Spring is right around the corner, and if that isn’t welcome news for your frost-addled soul, then this week’s Fresh Start is sure to thaw you out and warm you up. Some of our personal defrosters kicked into high gear with last month’s Forbes magazine critique of Northeast Ohio; we can’t help but think if perennial Forbes lemonface Kurt Badenhausen experienced a real weekend here, he’d have to can those sour grapes. Assuming he would agree to such a weekend, we’d get Badenhausen to some great food and nightlife, the requisite tourist traps and some of the region’s best kept secrets. Along the way, stops at a rockin’ anniversary party, an exclusive Native American art exhibition and an annual horticultural reverie would be mandatory. You’re right, why waste the effort. We’re guessing it wouldn’t change Badenhausen’s mind, but it would confirm who the real #1 on the “most miserable” list should be.

The Modern Dance

This weekend, the Beachland Ballroom in Collinwood celebrates its 10th anniversary weekend, with a rundown of rare melodic treats sure to rock your gypsy soul. Cleveland’s legendary Pere Ubu, post-punkers This Moment in Black History, and psych-rock iconoclast Roky Erickson headline the affair, with deftly dizzying support from Sun God, Short Rabbits, The Alarm Clocks, JJ Magazine, Living Stereo and more. Ubu, fronted by the ever-compelling David Thomas, will perform their album The Modern Dance in its entirety Friday, March 5 at 9PM, while conjuring cogent woe and cinematic psychosis. Texas native Erickson performs Saturday, March 6 at 9PM, and will tap his 13th Floor Elevators catalog and work from his Okkervil River co-piloted album, True Love Cast Out All Evil. It’s his first album of new work in 14 years. The weekend also launches the new This Moment in Black History record.

In Bloom

Every year, the Cleveland Botanical Garden finds the art and meaning found in one of the world’s most exotic plants: the seductive orchid. The Garden’s Orchid Mania celebration ushers in spring with a bevy of programming, displays and a plant sale that can’t be missed. This weekend, the Garden honors the enchanting plant and its flowers by bringing in the region’s best orchid growers for their Vendor Weekend Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7. A vast array of orchids and growing supplies available will be available for purchase, along with access to the Garden’s resplendent celebration of said floral species. Orchids are symbols of love and beauty, elegance and luxury, virility and perseverance. In Cleveland, they symbolize a change of seasons and a lift in mood for residents.

Native Tongue

Native American art enthusiasts are sure to thrill at the exhibition objects arriving at the Cleveland Museum of Art starting this Sunday, March 7. Cleveland is just one of three cities offered a rare glimpse at The Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York. It’s one of the art world’s most elusive collections of treasures and has been raved about by The New York Times as an indispensible document of Native American art achievements before (and after) our country’s colonization. At its heart, Thaw triangulates cerebral, spiritual and cultural significance behind the works with stunning clarity. The CMA exhibition runs through the end of May.

Although largely a social media construct, the idea that “value is a perception and perception is a value” applies to our everyday lives. Everything around us is a patchwork of considerations, competing for our attention and resources, and in Cleveland, there’s a lot vying for both. OhioAuthority’s Fresh Start helps you, the reader, sort through those options. This week, our attentions turn to the nouveau historical – something old wrapped up in something new – from the amazing music and student-musicians coming from the world-renowned Cleveland Institute of Music, to the buzz drawn by a proletariat auction house on the Lakewood-Cleveland border. Throw in the annual fundraising/awareness shindig by PlayhouseSquare Partners, the young professionals group tasked with “succession planning” for the vital arts organization and theater district, and you’ve scored yourself a week full of value and perception.

Dirty Composition

Ariadne auf Naxos showcases late Romantic-era composer Richard Strauss at his most quick-and-dirty. This romantic comedy is a spin on Molière’s play Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, offering insight into what might happen when a “serious opera” company and comedy troupe are plunged into working together. There’s plenty of Bacchus, burlesque and nymphs in this behind-the-scenes, opera-within-an-opera, which is brought to life through the fine musical craftsmanship of CIM students. You need not be an opera fan to enjoy this. It starts Wednesday, February 24 and runs through the weekend at the institute’s Kulas Hall. Call 216-791-5000 for tickets.

Get Back to Where the Art Belongs

There’s little doubt that the generation studying at CIM will go on to participate in (and patronize) the fine arts. That’s what makes PlayhouseSquare Partners, and what they do, so vitally important to the community. This group of young professionals works tirelessly to insure that future generations of northeast Ohio residents will have their venerable arts district to enjoy. The Partners’ Jump Back Ball 2010 is a top-shelf benefit, a formal evening with panache, cocktails, live music, an epicurean buffet, gambling, and much more. The Ball benefits the theatre district, and it definitely brings out the crowds. Nearly 1,000 people are expected Saturday, February 27, so we suggest getting on the horn and snagging some tickets for yourself and friends. This is real social networking, and for a worthy cause.

Throw the Gavel Down

With an amazing array of fine art, antiques, home furnishings and decorations in their auctions the folks at Gray’s Auctioneers pride themselves on providing a second life for antiquities. This Saturday, February 27 at 1PM, your life and living quarters will be poised for a little lift. Previews of the current auction start on Thursday at noon. Think you’ve got something that might be “Antiques Roadshow”-worthy for the next auction? The website has all your details on getting an appraisal. We think Gray’s Auctions are beyond price. But you should judge for yourself.

If the future of northeast Ohio depends on critical thinking – done very much outside the box – then putting thinking into unobstructed action is the best way to live towards expectations. The future of the region is also the subject of this week’s Fresh Start selections. Whether your fancy is classical music, environmentally conscious living or understanding important political shifts with local implications, these events are sure to serve you (and your community) well.  All you need to do is avail yourself.

CityMusic Cleveland

If the best things in life are free, CityMusic Cleveland most certainly is a case in point. Since 2004, this chamber orchestra has delivered classical music to neighborhoods all across northeast Ohio at no charge. Under the leadership of music director James Gaffigan, CityMusic Cleveland’s performances have astounded critics and residents, with an impressive oeuvre featuring the likes of Mozart, Rossini, Stravinsky and Verdi. Their regular season is a tour de force of performances in non-traditional locations stretching from Willoughby Hills and Slavic Village to Rocky River and Elyria. In addition to free music performance, there is no-cost parking, no-cost childcare and no ticketing – now that's accessible! Score the latest “tour” schedule, which starts Tuesday, February 2 and runs through the weekend, here.

The League of Women Voters

Ohio’s Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is the first woman Secretary in the Buckeye State’s history. Awarded the coveted John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her work in 2008, Brunner will speak about her three years in office and her work to ensure the integrity of Ohio voting in the 2008 presidential election. The League of Women Voters’ “First Thursdays” speaker series hosts Brunner at the gorgeous Trinity Commons (the Art Gallery) at Cleveland's Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Avenue, on Thursday, February 4 at 7 pm. Her lecture, A View From the Top, is free, open to the public and will feature a post-talk Q&A. She’ll likely talk about her decision, made one year ago, to run for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Senator George Voinovich.

2010 Cleveland Botanical Garden Sustainability Symposium

The 2010 Cleveland Botanical Garden Sustainability Symposium isn’t free like the first two programs, but the return on investment for the registration fee is almost instantaneous. This day-long, eco-minded happening is packed with amazing local, regional and national speakers, environmental exhibitions and a dynamite vegetarian luncheon. Want to know how to decrease your impact on the earth? Learn what a single person can do to help the environment on Saturday, February 6 at 9 am. Teachers, students, horticulturalists, gardeners, landscapers, conservationists, homeowners and concerned citizens are all promised to learn a thing or 20 about protecting the planet, and their little corner of it. Speakers and program outline can be found here.

Cleveland is a cozy town, and once the winter chill sets in, it gets even cozier. We all spend a little more time snuggled in at home, curled up with a good book or movie, organizing our quarters for optimal winter nesting, and loading up on our favorite comfort foods. This week’s trio of Fresh Start events insures you can enjoy great indoor winter activities by getting out and getting inspired:

A Winter’s Tale Film Feast 

Loganberry Books is hosting a cozy little event Wednesday, January 14 at 7PM featuring Sari Feldman, executive director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, and Clint O'Connor, film critic for The Plain Dealer, talking up their favorite winter reads and movies. A hearty spread of hors d’oeuvres, desserts and wine, not to mention the always-tasty Gene's Jazz Hot ensemble, help round out this toasty take on reading circles and film clubs. Tickets are available in advance. 

The Ohio Design Centre’s Floor Sample Sale 

This stylish annual event offers designer furnishings and interior decor at incredible discounts. It launches this Friday, January 15 and runs throughout the weekend, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Cleveland Furniture Bank, a non-profit organization that provides furniture to needy individuals and families looking for a fresh start. Custom furniture, decorative accessories, area rugs, framed art and mod lighting are among the myriad products available. Interior designers regularly tap into ODC’s stock for their clients, so here’s your chance to design like a pro – and for a good cause. For more information and hours, call 216-831-1245 or visit ODC's website. 

Beachland Ballroom’s Polka Brunch 

The Browns are done for the season, so spend Sunday enjoying another Cleveland tradition this Sunday, January 17 at 11AM at the Beachland Polka Brunch with the Chardon Polka Band. This all ages show-and-dine, co-sponsored by the Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame, features accordionist Jake Kouwe, who formed Chardon Polka Band in 2003 after Kouwe’s local high school marching band director rejected his favorite instrument. The result is potent combination of Cleveland polka and wry wit (as witnessed by the group’s cover of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister). The event also features world dance lessons from award-winning dancer Valerie Salstrom of Hep Cat Swing. If you like your polka and eggs scrambled, this will satiate your appetite. We recommend the crème brûlée French toast and egg roulade, though the event promises ethnic specials surely worth sampling. 

If you're always up for a one-of-a-kind shopping opportunity, grab your wallet: tomorrow is the Textile Art Alliance's Wearable Art Fashion Show & Boutique at the LaMalfa center in Mentor. TAA, an affiliate group of the Cleveland Museum of Art, promotes interest in the textile arts and encourages further understanding and appreciation of textiles by offering lectures, workshops and exhibitions. The group's programs are open to the public, and for a $5 admission, the annual show and sale offers an opportunity to shop table boutiques featuring everything from accessories to coats and evening wear. ($45 advanced reservations included access to a preview sale, luncheon and runway show. If you missed the boat, mark your calendar for next year.) The event is a fundraiser to purchase textiles for the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The public portion of the event runs from 3pm to 5pm at LaMalfa, 5783 Heisley Road, Mentor.