O is for Orchestra

Cleveland is Cooler Than You Think!
All over the media, in tv and movies, Cleveland gets made fun of. In this year's A-Z Challenge, I'm here to show you everything Cleveland has to offer!

O is for Orchestra

Severance Hall (photo: Wikipedia)

The Cleveland Orchestra, founded in 1918 is one of the top orchestras in the nation as well as the world.  

The orchestra plays at their home venue, Severance Hall, the outdoor theater Blossom Music Center in the summer, as well as touring the United States and Europe for special appearances.  

They also have a number of programs for school aged children to come in and be exposed to music and instruments that maybe they've never had a chance to see or hear before. They've also instituted an "Under 18s Free" program which has increased the number of concertgoers under the age of 25 to 20%.

We don't get the chance to see them perform often enough but whether we are enjoying a concert at Severance Hall or outside at the Blossom Center, it is always a wonderful evening of fun and exceptional music!

About to see Beethoven's Emperor 

References:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severance_Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Orchestra
http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/about/mission-and-history/
Click here for my post on Blossom Music Center

Doggy Style (It's really not what you think!)

My three kids have taken up the habit of naming all the different positions our beagle Rory gets himself into.  Most of the time even I can't quite figure out why they chose the names they did but I thought it might put a smile on everyone's face to share in this silliness!

O is for Oiii! (or Ohhh mah Goodnesshhhhh)

This is what we exclaim at his cuteness!  For some reason we say it in heavily accented English, we just can't seem to help ourselves. 

Rory at 4 months old! :)

Don't forget to visit everyone else on the list today! Have a great Monday!!

Kathy :)

B is for Blossom and Browns

Cleveland is Cooler Than You Think!

I'm here to show you everything Cleveland has to offer!

Blossom Music Festival

A huge crowd at Blossom

One of my favorite things to do in the summer around Cleveland is to spend an evening at the Blossom Music Festival, an outdoor theater where you can watch performers ranging from Yo-Yo Ma and the Cleveland Orchestra to the Dave Matthews Band to Def Leppard, all while enjoying a relaxing picnic on the grass.

The fam relaxing before Yo-Yo Ma

Sun setting around Brown's Stadium

Cleveland Browns-  Anyone who follows professional football knows the Cleveland Browns are a less than stellar team year after year, in fact ESPN has named Cleveland "The Most Cursed Sports City."  As a Cleveland transplant, I didn't know much about the Brown's history.  Back in the 40's when the team was established, they actually dominated the AAFC and the NFL championships but since the Super Bowl was started they've not reached the big game.  There were two heartbreaking close calls in 1986 and 1987 where the Browns were minutes away from beating the Broncos in the AFC Championships but a last minute 98 yard drive the first year and a last minute fumble the second year swept away their Super Bowl hopes.

Cleveland fans supporting their Browns!

But as Winston Churchill once said, "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing
enthusiasm." Well we must be the most successful city in America, because despite disappointing seasons year after year, we Clevelanders continue to love, support, and hope for the Browns! And let me tell you when that Super Bowl win finally comes this city will party like no one has ever seen! :)


Doggy Style (It's really not what you think!)

My three kids have taken up the habit of naming all the different positions our beagle Rory gets himself into.  Most of the time even I can't quite figure out why they chose the name they did but I thought it might put a smile on everyone's face to share in this silliness!

B is for Baby

Don't forget to visit others participating in the Challenge!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend! We went on a college visit with Alyssa this weekend which was lots of fun!


Kathy :)