Cleveland river fire

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- CLEVELAND, Ohio – Celebrate the Cuyahoga River’s revival with the Xtinguish Torch Fest: four days of events along 100 miles of water marking the 50th anniversary of the June 22, 1969, fire that sparked a national environmental movement.“It’s a new narrative about our region,” said Arrye Rosser, interpretive and education specialist for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. “The idea … is extinguishing the past, igniting the future.” Spearheaded by the West Creek Conservancy, Xtinguish is the pinnacle of dozens of community events, exhibits, performances and conferences in Northeast Ohio this year. All mark the Cuyahoga’s transformation from “an open sewer through the center of the city” to an active fishery and watersports playground. Dozens of organizations are pitching in on Xtinguish, where the torch will be passed from the headwaters of the Crooked River near Burton, through Akron and to Lake Erie. … [Read more...] about Four-day Xtinguish Torch Fest marks 50th anniversary of Cuyahoga River fire, along 100 miles of waterway

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Western Reserve Fire Museum and Education Center, 310 Carnegie Avenue, will present an illustrated program on Cleveland's historic river fires and fire boats on September 29 at 2 p.m. According to museum historian Paul Nelson, the city has had 15 significant fires on the Cuyahoga River since 1868. All resulted from an accumulation of flammable material on the river's surface. The most famous fire was the 1969 blaze that made national headlines and spurred environmental reform. But it was also the smallest fire, extinguished in 17 minutes, and the last river fire. The largest river fire was in 1952 at the Great Lakes Towing Co. that resulted in $1 million worth of property damage. Admission to the museum is $8 for adults, $5 for children, and kids under 3 are admitted free, as are members. … [Read more...] about Cuyahoga River fires explored at Western Reserve Fire Museum and Education Center

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The events and tours of Cleveland History Days highlight the city's heritage, but also celebrate its present and future. Few may do it more dramatically than Blazing Paddles, Saturday morning's standup paddleboard race on the Cuyahoga River. Paddleboarding participants launched from Rivergate Park to race on a twisting 5.7 mile course whose turnaround point was the location of the Cuyahoga River fire of November 1952. A photo of that fire became the stand-in illustration -- even in Time magazine -- for the fire of June 1969. The 1969 fire was much smaller and was not photographed -- it wasn't even unique to Cleveland -- but it marked an ecological low point that spurred efforts to clean up waterways, playing a significant role in passage of the Clean Water Act and establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. Edged with new paved paths and green spaces, the river has become a recreational home to rowers and kayakers -- and paddleboarders, blazing with speed … [Read more...] about Cuyahoga Blazing Paddles race celebrates a river without flames

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Race Week has its big finale this weekend, with big boat off shore racing, hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club. What else is going on on Lake Erie this June weekend? Cleveland.com's sister website, RocktheLake.com, has a whole list of special events. Here are some of our favorites. Yoga at Lakeview Park: Join us on the beach at Lakeview Park in Lorain this summer and fall for free yoga sessions. 9 a.m Friday Share the River Ramble: Hosted by Share the River on the anniversary of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire, the second annual event is a free, 4.2 mile "participatory connect-the-dots, run/walk of the Cuyahoga River riverfront." Run in the formal race along and enjoy the live music and beer event. 4-11 p.m. Friday, Cleveland Rowing Foundation Blazing Paddle Fest: The second half of the Share the River weekend, the stand-up paddleboard race includes a 6-mile race of elite paddlers, beginning at the Cleveland Rowing Foundation and heading up river. Afterward is an … [Read more...] about Cleveland Race Week, Pyrate Fest, Beach Glass Festival, Share the River Ramble: 6 Lake Erie events June 22-24