🎸 Soulful News! R&B Museum Arrives in Cleveland 🕺

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Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop. If you’ve ever had to explain to an out-of-towner why East Side vs. West Side is a serious debate, this newsletter is for you.🏙️🔀

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:

• Another shrine to music? The National R&B Museum looks to open in Cleveland

• Fan Expo Cleveland: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a superhero extravaganza

• The end of St. Patrick’s Day Parade as we know it?

• Turn on the applause sign: SNL is coming to Cleveland

  
  
  John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura

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IN THE NEWS

Another shrine to music? The National R&B Museum looks to open in Cleveland

There was a time when the East Side was dubbed “Cleveland’s Harlem” – when the city boasted nightclubs like Gleason’s, Leo’s Casino and the Circle Ballroom.

It was a hot bed of music and spawned shows and players that inspired deejay Alan Freed and Record Rendezvous owner Leo Mintz and, ultimately, the legendary Moondog Coronation Ball.

For years, LaMont Robinson dreamed of bringing that storied past back to life.

In 2010, the Cleveland native, former professional basketball player, and R&B enthusiast founded the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame to preserve the legacy of the artists, songwriters, producers and venues that shaped the genre.

It’s getting closer to fruition.

Robinson is working on plans to build a museum inside the circa-1927 Moreland Theater in Cleveland's Buckeye neighborhood.

“I’ve been working with Mayor Bibb’s office and City Council,” says Robinson. “The goal is to revive the building and the area with an arts district. The museum is central to that.”

The Moreland would be the anchor in a broader revitalization effort led by the nonprofit Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. In 2024, the city approved a $3.88 million forgivable loan. It has also provided $100,000 to fix the roof and a $300,000 grant to refurbish the theater.

Robinson’s concept checks off all boxes. It celebrates Black culture, honors Cleveland’s past and would attract Greater Clevelanders and out-of-towners to an area in need of development.

The Stax Museum and the Motown Museum have played key roles in revitalizing neighborhoods in Memphis and Detroit, respectively. Like those music museums, there’s a historical basis for Robinson’s vision.

“Gleason’s was Cleveland’s first integrated club and one of the first in the country,” he says. “People forget that all the musicians at the Moondog Coronation Ball were black. Before it was called rock ‘n’ roll, it was ‘race music’ – and without these clubs Cleveland would not be known as the ‘Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’”

For years, the museum operated without a fixed location, hosting induction ceremonies in various cities, including Cleveland. He’s inducted 300 artists and collected thousands of artifacts – and countless memories while accompanying his uncle, a musician, to the legendary Leo’s Casino.

“This is in my blood,” says Robinson. “And I want to pay tribute to this music and to the city.”

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Fan Expo Cleveland: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a superhero extravaganza

Our love of superheroes, comic books, horror and sci-fi runs deep.

Superman was born in Cleveland. Howard the Duck battled a man-frog and a vampiric cow here. The city has spawned horror legends Ghoulardi and Wes Craven and served as a backdrop for "The Avengers," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and the upcoming “Superman.”

Now, here comes Fan Expo Cleveland, Friday in the Huntington Convention Center.

The three-day extravaganza is expected to draw 25,000 people. It features memorabilia and exhibits – as well as celebrities, gamers and creators of comics, sci-fi, horror movies, TV shows, anime.

The comic con rolls out 900 retailers, vendors, and exhibitors and rolls out a cast of guests, from Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”) to Grant Gustin (“The Flash”), Tom Welling (“Smallville”) and Charlie Cox (“Daredevil”).

David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor in “Doctor Who,” will appear at a panel about the iconic British sci-fi series -- one of many Q & A panels at the bash. There will also be a Clark Kent lookalike contest, autograph sessions and photo ops.

There are rumors that a new “Superman” trailer is coming during the event, but who knows…

For complete schedules and info on tickets and passes, go here.

The end of St. Patrick’s Day Parade as we know it?

Another year, another parade that packed downtown to celebrate Irish spirit, our ethnic diversity and a Cleveland tradition that goes back to 1842.

Now comes the question: Is the St. Patrick Day’s Parade as we know it over?

The Superior Midway project, a $25 million initiative set to begin construction in the spring of 2026, poses a significant challenge for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which marches down Superior Avenue.

The project aims to transform Superior Avenue by narrowing it from its current wide expanse to four lanes—two for buses and two for general traffic, totaling 24 feet in width.

The redesign includes a 28-foot-wide bike path down the center of Superior Avenue that would divide Superior into two 24-wide roads.

Parade organizers argue that the narrowed roadway and added landscaping will make it impossible to safely accommodate one of the oldest and biggest parades in America. St. Patrick’s Day attracts 10,000 participants and marching bands, floats, children’s groups, horses, and motorized vehicles, not to 500,000 people that line the route.

The city has suggested rerouting the parade to nearby St. Clair Avenue.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee has called it an inadequate solution – because St. Clair lacks a direct connection to Public Square, which is central to the current route. It contends that the project would take it away from downtown gathering spots, like bars and restaurants.

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The 216 Rundown

Zydeco dance night at Forest City

Even on the coldest nights when the club seems tucked in and dozing for night, there’s Forest City Brewery, 2159 Columbus Road, Cleveland. Its Thursday night music series is always a reason to go out. The next one features Mo’ Mojo. The hard-driving, high-energy Zydeco dance band features button-box, fiddle, guitar, harp, bass, rubboard, and drums. And they sing in French as well as English. 7 p.m. Thursday.

Get Ari on the phone: Jeremy Piven hits the Agora

Hey, it’s Ari Gold – the Beverly Hills super-agent who bounced around offices screaming on his phone. Yup, that guy – the one from “Entourage.” In reality, of course, he’s Jeremy Piven, and he’s bringing his stand-up routine to the Agora Theater – 5000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. 6:30 p.m. Thursday. For tickets, go here.

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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Turn on the applause sign: SNL is coming to Cleveland

Live from Cleveland, it’s… Live from New York.

“Saturday Night Live” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is bringing the party to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On May 23, the rock hall will open “SNL: Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of Music” – an exhibit that features video installations and a first-ever virtual experience focused on the show’s history of iconic musical performances.

The show is a collaboration between the rock hall and SNL and will be made to look like Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.  It will include performances that span the life of the program – artists such as Blondie, David Bowie, Simon & Garfunkel, Run-DMC, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Nirvana, Sinead O’Connor, Madonna and Tina Turner.

Check out the teaser video.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

Cleveland, 1885. A section of the Cleveland Flats known as “Irishtown Bend.” The Cuyahoga River can be seen on the left side of the photograph. Houses, cottages and shacks can be seen dotting the hillside along the river.

Ooh and don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop & @216Scoop to get your photos in the Scoop!

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WEATHER

Wednesday - 03/19
69°F 🌡️ 51°F | 🌤️ | 0% | 💨 SW 15 mph (13 knots)

Thursday - 03/20
55°F 🌡️ 32°F | 🌧️ | 50% | 💨 NW 20 mph (17 knots)

Friday - 03/21
45°F 🌡️ 30°F | ❄️ | 40% | 💨 NW 15 mph (13 knots)

Note: This forecast is based on data from weather.com.

Live Shows in the 216

Wednesday - 03/19

House of Blues Cleveland | Donavon Frankenreiter - Get Out of Your Mind Tour | 7:00 PM

Connor Palace | & Juliet | 7:30 PM

Outcalt Theatre | King James | 7:30 PM

Kennedy's Cabaret | Flanagan's Wake | 8:00 PM

Thursday - 03/20

Connor Palace | & Juliet | 7:30 PM

Outcalt Theatre | King James | 7:30 PM

Kennedy's Cabaret | Flanagan's Wake | 8:00 PM

Friday - 03/21

House of Blues Cleveland | Gasolina Party - 18 & Over Only | 9:00 PM

Connor Palace | & Juliet | 7:30 PM

Outcalt Theatre | King James | 7:30 PM

Kennedy's Cabaret | Flanagan's Wake | 8:00 PM

KeyBank State Theatre | The Simon & Garfunkel Story | 7:30 PM

Mimi Ohio Theatre | Aziz Ansari - Hypothetical Tour | 7:00 PM

The 216 Sports Area

Upcoming Games

Cavaliers

Away vs. Sacramento Kings, 10:00 p.m., Wednesday, Mar. 19
Away vs. Phoenix Suns, 10:00 p.m., Friday, Mar. 21

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