Taste of Lakewood

Looking to fill your stomach and sample food from some of Cleveland's most popular restaurants? Then head over to Madison Park in Lakewood this Sunday for the 11th annual Taste of Lakewood.

Hosted by the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and Cleveland Magazine, this is the first year the festival will be held outside. About 30 restaurants from Cleveland and Lakewood will have a variety of food for sale. Restaurants include Melt Bar and Grilled, Jammy Buggars, Around the Corner, Barrio, Angelo's Pizza, Deagan's Kitchen + Bar and many others.

A number of local and high school bands also will perform throughout the afternoon and a beer and wine tent will be open to all those 21 years and older.

Admission to the festival is free and food is pay-as-you-go. VIP tickets are available for $50 and include a reserved parking spot, a Taste of Lakewood t-shirt, a reserved seat in a VIP tent and $10 in drink tickets.

Not all vendors will accept credit cards, so be sure to have some cash on hand!

A portion of the proceeds from the festival will fund Lakewood chamber's annual high school scholarship program, which assists college-bound high school seniors at St. Edward and Lakewood High Schools. 

Taste of Lakewood hours:
Sunday, June 1 from 1-7 p.m.

For more information, visit Taste of Lakewood.

Art in the Village

Summertime is synonymous with art festivals here in Cleveland, and this weekend is no exception. Drive on over to Legacy Village in Lyndhurst this Saturday and Sunday for the 24th annual Art in the Village art festival!

More than 100 of the nation's most talented artists will line the sidewalks of Legacy Village displaying their work. Each year the artists are hand selected by an independent panel of judges based on quality and diversity.

Besides artwork, several local bands will take to the stage Saturday and Sunday afternoons to perform songs ranging in genre from jazz to rock to acoustic funk. Families can stop by the children's area to watch their little ones create their own artwork to take home.

Wine lovers will be able to get in on the action too. The Ohio Wine Producers Association will host a special wine tasting from noon to 6 p.m. both days of the festival. Guests can sample and purchase wine from five Ohio wineries.

Admission and parking are both free. Stores and restaurants at Legacy Village will be open during the festival.

Art in the Village hours:
Saturday, May 31 from noon-8 p.m.
Sunday, June 1 from noon-6 p.m.

For more information, visit Art in the Village.

Cleveland Foundation Day on Wade Oval

Looking for last-minute plans this Memorial Day weekend? Head to University Circle tomorrow, May 24 for a variety of free activities, courtesy The Cleveland Foundation.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Western Reserve Historical Society will offer free admission to all guests during normal hours this Saturday. For the first time ever, the history museum also will offer free admission to its planetarium.

The Cleveland Museum of Art, which is always free, will offer free tickets to the Van Gogh "Repetitions" exhibit.

Besides free admission, there will be free family-friendly activities taking place throughout the day, including live animal shows at the history museum, scavenger hunts at the Botanical Garden and five-generation family tree charts at the historical society.

The Cleveland Foundation is providing these free activities for its centennial celebration. Every month this year the foundation will give a gift to the community.

Cleveland Foundation Day on Wade Oval hours:
Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

For more information, visit Cleveland Foundation.

Marc's Great American Rib Cook-Off & Music Festival

Memorial Day weekend is typically viewed as the unofficial start to summer, and what better way to kick off summer than with juicy ribs and live music!

The 2014 Marc's Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival returns to Jacob's Pavilion at Nautica in the Flats this weekend. The four-day event combines grilling, food and music to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend.

Dozens of local vendors will be grilling up their best selection of ribs throughout the weekend. The Marc's Amateur Grilling Competition will allow up-and-coming chefs to display their skills. New to the festival this year -- all vendors will be accepting cash and credit cards as payment rather than tickets.

The weekend also will be jam-packed with live entertainment. Local bands Disco Inferno and The Spazmatics will take to the stage Friday, May 23 for back-to-back sets. Music legend Joan Jett and The Blackhearts will perform Saturday, May 24 while a personal favorite of mine, Taking Back Sunday, will fittingly play on Sunday, May 25. Southern rock/country band Blackberry Smoke will close out the festival on Monday, May 26.

Friday is dollar day with all general admission only $1! Admission from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday is free and kids aged 12 and under are free all weekend. Cook-off entertainment is free with paid admission, but limited reserved seating for Joan Jett and Taking Back Sunday is available through Live Nation.

Regular adult general admission is $8 and will be available for purchase at the cook-off box office during festival hours.

The RTA will continue to offer "Rib Lovers" free rides on all RTA Rapid Transit Rail Lines, courtesy of Live Nation, Jacobs Entertainment and the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. 

Marc's Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival hours:
Friday, May 23 from noon-11 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 from noon-11 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 from noon-11 p.m.
Monday, May 26 from noon-8 p.m.

For more information, call the festival hotline at 216-622-6558 or visit Marc's Rib Cook-Off.

Hessler Street Fair

Warm weather has finally arrived in Northeast Ohio, which means it's time to kick off the summer festival season! One of the most anticipated festivals, the Hessler Street Fair, will take over University Circle this weekend.

The Hessler Street Fair dates back to 1969 when it debuted as a giant block party. Over the decades the event evolved into a full-blown festival.

Dozens of vendors will line historic Hessler Street selling items ranging from jewelry to photography to henna body art. Plenty of food vendors will be on hand, as well as a selection of nonprofit organizations. Local bands will perform throughout the afternoon on Saturday and Snday.

Families with children are invited to stop by adjacent Harmony Park for kid-friendly activities including face painting, balloon animals, pony rides and a kids marketplace.

The fair is free and will take place rain or shine.

Hessler Street Fair hours:
Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m.-dusk
Sunday, May 18 from 11 a.m.-dusk

For more information, visit Hessler Street Fair.