This June we helped coordinate the Coventry Street Fair. There were nearly 100 vendors selling everything from jewelry to salad. The fair has typically occurred on a Thursday or Friday night from 3pm to 6pm. This time it was on a Sunday from noon to 6pm, twice as long and on a day when nearly everyone can come. Sure enough the fair was packed with people all day long.
Most of the vendors arrived by 10am, and once the police cruisers got the streets closed, they were able to begin setting up. There was plenty of room for them to park their vehicles while setting up, but of course I warned them that as soon as everyone was set up, it would be very difficult to get their vehicles off the street. However, everything went smoothly and by noon everything was set up and actually quite beautiful. The long row of tents looked like some kind of medieval fair or jousting competition.
The sun was out but the breeze remained very cool so the temperature was perfect all day long. One vendor boasted she made five grand that day and I don’t doubt her. It’s a very good deal for the $50 fee.
At about an hour before closing time, kids began showing up. They had been following tweets and Facebook messages to meet up at the fair. Some came as far away as the Crocker Park area in the Western suburbs. At 6pm we walked down the line of booths and told the vendors to start packing up. By 7pm nearly every vendor folded up, loaded up and gone away. The crowd of kids had multiplied by this time, but they were simply hanging out, meeting friends and laughing. However, the majority of the kids had darker skin and I did overhear a couple of older white folk throwing around words like “gang” and “riot”.
The streets needed to be completely empty in order for the street sweepers and garbage trucks to come through. By 7:30 the police had cleared most of the street, but the teenagers congregated at the Park to the South and the gas station to the North. Some kid, in his or her infinite wisdom lit a fire cracker and that sent a large contingent of kids running back up the street where the police had to, again, send them out.
That night the Plain Dealer wrote a quick article (quick because they weren’t there at all) about the terrible riot and hordes of fighting teenagers who “closed down the fair”. Of course this couldn’t be further from the truth. Luckily one of the vendors who had stuck around long enough was able to set the record straight in the PD’s on-line comment section, and for that I thank you personally Susie Sharp! Since that time the story has grown. I had one vendor tell me she had gotten trampled and there was gun fire. I saw her loading up and she most certainly did not get trampled, and as mentioned there was a fire cracker and not gun fire. The story has taken such a life of its own that now the city of Cleveland Heights has issued a curfew of 6pm for anyone under 18. That seems extremely harsh, and difficult to manage.
Some of the merchants and vendors wondered why the police hadn’t pepper-sprayed, or tased these kids. For doing what, exactly? I’m wondering how much of this vitriol is racially motivated; probably most of it. I saw one very young policeman with a truncheon walk up to a group of about six teenage girls and at the top of his lungs shouted “get off the street, you will be arrested!” as he bounced the nightstick menacingly in his hand. However, the girls just gave him a sideways glance, moved a few feet and then continued texting.
The plan was to have another fair in July, but that may be wishful thinking. We have been throwing around ideas like, what if we charge a small admission to the fair? That would certainly keep most of the kids out.
The fair itself was extremely successful, at least for most of the vendors. Every one I asked told me they had been very pleased with the financial results. The lion’s share of them were eager for a July fair.
I certainly hope we get to do one.
We are so luck to have such a wonderful natural resource so close to us. The Great Lakes are one of the largest natural sources of fresh water in the world. While so many countries have little or no access to fresh water, it amazes me how much we take this treasure for granted. Even here at home, in the good old USA, we are limited in our access to fresh water. We dam rivers to divert water to build orange groves and cities in the middle of the desert. We have placed such a strain on our natural water supply, that the future for some states in in danger. Nevada and California even got the shape of their state because territory was added to give access to the Colorado river. Now we are drawing more water from this dammed river than nature can replenish, and reservoirs are being depleted.
One great event is the 
Plastic (and other) garbage is a big issue when it comes to waterways. In order to raise awareness about plastics and their impact on the environment, an annual event is held at Edgewater Beach. This year it is Saturday, September 10, 2011 at the Boat Launch at 10 am 
