Below you will find an upcoming program paired with related movies, documentaries, books, music, and more to help you gain a wider understanding of the topic before or after the program.
Explore further, deepen your discovery, and connect to learning!
The Program: Cleveland Summertime Memories, Wed., July 24, 6:30 pm, Willoughby Hills Library
Description: Gail Bellamy will share information from her book Cleveland Summertime Memories.
Great Historical Books from the Images of America Series and More
Take a trip down memory lane to summery area locales with these books full of great photography and historical information.
Amusement Parks and Fun Times
Description: In 1895, five Cleveland businessmen opened Euclid Beach Park. Located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, on the east side of Cleveland, this parcel of land would become a magical place that was more than just an amusement park – it was an institution of the community. However, in 1900, “the Beach” faced financial collapse under the original owners. After being rescued by the Humphrey family, Euclid Beach began its ascendancy in the 1901 season. During its 74 years of operation, particularly the “Humphrey years,” Euclid Beach Park offered a vast array of major rides and attractions and also utilized industry innovations in ride design, construction, and park management. Few amusement parks have garnered the affection, memories, and respect that surround the wondrous spot called Euclid Beach Park.
Geauga Lake: The Funtime Years, 1969 – 1995
Description: Description: In 1968, three businessmen left their jobs at Cedar Point in Sandusky to purchase Geauga Lake Amusement Park. Geauga Lake had been a summertime escape since the 1870s, but by the 1960s it had fallen on hard times. The businessmen’s company, Funtime, Inc., transformed the aging facility into a modern amusement park and established a reputation as an innovative operator in one of the nation’s most competitive amusement park markets. Geauga Lake became the first park with two looping roller coasters and the first to integrate a full-scale water park, Boardwalk Shores. The company broke even more new ground in 1988 when it resurrected a classic roller coaster design to construct Raging Wolf Bobs.
Description: In 1870, Louis Zistel began ferrying passengers from Sandusky to the Cedar Point Peninsula’s beer garden and sandy beaches. In 1888, the Grand Pavilion was built, housing a massive theatre, bowling alley, photographic studio, and kitchen, and shortly thereafter, the resort’s first roller coaster was installed. George Boeckling transformed the resort into a self-sufficient city and amusement park, but the park suffered badly in the 1930s economic depression. However, after Cedar Point changed hands several times in the 1950s, it became one of America’s leading amusement parks. Today, the park is best known as the world’s largest amusement park and the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”
Summertime Fun and History on the Water
Lake Erie’s Shores and Islands
Description: From quaint wineries, world-class amusement parks, indoor and outdoor water parks, to cottage communities, religious retreats and natural wonders, for 150 years, people have come to rest, relax, and recharge in the area. Lake Erie is the constant in this fascinating story, the natural resource that gives the region, from Vermilion to Port Clinton, south to Milan, Bellevue, and Fremont, and north to Sandusky, Cedar Point, the Marblehead Peninsula, and the Lake Erie Islands, its character and charm.
Description: Three and a half miles from the mainland, Kelleys Island was settled in 1833 by brothers Datus and Irad Kelley. Formerly known as Cunningham’s Island, it quickly built a reputation as a source of fine red cedar and limestone. Grape vineyards, wineries, and a robust fishing industry followed, and Kelleys Island developed a stellar reputation through the 19th century. It also started to attract tourists, lured by the cool breezes and Shangri-La environment. Industrial change and population shifts have challenged the island’s economy. Tourism remains as the one constant industry and has now become the principal enterprise. Kelleys, known as “”the quiet island,”” can also be called the “”resilient island”” because of its ability to reinvent itself. For visitors, the island’s 2,880 acres present a complex patchwork of interesting homes, natural and historical marvels, and a lively social life–assets that Islanders have found ways to make the best of.
Geneva on the Lake: A History of Ohio’s First Summer Resort
Description: For over a century, Ohio and Pennsylvania families have made an annual trek to a special spot on the shores of Lake Erie. This tiny piece of Northeast, Ohio, has made a huge impression on the hearts of thousands of visitors. But what is it about this town that draws generation after generation back for a vacation every summer? Why, when other resorts and amusements crumbled apart in the mid-nineteenth century, was Geneva on the Lake able to sustain some of the most trying times in the entertainment industry? Perhaps, by tracing the history of the town, and by exploring what the town is today, one may discover the answers to these questions. By examining numerous accounts of happy times on the lakeside, one will discover that some feelings have held true since the resorts beginnings; Geneva on the Lake has a magical way of lingering in our memories, connecting us to our past, and forever remaining in our hearts.
Put-in-Bay: The Construction of Perry’s Monument
Description: We have met the enemy and they are ours. . . . So wrote Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry to General William Henry Harrison following his decisive victory over a British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie. Perry’s victory served as a catalyst both for this battle and for ending hostilities in the Old Northwest Theater of the War of 1812. Captured here in over 200 vintage images from the Monument archives, is a pictorial and technical record of how a monument befitting this naval victory and the resulting peace became a reality.
During the remainder of his life, the country heralded Perry as a national hero whose bravery and fortitude enabled the U. S. to win, or gain an honorable peace from, its war with England. A deserving result of this victory was creation of a monument to honor Perry and his men. Seen here are the original photographs taken by prominent Put-in-Bay photographer G. Otto Herbster, capturing the builders, architects, mishaps, and triumphs that occurred during the construction of one of Ohio’s most revered treasures.
Summertime Treats
Ohio Ice Cream: A Scoop of History
Description: Drawing on a rich dairy heritage, Ohio has whipped up an ice cream industry worthy of tourism. The state has legitimate claims as the birthplace of the ice cream cone and the banana split, and the Klondike Bar and the Good Humor Man were created here. Ohio’s storied legacy lives on today in the inventive new flavors at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Mason’s Creamery and frozen forms at Simply Rolled. From seasonal mom-and-pop stands The Dairy Hut and Whipty-Do to year-round go-to scoop shops like Graeter’s, Johnson’s and Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl, satisfied customers share taste experiences each as distinctly delicious as the next. Author Renee Casteel Cook takes readers on a tour of tasty treats from the 3C’s to the smaller cities, sampling stories from the late 1800s to the present day.
Cleveland Beer: History & Revival in the Rust Belt
Description: Cleveland loves its craft beer. The city’s breweries are flourishing under a period of brewing renewal and an insatiable taste for quality local craftsmanship. But Cleveland’s brewing industry hasn’t always enjoyed such prosperous times. The industry boomed during the 1800s only to see Prohibition, dwindling demand and increased competition stifle production. Each brewery, one by one, closed its doors until none remained. In 1988, Patrick and Daniel Conway opened the fledgling Great Lakes Brewing Company, and the industry was born anew. Today, local visionaries are engineering the comeback and bringing national attention to Cleveland’s award-winning craft brews. Authors Leslie Basalla and Peter Chakerian chart the remarkable history of the ups and downs of Cleveland beer.
Play Ball!
Jacobs Field: History & Tradition at The Jake
Description:
The sports landscape changed in the spring of 1994 when the Cleveland Indians moved into their new stadium at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
No longer the joke of the league, The Jakemade the Cleveland Indiansthe jewel of baseball and helped revitalize a city and a fan base. For the first time ever, these interviews and stories from the players, managers and front office personnel give the inside scoop on what happened on the field, in the dugout and behind the scenes of this exciting time in Cleveland sports history.
Vince McKee is the author of Hero and Cleveland’s Finest. Cleveland sports icon Joe Tait called Cleveland’s Finest one of the best Cleveland sports books ever written. Get the best seat in the house for the most recent addition to the Tribe’s celebrated legacy.
The Cleveland Indians: Cleveland Press Years, 1920 – 1982
Description: The Cleveland Indians came into existence along with the American League in 1901, and their rich and fascinating history has been well documented in photographs. Many prints from the Cleveland Press archive, dating from 1920 until the newspaper’s closure in 1982, are reproduced in this book, along with a brief history of the team’s successes and failures in each decade. Most of these classic photographs, which include great Indians players like Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller and slugger Rocky Colavito, a fan favorite, have not been seen in print for decades. You will also see baseball legends Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio as they compete with the Tribe.
League Park: Historic Home of Cleveland Baseball, 1891-1946
Description: This is a comprehensive history of League Park, primary home field for Major League Baseball in Cleveland from 1891 to 1946, but with a significant history that includes the National Football League, Negro League baseball, college football and boxing, and an uncanny multitude of amazing events and people. This chronicle allows for these grounds to take their place among the more heralded parks of baseball’s past and present. The site has survived to this day as a baseball grounds; a groundbreaking for renovations took place in October 2012.
