ice cream and the DonutLab truck showed up with ice cream, cake, cookies and delicious donuts! (Unfortunately all of the aforementioned were devoured before I could snap a picture.)

Overall this was one of the better charity events I’ve attended in my life. From the creative ideas to raise money to the delicious food and drinks, I would highly recommend everyone to attend next year!

Feel inclined to donate? Visit this link for more information on ways to donate both money and time!

Sarah’s blog: Our Journey
Note: I was invited to attend this event by Why CLE? as a guest blogger but all opinions are my own.

***Disclosure: I was asked by MedWish to help promote Band Aid Bash. In exchange, I received 2 VIP tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. Due to scheduling conflicts, I was unable to attend. For today, all opinions are 100% Sarah’s.***

Why? Weekends!

Whew! It was a whirlwind weekend in the CLE! I’m just going to jump right in. Friday night, Matthew and I attended International Partners in Mission’s Namaste benefit. Namaste raised money for IPM’s projects both abroad and at home, mainly focused on empowering and assisting women and children.

The event was held at the Ariel International Center, which is a beautiful location with sweeping views of the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset that evening, too.

Clark Pope Catering, who creates many of my Fresh Fork bag favorites, provided the food for the evening. The food represented the different areas of the world where IPM has missions and projects, with everything from West African peanut stew to Native American fried bread to smoked pork and roasted yams. Everything was delicious and culturally on-the-mark.

With a room filled with global music and people committed to helping a wonderful organization, Namaste made for a great evening!

To find out how you can help IPM’s mission efforts, click here.

I ended my Friday and started my Saturday with Namaste, as I grabbed a class at Harmony Yoga to help center me for a busy day ahead. Saturday was full of pre-wedding events for my friend Chrissy’s wedding in June. I am honored to be one of Chrissy’s bridesmaids. The day started with her bridal shower, held at the Middleburg Heights Rec Center.

It was a lovely ladies afternoon celebrating the happy couple and stocking up their home with lots of great presents.

Saturday evening was Chrissy’s bachelorette party. Part of my bridesmaid duties involved planning the party and I wanted to incorporate a little bit of all the great things downtown Cleveland has to offer. We started with dinner at Hodge’s.

We even had a party crasher while we were there! Note Alicia‘s smiling face in the picture above.

Everyone loved their meals! A popular choice at our table was the shrimp and grits. I loved every bite of this entree, particularly the spicy tomato and banana pepper ragu.

Hodge’s kicked off the night on the right foot: delicious cocktails and food, in a fun, relaxed, and a little saucy atmosphere. Big ups to our server, Mark R., for being absolutely spot-on with the service!

From there, we headed to the new Society Lounge for a classy craft cocktail or two.

Society oozes sexiness and sophistication and is a wonderful addition to East 4^th Street. I recommend the Moscow Mule: made with ginger puree and soda, rather than ginger beer, it is hands-down the best I’ve had in town!

The cocktails were flowing and the live music was perfect: I could have sworn Michael Buble was singing! We were so enamored with Society that our plans to go elsewhere faded as we sipped our drinks and snuggled in the cozy booth.

It was a really fun night and I hope Chrissy had a blast!

Sunday morning, I needed a little detox at Nishkama Yoga with one of my favorite yoga buddies (and bachelorette party crasher), Alicia. The rest of the day was spent recuperating from all of the above.

How was your weekend, CLE? Where’s your favorite Cleveland spot for a bachelor/bachelorette party?

***Disclosure: I was asked by International Partners in Mission to help promote Namaste. In exchange, I received 2 general admission tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Kappa Delta Shamrock Event!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win 2 tickets to one of Tri-C Jazz Fest’s concerts? Check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

I’m proud to be a sorority girl (yes, even after the crazy email that went viral this week). For me, my sorority was never about snobbery or exclusion, but rather a chance to connect not only on my college campus, but across the country. When I lived in other cities, one of the first things I did was join the local Kappa Delta alumnae group and I am still friends with women I met through those groups.

KD’s from all over the country at my wedding

Kappa Delta also has several national philanthropies that its chapters, both collegiate and alumnae, support. One of those is Prevent Child Abuse America.

Prevent Child Abuse America was founded in 1972 and helps ensure healthy child development by providing services for victims of child abuse, as well as advocating for a national framework to help stop child abuse before it starts.

On Monday, April 22, the Cleveland West Alumnae Chapter of Kappa Delta will be holding a fundraiser to support not only the national Prevent Child Abuse America organization, but also the local Bellflower Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center, which focuses on domestic and child abuse victims.

We call this fundraiser our Shamrock Event and every Kappa Delta collegiate and alumnae chapter across the country holds a Shamrock Event to benefit both Prevent Child Abuse America and a local organization.

Image Source – kappadelta.org

It’s a serious issue for which we’re raising money, but we’ll be doing it in a fun way and all are welcome! Come to Two Bucks in Avon from 6-9pm on Monday, April 22 for a wine and appetizer event. Your $25 admission at the door gets you 5 different wine tastings, as well as a tasty appetizer spread including cheese tray, crab cakes, goat cheese beef sliders, strawberry cheesecake shooters, and more. Proceeds benefit PCA and the Bellflower Center.

For more information and to RSVP, click here. I hope to see you at Two Bucks that night. It’s a great cause and it’ll be a great time! Plus, you can say you spent your Monday night at a sorority party!

***Disclosure: I am a member of the Cleveland West Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Market at the Foodbank!

***A bit of blogkeeping: In the wake of yesterday’s tragic and senseless acts in Boston, here are some ways you can help. Thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by the explosions.***

So, weekend recap part 2: on Sunday, Matthew and I headed to Market at the Foodbank. This fundraiser combined amazing local chefs and great auction items all at the Cleveland Foodbank’s impressive warehouse facility. You got to both enjoy the event and see firsthand where your donations supporting the Cleveland Foodbank go.

We met up with Kimberly, Amanda, and their menfolk and started to peruse all the yummy food options.

There was so much good stuff to nibble, from vegetable sushi rolls and Asian noodles from Parallax to AMP 150‘s pork belly to some of the best deviled eggs I’ve ever had from Press Wine Bar.

Hands down, my favorite savory dish of the night was the lamb burger from Grovewood Tavern.

Market at the Foodbank brought the sweet treats too. We loved Slice of Heaven Cakes, which had delicious cakes as well as an adorably creative table presentation. Mitchell’s Ice Cream never disappoints and I think the Toasted Pistachio may be my new favorite flavor. Plus, they had this adorable celeb scooper:

Aside from all the food, there were some amazing silent auction items up for bid that evening.

Matthew and I won the bidding for an overnight stay at Washington Place Inn, plus tickets to Cleveland Botanical Garden and Western Reserve Historical Society, plus a basket of Sub Rosa Tea. A great prize and the money goes to a great cause! Talk about a win-win!

If you’re interested in getting involved with the Cleveland Foodbank, join the YP Pantry or just check out the general volunteer information for ways you can help.

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Cleveland Foodbank to help promote Market at the Foodbank. In exchange, I received 2 general admission tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. I am also a council member for the Cleveland Foodbank YP Pantry. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Julie @ROJRunning (comment #26), randomly-selected winner of 2 general admission tickets to MedWish’s Band Aid Bash. If you didn’t win, you can still purchase tickets by clicking here.***

It was such a busy weekend that I’m splitting my weekend recap into two posts. Tomorrow, I’ll recap all the I’m-still-full goodness of Sunday’s Market at the Foodbank. Friday and Saturday were pretty great too, though!

Friday evening, Matthew and I met up with friends Nathan and Lane for dinner at Ballantine. Despite Ballantine’s large craft beer selection, I couldn’t resist ordering a strawberry jalapeno mojito. I guess I’m hoping if I order patio-style drinks, it will be patio-style weather too!

For dinner, I had the crab and shrimp po boy sandwich, with crab salad, beer-battered shrimp, and hot sauce. The sandwich was good, but the standout was the rosemary and garlic fries.

We couldn’t pass up Ballantine’s adorable mini-dessert cart, with tiny pecan pies, red velvet cupcakes, raspberry cheesecake, coconut macaroons, and carrot cake.

Note our awesome server Lee’s photo bomb

It was a fun and tasty start to the weekend!

On Saturday morning, I braved the crowds and crazy Cedar Road traffic to attend the grand opening of the Microsoft Retail Store at Beachwood Place Mall. First, I snagged a Microsoft t-shirt in my favorite color, being handed out to everyone waiting in line for the opening.

At the ribbon-cutting, Microsoft awarded software grants to three local organizations. The YMCA of Greater Cleveland and the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland each received $250,000 grants and Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland received a $1 million grant! It’s great to see a huge, national company caring so much for local organizations.

Image Courtesy of Microsoft

Then, it was time to head into the store. The Microsoft employees made a tunnel of high fives and excitement as people headed in for the first time.

The store has a little bit of everything, from computers to smartphones to gaming systems to accessories. The staff at the Microsoft Retail Store are very friendly and super enthusiastic about the new location. Go check it out for yourself!

Saturday afternoon, as part of the Microsoft grand opening festivities, there was a concert featuring Kelly Clarkson! I will confess to being a huge Kelly Clarkson fan, so I was pretty geeked out about this show since I first heard about it.

Despite it being chilly and rainy/sleety, the show was awesome! I’ll definitely be singing Kelly Clarkson songs for awhile after that. Plus, Kelly just seemed so down-to-earth, including laughing off the fact that her fly was unzipped for the entire first song. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?!

How was your weekend? Did you check out the Kelly Clarkson show or the Cleveland Flea’s opening weekend?

***Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Microsoft Retail Store grand opening with a media pass. As always, all opinions and music addictions are 100% my own.***