If it’s spring, it must be time for Weekend in Ohio City.
The annual Cleveland tradition makes its appearance in 2010 on the third weekend in May. It comprises two popular events: Evening in Ohio on Saturday, May 15, and the Ohio City Home Tour on Sunday, May 16. Both events offer attendees the chance to experience the vast diversity in housing options in Ohio City and see how neighborhood residents have applied their skills and creative talents to bring alive their visions for their homes.
Evening in Ohio City is one of Greater Cleveland’s most popular social events, and typically sells out weeks in advance. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. at the new St. Ignatius Breen Center for the Arts, where patrons will nosh on wine provided by Market Avenue Wine Bar and appetizers from the West Side Market’s O’Reilly Bakery and The Cheese Shop. Guests then continue on with a progressive food, beer and wine tasting in six unique homes in the neighborhood. Among the homes to be featured on this year’s Evening event are the following:
- A condominium carved out of the historic Franklin YMCA building
- An elegantly restored Civil War-era home with a stunning great room
- An 1880s frame Victorian with a completely modern interior
- A condominium in the newly constructed Stonebridge tower with amazing city views
Evening in Ohio City Guests are escorted by Lolly the Trolley to each site, where they spend 30 minutes touring the home, enjoying wine and craft beers from Ohio City’s own Great Lakes Brewing Company, and sampling the food from a variety of Ohio City restaurants and caterers. Participating restaurants this year include Flying Fig, Kim Se, Bar Cento, Le Petit Triangle, West Side Market Café and Touch Supper Club. At the end of the evening, all guests gather once again at the Breen Center for coffee from Koffie Cafe and dessert from O Fudge and Farkas Pastries, and to share their experiences of the evening.
The following day, the Ohio City Home Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring eight homes not included on the previous night’s event, including a unique commercial/residential space in an old brick storefront, an elegant Clinton Avenue townhouse, apartments carved out of an historic social hall, and a charming brick workman’s cottage with a gourmet kitchen.
Lolly also provides transportation during the Sunday tour, offering participants the opportunity to jump on and off at their leisure. This year, the tour begins at Gould Court Plaza, which is just south of the intersection of West 25th Street and Bridge Avenue. Plenty of free parking is available behind the West Side Market.
Tickets for Evening in Ohio City are $115 per person if purchased before March 26, $130 per person after, and include wine and beer, hearty hors d’oeuvres, guided tours of host homes, a complimentary souvenir wine or beer glass, transportation to all homes via Lolly the Trolley, and admission to the Home Tour the next day. Tickets for Sunday’s tour—which include entrance to all tour sites and rides on Lolly—are $18 if purchased before May 13 or $20 on the day of the event. Volume discounts are also available. Tickets for both events can be purchased in advance either online or by calling 216.781.3222.
All proceeds from Weekend in Ohio City—which this year is made possible with the generous support of sponsors including Lutheran Hospital, Dave’s Supermarket and Great Lakes Brewing Company—benefit the Ohio City Near West (OCNW) Development Corporation’s ongoing efforts to further Ohio City’s renaissance.
