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? 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? Exxopolis!

*** A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win a $100 gift card to Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art? Today is your last chance, so check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

There are moments when we all wish we could be a kid again, especially to be able to see the world with a sense of pure awe and wonder. Yesterday, Matthew and I got a chance to be kids again as we got a preview of the Exxopolis exhibit, which is featured at the International Children’s Festival at Playhouse Square.

Exxopolis is the creation of Architects of Air. What from the outside looks like a giant winding bounce house turns into something quite different once you’re inside. Exxopolis uses only natural light coming through colored plastic to create what you see inside, which means every day (and even every hour) looks different.

As you progress through Exxopolis, you find rooms of cool blue, hot red, and relaxing green. Each color lends its own distinct feel to the room. The red rooms felt pulsating and energetic, while the blue area were quiet and peaceful.

Guests are encouraged to wander, explore, sit and look up at the ceiling, and just generally take it all in. I was amazed at what a cool sensory experience Exxopolis is. It may be part of the International Children’s Festival, but Exxopolis offers something for all ages.

Exxopolis tickets are $5 and can be purchased either online or at the exhibit. Exxopolis is open today from 12pm-7pm, Friday, May 10 from 11am-7pm and Saturday, May 11 from 10am-6pm. The exhibit is located at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 17th Street. Even if you just pop over on your lunch break, it’s well worth it!

Everyone in the neighborhood is excited about Exxopolis, too. After viewing the exhibit, Playhouse Square generously treated us to dinner at Cowell & Hubbard. The restaurant has created a special colorful and layered Exxopolis martini for this weekend, with Buckeye vodka, violet liquor, cassis, and ginger.

Aside from the delicious cocktails, we got to chat with the Architects of Air workers who make Exxopolis happen, as well as enjoy a fabulous dinner. The next time you’re at Cowell & Hubbard, try the chicken thighs with celery root puree, tobasco butter, and a bleu cheese croquette. You’re welcome in advance.

I left feeling like a happy combination of kid and adult. The wonder and magic of Playhouse Square strikes again! The International Children’s Festival, of which Exxopolis is just one part, is happening now through Saturday, May 11 at Playhouse Square. For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, click here.

***Disclosure: I was invited by Playhouse Square to attend the media preview for Exxopolis and the dinner afterward with a guest. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Provenance Giveaway!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to sareberry (Comment #28), randomly-selected winner of 2 general admission tickets to the Silver Spoon Awards Party. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen.

If you didn’t win, you can still purchase tickets by clicking here. Or stay tuned to Mile 26 and More for another ticket giveaway!***

On Friday evening, Matthew and I were treated to an exclusive peek at the tantalizing goodness happening at Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Chef Partner Douglas Katz and Executive Chef Matthew Jankowski have created a menu that is truly an intersection of art and food.

We started our evening as all evenings should: with delicious cocktails! I recommend the thyme and ginger, a refreshing vodka beverage.

Pictured above with the thyme and ginger is a mushroom and leek cake, which was one of my favorites nibbles of the night. We also got to taste melt-in-your-mouth scallops and shaved duck on top roasted fingerling potato.

There was also an impressive array of cheeses and cured meats.

From the nibbles we had, I cannot wait to try a full meal at Provenance! The restaurant is open the same hours as the Museum: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Aside from the 76-person dining area, there are also two private rooms for parties.

This is truly a beautiful and tasty addition to the Cleveland Museum of Art! The group of us there for the tasting are truly thankful to Provenance for making us feel so welcome!

After the tasting, we got to check out the MixUp event, which is a monthly fusion of art, music, cocktails happening the first Friday of every month. You can peruse the galleries, as well as have a cocktail and listen to music in the impressive new atrium area.

Check out next month’s MixUp on Friday, June 7 or Solstice, one of the hottest parties of the summer, happening Saturday, June 22.

Having had the opportunity to spend time at the Cleveland Museum of Art twice recently, I will tell you that the Museum is a must-see, must-eat, must-spend-time destination. And to help you do just that, I have a $100 gift card to Provenance to give away!

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

1. Leave a comment telling me one of your favorite artistic restaurants (in food presentation or decor).

2. Follow @ClevelandArt 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 dine where art and food combine at @ClevelandArt from @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1ty #giveaway

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

The giveaway will close on Thursday, May 9 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced the following day. Also, check out The Dawg’s Dish’s giveaway for another chance to win. Good luck!

***I was invited to attend a special tasting event at Provenance and the MixUp event with a guest. In exchange for attending and blogging about the event, I received a $100 gift card to Provenance to give away. 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? 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? Ohio Blogging at the Cleveland Museum of Art!

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

On Wednesday night, Matthew and I met up with a bunch of bloggers and blog supporters for the Ohio Blogging Association monthly gathering, this time at one of Cleveland’s greatest treasures: the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The new atrium area is stunning! You truly feel as if you were outside. We started with dinner just past the atrium at the new Provenance Café. I had a claystone flatbread with grilled swordfish, hummus, roasted eggplant spread, and more Mediterranean goodness.

I also highly recommend the mini bottle of champagne (you’re at a museum and being cultured and classy, after all) and the dessert bars (we split pecan pie and lemon).

After dinner, we got a tour of “The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection” exhibit. Our tour guide, Lucy, selected all the contemporary pieces for the exhibit and was a wealth of knowledge on both the classical and contemporary art we saw.

Hostess Alicia and Tour Guide Lucy

Matthew visited Pompeii during his study abroad semester in Italy, so he brought an even more hands-on perspective to the art. The exhibit has classic paintings of imagined life in Pompeii and then the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Image Source – clevelandart.org

The Last Days of Pompeii also showcases contemporary works, such as sculptures based off body casts taken of remains found at Pompeii, which were some of the most evocative pieces for me.

Image Source – clevelandart.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art is truly one of Cleveland’s greatest cultural assets and, with its new renovations and this amazing exhibit, more than worth a visit to see what’s going on there. “The Last Days of Pompeii” runs through Sunday, July 7. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, and $7 for children.

In attendance at the meet-up were bloggers from:

Am I There Yet? (and boyfriend Justin)

Call Me Trouble

Craveable Cleveland

Eat*Drink*Cleveland

Go Run Jess

Poise in Parma (and Aunt Kathy)

ROJ Running (and guest Jason)

SOS Associates (and wife Julie)

@TalknCleveland

The next Ohio Blogging Association event is in the works, so stay tuned to the OBA Facebook page for more details coming soon!

Have you seen “The Last Days of Pompeii?”

***Disclosure: The Ohio Blogging Association members and guests received complimentary tickets to “The Last Days of Pompeii” exhibit, as well as a guided tour. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Tri-C Jazz Fest Giveaway!

Spring in Cleveland means lots of great events and fun things to do as we come out of hibernation. One of those great events is Tri-C Jazz Fest, happening Friday, April 19 through Saturday, May 4.

Image Source – tri-cjazzfest.com

Tri-C Jazz Fest was founded in 1980 with three missions: (1) foster the history and nurture the future of jazz; (2) provide educational opportunities for students of all ages and in all walks of life; and (3) bring world-class jazz to Cleveland. Since then, Jazz Fest has been doing just that! Beyond just the concerts, Jazz Fest features lectures, master classes, and much more.

To kickoff this year’s Tri-C Jazz Fest, there will be an opening party on Friday, April 19 from 5-7pm in the lobby of the State Theater at Playhouse Square. The opening party is sponsored by Great Lakes Brewing Company and is free and open to the public. There will be live music from Nadir & Distorted Soul, happy hour drink prices, food, and drawings for concert tickets and merchandise.

Image Source – tri-cjazzfest.com

After the opening party, Tri-C Jazz Fest kicks off with Aaron Neville and Dr. John at 8pm at the State Theater. The concerts are spread between Tri-C’s Metropolitan Campus, the State Theater, and MOCA Cleveland. A complete list of the concerts and events for Jazz Fest can be found here.

I have two tickets to give away to the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, which close Tri-C Jazz Fest on Saturday, May 4 at 8:30pm at the Tri-C Metro Auditorium.

Image Source – tri-cjazzfest.com

Here’s how to enter (leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry):

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite musical festival that you’ve attended.

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

3. Tweet the following phrase:

I entered to win tickets to enjoy @TriCJazzFest with @WhyCLE and you can too: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1q8 #TriCJazzFest

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

The giveaway will close on Sunday, April 21 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced the following day. Good luck!

***Disclosure: I was asked by Tri-C Jazz Fest to help promote the festival. In exchange, I will receive 2 tickets to the Spanish Harlem Orchestra concert for myself and 2 tickets to give away. The choice of which concert to attend was my own. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Playhouse Square Partners Bowl-a-Rama!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win 2 tickets to Band Aid Bash? Check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

Last night, Matthew and I attended the Playhouse Square Partners’ Bowl-a-Rama. Neither of us is a very good bowler (Wii bowling excluded), but (1) we have never failed to have a great time at a Partners event and (2) Kimberly and Amanda planned the event, so we had friend peer pressure to participate.

Organizers/Attendance Police

The Bowl-a-Rama was held at Mahall’s 20 Lanes, a great spot for tasty food and drink, bowling, and live music.

Our admission got us two drink tickets, as well as food. We enjoyed some unique selections from Mahall’s beer list (I recommend the Two Brothers’ Domaine DuPage French Country Style Ale), as well as sliders, tacos, soft pretzels with the hottest hot mustard sauce I’ve ever tasted, and curry or cinnamon sugar popcorn.

Mahall’s is old school, so scoring is done by hand. I refused to download a scoring app either. In high school, for junior-year phys ed, we had to learn how to score bowling among other things. So, I took the helm with that task. I wanted to fudge the results, since we bet that the loser had to unload the dishwasher for a month!

I didn’t even come close to winning, but I got one spare, which caused this ecstatic reaction:

Yes, I posted this. No, I don’t have any pride anymore.

Look how Sara is judging my dance moves (and probably my bowling skills too)…

While I may not have had the most successful night score-wise, we had a great time hanging out with friends and once again enjoying our time with Playhouse Square Partners! There are some great Partners events coming up:

On Thursday, May 2, there is a Dine Around in Little Italy. You pick from Mama Santo’s, Trattoria on the Hill, Michaelangelo’s, or Mia Bella for a small group dinner, then meet up with all the Partners on the Dine Around for a nightcap at Washington Place Bistro. Click here for more details.

On Thursday, May 16, head over to Around the Corner in Lakewood for Bartending for Buses. Playhouse Square Partners members will be guest bartending and all funds benefit the Playhouse Square Bus Fund, which provides transportation for school children to visit the theater. Click here for more details.

Finally, on Thursday, May 23, get in on some massive fun at Life Size Game Night. There will be life-sized Jenga, Operation, Cornhole, and more. Tickets are $20 for Partners and $25 for non-Partners and include food from Sammy’s, drinks, and games. Click here for more details.

Whether you’re a member of Partners or not, these events are a great way to mingle with other engaged and interested Clevelanders and, often, help out one of CLE’s finest institutions. Hope to see you at a Partners event soon!