Just let it happen, please.

That is the philosophy that Gudrun, who moved to Lakewood in August, lives by. After growing up in Brooklyn, New York and living in such varied locations as St. Louis, Connecticut, and California, it might seem surprising that she chose this location to finally settle down.

There were two major factors that contributed to Gudrun's move from Connecticut to Lakewood, Ohio. The first was the new YMCA. “I swim everyday,” said Gudrun, who at age 80, stands stately with a short salt and pepper bob cut and bright blue eyes. “And there are wonderful people at the Y.”

Attention Pumpkin fans and fall enthusiasts! We need help celebrating Lakewood’s 9th annual Pumpkin Palooza. You can join the fall fun by attending the event, decorating a pumpkin…or both!...

It’s been a quiet week here at FOB McHenry, on the edge of the Tigris River Valley. It’s somewhere near the peak of summer, that transition from July to August when everything moves slower at midday. The dogs down at the burn pit amble aimlessly about, too hot to rummage for scraps in the swirling cinders. Waves of distorted air shimmer in your vision, and the concrete blast barriers soak up so much heat, they radiate long into the night, too hot to sit or lean on, even when the night air has reached a comfortable temperature. Cool beverages and air conditioned shipping containers are our respite. The mess hall has Gatorade and bottled water, we have a small PX that sells pop and energy drinks, and our Iraqi vendor, Jacob Azraf, has bottled beverages based on combinations of fruit nectar for those willing to step away from their normal drinks. There are no ice dispensers or ice makers, though occasionally we have ice shipped down from one of the larger FOBs if it is needed to support an operation...

Lakewood residents will be treated like royalty when the likes of Jake “the snake” Roberts and other professional wrestlers compete in the Firestorm Pro event which debuts September 12 at the Phantasy Theatre campus on the city’s east side. With the prospects of monthly shows in mind, Firestorm Pro seeks to be a springboard for wrestling in Lakewood and the greater Cleveland area from their recently unveiled Phantasy Theatre Campus.

Lakewood resident J.C. Koszewski, founder of the emerging Firestorm wrestling academy, is seeking to broaden the scope of professional wrestling in Lakewood. Koszweski first developed a love for local wrestling in his early teenage years. It was during this time that he first intuited the untapped potential which might give birth to a local scene of blood, sweat and theatrical displays of aggression...

Lakewood has been known by many epithets, but probably its most recognizable is “The City of Beautiful Homes”, and it is that name that the Lakewood Historical Society showcases each year at the biennial House Tour...

Going out at night can be a problem. If there is any doubt, Lakewood resident Joe Simon, the self-published author of “Observations from the Door”, would like to assuage it. ..

Maria “Puma” Reyes, a well-known yoga teacher on Cleveland’s westside, finally has a home to call her own.

Beginning August 9, Reyes will open her own studio, Puma Yoga, at 15602 Detroit Ave., in Lakewood. For the past several years, Reyes has earned a loyal following teaching at various gyms, clubs and churches...

When the word “park” is mentioned, images of play groups, soccer teams, picnics, playgrounds, and other group activities quickly come to mind. But what about an organization whose goal is not to use the park, but to improve it?

“It’s a jewel that needs some attention,” said Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Louise Madigan of Madison Park...

Lakewood native Eric Smith has been serving in Iraq since May. In his first column for the Observer, he told of the flight into Iraq and described Camp Victory in Iraq. Now, he is out of Baghdad at a small base near Kirkuk, Sadaam Hussein’s former home town.

The flight in a pair of Blackhawk helicopters from our FOB (Forward Operating Base) to General Methaala’s house was an easy one. We were low enough that we could see peoples’ expressions as they looked up at us, but high enough that the noise and rotor wash didn’t bother the villagers. The pilots and door gunners bantered back and forth with us about which mess hall had the best food, who was the best unit to work with, and the advantages of being required by regulation to get plenty of sleep (the pilots, not us)...

H2O “Help to Others” Summer Service Camp, sponsored by the City of Lakewood, is a place for middle school students to learn about helping the community, local and global, through organized volunteer work. Each summer H2O has a different theme that the service revolves around. The theme for this year is, “Study the Past, Live in the Moment, Plan for the Future.” We are turning our focus to the current environmental situation, and making an effort to increase recycling in Lakewood...

It’s not often that successful contemporary art gallery directors or curators who have academic training in art history, and none in studio art, leave their profession to later return as practicing artists. However, that’s exactly what Tom Kochheiser did.

 

With academic training in art history, a BA and MA from Ohio State and Oberlin College respectively, and no formal studio art training, everything Tom has learned about making art he has figured out on his own. And the result is outstanding...

14613 Clifton isn’t your typical punk house full of college-aged kids putting on shows. Nope, it’s a much nicer version, one parents wouldn’t mind sending their kids to. Since April of 2007, four boys have lived there, three of which are members of the locally based bands The Sidekicks and Asinine...

Have you ever noticed how the most inspiring moments can sometimes become nightmares?

I re-learned this “Raiders of the Lost Arc” lesson the hard way recently on a trip to the Sandy Ridge Reservation, a Lorain County Metro-Park, advertised to feature a bird-rich wetland with heron, geese, woodpeckers, swan etc. Well, the park didn’t disappoint: my sister and I saw all that and more, including two beautiful Baltimore orioles and some egrets. But just when I felt at peace—connected to the majesty of the natural world--one wrong turn transformed my ornithological bliss into a horror show...

Virtually every resident in the city of Lakewood is familiar with the local shop called “Geiger’s.” But not everyone knows the man behind the store quite as well.

 

Mr. Charles Geiger III and his brother, Gordon Geiger, are partners in the store’s management. Geiger’s has been in business now for three generations.

“We have SALT!”

It was a text message I had sent to my fiancé about our upcoming, month-long diet in July. Nowadays, most people wouldn’t get so excited about such a basic ingredient, but having such an important staple during the next month would be valuable.

Lakewood has received national recognition by This Old House Magazine, one of a select group of cities in the country to receive their endorsement. Lakewood appears as one of the Best Places To Buy An Old House in all the following categories: In The Midwest; For Families With Kids; For First-Time Buyers; For Art Lovers; and For Queen Annes...

A memorial mass was held at St. James Church on Saturday, June 21 for long-time Lakewood resident Elizabeth Carnegie. Ms. Carnegie, died on May 14 at age 84.

Ms. Carnegie graduated from the former Notre Dame Academy on Ansel Road in Cleveland and Ursuline College, and received a graduate degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C...

It's a common New Year's resolution: to help others in need. What's not so common is the people who do this every day through their jobs. Kathy McKinsey is one of these people. McKinsey is a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, or CVRT, at the Cleveland Sight Center, an agency that provides services for people that are blind or visually impaired and whose mission is “to empower people with vision loss to realize their full potential, and to shape the community's vision of that potential..."

There was a "sun parlor" just off the dining room in my grandparents' old Pennsylvania mountain home. It wasn't very large, but it contained a nice fireplace, with bookshelves situated along the far wall; along with three comfortable easy chairs where one could grab a volume and read a few pages, in between the hard work that came with life in the country...

Imagine going on the World Wide Web and being able to find what your home would have looked like years ago, maybe even before you were born, if there even was a house there.

In this age of technology, it isn’t hard to believe that there would be images circulating on the web of old places and it is even harder to believe, but it’s fortunately true, that one of these websites is devoted specifically to the city of Lakewood. If you don’t believe that there is a site called “Yesterday’s Lakewood” with over 2,100 images of the city of Lakewood, just talk to William Becker, the site’s creator and 33-year archivist for Cleveland State University...

Grace Presbyterian Church, at Hilliard and Rosewood Avenues, celebrated over 40 years of honoring veterans on Sunday, May 25th, with their traditional Memorial Sunday service, including a grand entrance by the veterans. Grace Presbyterian has held a special service in recognition of Memorial Day annually since 1967; to honor living and deceased veterans who came to the aid of our country. Participants in the service on Sunday included members of the Joint Veterans Council of Lakewood/Rocky River, musicians from the North Coast Pipe Band, a trumpet player, and the church's own choir, pastor, and organist...

Rock band auditions for the upcoming young musician’s concert series, Band2gether, were held on Saturday afternoon on May 10. Owners of the Hi-Fi Club and former bandmates from the eighties glam band Spoyld, Billy Morris and Jim Maylor’s, opened their doors to these young musicians to show their stuff.

During the weeks leading up to the auditions, Chris Vance encouraged anyone with singing, drumming or guitar-playing experience from his music school and beyond to get a band together and try out. He also attended numerous events to get the word out. Those interested would get the chance to participate in an actual rock concert, on stage before an audience. Clay Verga, a member of one of the auditioning bands “Little Known Fact”, heard about the auditions from Vance . “I thought it would be a great opportunity to play this summer for family and friends,” he said about his decision to audition...

Lakewood's own culinary delight, Melt Bar and Grilled, is no longer our best-kept secret: the purveyor of all things grilled cheese was featured in the May issue of Esquire's The Best Sandwiches In America.

 

Owner/Chef Matt Fish is thrilled with the announcement. "I am completely blown away by the exposure in Esquire," says Fish. "It is very hard to believe that my little Lakewood restaurant is being thought of on a national level. We try extremely hard to make every experience at Melt Bar and Grilled a great one. It is a real honor to be mentioned."..

Part II

The riots spread from Lhasa to the beautiful city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. I was in Chengdu from March 25 until March 27, which was less than 10 days after the riots happened...

China is a magical place filled with over 20 ethnic groups, 11 provinces, 10+ different dialects of the Chinese language, amazing food, and great personality. I have traveled all across this wonderful country and experienced things that some people can never understand without coming to do it themselves...