Edwin Way Teale summed up the month of May with effortless aplomb. The late naturalist, photographer and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer once said: “The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” Just take a look around: the lilacs and fruit trees are in bloom, people are planting vibrant gardens for the summer, and taking to the region’s sidewalks and bike paths. Others are sharing the wares, preserves and creations that helped them through the Cleveland winter. LeBron and the Cavaliers are pushing forward in the NBA playoffs, lifting spirits (and hopes) to even further heights. This month is filled with strong, irresistible impulses that help make us feel human again. Your Fresh Start this week implores you to honor those urges. Welcome to May.
2010's Space Oddities
Any art/craft show that advertises itself as “An Emporium of the Weird” is bound to pique interests. The organizers of the Oddmall, which include folks from the venerable Cleveland Handmade and Salty Not Sweet websites, know this. More than your run-of-the-mill art and craft show, the annual Oddmall celebrates the tragically hip and dizzyingly eclectic this Saturday, May 8 from 10 am – 6 pm. Looking to snag something unusual for Mother’s Day, or for something to brighten up the pad? This is where to do it. Hang at the Clarion Hotel in Hudson for the day and take in a cornucopia of jewelry, art, apparel, home decor, holiday ornaments, kids stuff and… well, if you’ve ever been there, anything else your mind can conjure. For more info, click here.
Village Green
Trying to figure out what to plant in those raised beds and community gardens? What vegetables should you grow this year? The naturally spectacular Chagrin Falls Herb & Flower Festival couldn’t be timed better. This no-cost, open to the public event Saturday, May 8 from 11 am – 4 pm serves as one of the region’s leading outdoor festivals, with a focus on herbs, flowers, gardening and landscaping. Arts, crafts, antiques, garden merch and outdoor living accessories round out an event that also includes plant sales, demonstrations and The Village Herb Shop’s guided outdoor garden tours. For more info, click here.
Hardly Pedestrian
Love of nature and “pedestrianism” is what made Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust: A History of Walking such a critically acclaimed literary affair. Historical waxing, social philosophy and examination of biped travel have gripped her book’s readership for the last decade. Cleveland Public Theatre is celebrating the book’s 10th anniversary with an original, buzzworthy production of Matthew Earnest’s adaptation starting Thursday, May 6, and running through month-end. CPT’s take starts with paleoanthropologists and careens from labyrinths to mountains, from Civil Rights marches to treadmills. “The magic of the street is the mingling of the errand and the epiphany,” Solnit wrote in Wanderlust. If the translation holds firm, this will be the region’s biggest theatrical triumph this year. Maybe even worth walking to.
Secret Show-stopper
Mark your calendars so you don't forget Near West Theatre’s production of The Secret Garden, which starts this Friday, May 7. The work of another Pulitzer Prize writer, playwright Marsha Norman, sets a coming of age journey to brilliant music and lyrics. Like Teale before her, Norman reminds us of the sanctuary of a magical garden, and its role in rebirth and renewal.
