This Thursday, June 28th, we'll continue The Inner Circle tradition of sharing great music experiences, this afternoon featuring a Caribbean vibe, with Jamaican steel drum performer Calvin Wilson. Calvin will offer a steel drum workshop focused on kids, at 3:30 PM, and will perform for all from 4:00 until around 6:30 PM - Edwin James will mix it up as well. Please feel free to swing by for a visit and a cool drink - we'll have some Hot Sauce Williams deserts on hand for any sweet teeth, as well... after all, it is my birthday. Come celebrate! Not to miss a chance to leverage a gathering of great people for a greater good, we'll use this opportunity to also share with you the latest news of developments in East Cleveland, and that means talking real estate.

The Cleveland Arts Prize is pleased to announce the winners for 2007. They are:

Budweiser Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation Research Prize
Budweiser and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Foundation) are currently accepting applications for the 2007 Budweiser Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation Research Prize. This new research prize will be awarded under a competitive process and will recognize and support a single innovative project that advances new technologies or practices that contribute to making renewable energy a practical energy alternative. The $100,000 total prize will be awarded in consideration of a project’s ability to develop or evaluate new cost-effective renewable energy technologies for industrial application while demonstrating the measurable benefits such practices can have in advancing wildlife conservation.

This program does not include a pre-proposal round.

Preproposal Date:
Full Proposal Date: 06/29/2007
Notification Date: 10/31/2007

• Eligibility for the research prize is limited to accredited post-secondary academic institutions with preference given to those working collaboratively among different departments within an institution(s), and with public agencies and nonprofit organizations.
• Funds may be used for items such as:  salaries and benefits, student stipends, travel, publication expenses, and supplies.
• Funds may not be used for: Political advocacy or litigation of any kind, shortfalls in government agency budgets, or general administrative overhead or indirect costs.

Saturday, June 30th — Play until Dark @ Wendy Park: Get the Towpath to the Lake Cleveland’s only Sport and Recreation festival benefiting Wendy Park Foundation initiatives including getting the Towpath to the Lake! Advance tickets available online for $5.00, at the gate price is $8.00. Kids under 10 free.
• Registration Form

Yes, we will have a happy hour at the Inner Circle today, starting around 4 until 7 or so - with Edwin mixing in some tropical tunes to cool the day. Please stop by if you have time and learn the latest developments with Star Neighborhood Development, the Inner Circle, and in the neighborhood... we may have our WiFi hot sopt up by then, if I can figure everything out.. Hopefully, we'll have closed on our house by then, too, and we may welcome you to come by and check it out and offer renovation advice... we'll have an open-house whether we close or not - if you are thinking of moving any time soon you should check this out.

My wife and I are big fans of NEO artist Gina DeSantis - I started buying her functional ceramic pieces when she first showed at Buzz (we love her rice bowls designed with chopsticks in mind). When Buzz closed, we hunted Gina down to continue buying her work. So, when she announced Level Three Gallery it was such good news... be sure to check Level Three Gallery and Gina's work (above) out at their upcoming show, described below...

I received this today from the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op:

I'm doing an unprecedented thing for me, and sending this to everyone I
email (Sorry if you consider this "spam") because I think it's
important that folks get together on this -- especially after reading Al
Gore's Op-Ed in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/opinion/01gore.html

Some of you are not in Cleveland, but look at this invitation anyway,
please, and if you're not, I think you can find an event near you by
clicking on the "find an event" at the top, by "event central"...
I feel strongly that we can all learn something from this kind of
event, so here's the boilerplate from Live Earth, and if I don't see you
(with your bicycle, I hope !) at Great Lakes Brewery on Saturday, I hope
you will attend an event near you if you can:

You've been invited to attend Audubon Party for the Planet. Go to
http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/event/detail/wxy#rsvp to RSVP.

I hope you'll do something fun and meaningful for the planet this
Saturday -- if not by attending a Live Earth party, then by riding your bike
somewhere!

Jim Sheehan

7GEN is pleased to provide a Drupal virtual community for the historic Cleveland Club of Washington, D. C., and they have used the technology very well - visit their clean, effective site here. If you frequent D.C., or have friends or family there with a "keen interest in Cleveland", connect with club President Brooke Stoddard at their online presence here. Their next event is this private tour of the U.S. Capitol, July 11, 2007, which will be exceptional.

2007 Midtown Brews Series: Midtown Brews connects innovative thinkers with global perspectives on our regional economy. Join us for our next conversation...Thursday, July 5

Concerned Citizens Organized Against Lead (CCOAL) will be holding a Community Lead Poisoning Prevention Class on Tuesday, July 17th from 6:00 - 8:00 at Trinity Lutheran Church (2038 West 29th Street in the Pregnancy Center Building) as one of our OLAW events.  Registration for the class is still open and we encourage all to get their clients to call in and register.  Participants receive refreshments, a Lead Dust Hazard Control Kit, a chance at a $25 raffle, a chance at a vacuum raffle, and free childcare.

The Dew Action Sports Tour

From Sandy Mitchell,
Your Guide to Cleveland, OH.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

The Dew Action Sports Tour

From Sandy Mitchell,
Your Guide to Cleveland, OH.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

The Fine Art & Antiques Auction preview began on Wednesday and continues through Saturday (11-8 Wed. - Fri. & 11-6 Sat.) but Friday night should be especially fun. From 5:30 - 8 there will a special reception and exhibition of photography by Cleveland artist Ruggero Fatica. Gray's Auctioneers promises to be the new hip place in town to see art, buy art and see and be seen.

The Dew Action Sports Tour

From Sandy Mitchell,
Your Guide to Cleveland, OH.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

The Dew Action Sports Tour

From Sandy Mitchell,
Your Guide to Cleveland, OH.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

My friend Katrina will be guest bartending with Thomas Barbric' the regular bartender at Light Bistro (formerly Parker's) on Thursday, June 26th from 4:30 - 8:00 (Happy Hour) all tips will go to the Cleveland Animal Protective League.  There will be complimentary Tapas as well as a few other appetizers for $5. 

It is official - "Cuyahoga County commissioners voted 2-1 today to raise the sales tax a quarter of a penny to help bring a Medical Mart to Cleveland." Perhaps you'd like time to think about this more, and the opportunity to vote with other citizens on how you are taxed.  Other citizens feel the same and have formed a committee to "Put It On The Ballot"- a grass-roots campaign to collect enough signatures to force the 1/4% sales tax increase to be placed on a ballot. This Friday, July 27, there will be an Excellence Roundtable at The Inner Circle where some of the people involved with this campaign will join a discussion on this issue, from all directions.

To learn more about the campaign, visit http://putitontheballot.com - you'll certainly read more about this initiative on this site and on REALNEO throughout the coming months. 7GEN (developer of REALNEO) is providing this Drupal site for this initiative, and I look forward to learning more about the campaign and all related issues.

Here's a worthwhile event notice from one of the Founders of Meet The Bloggers, George Nemeth, for their BLOGGAPALOOZA. Now at the Beachland Tavern, mixing with Arts Collinwood, this should be an amazing gathering - need to check this out for sure: