Coventry Village will be hopping this summer

Mark your calendars for Coventry Village Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays this summer. 

The first event will take place on Saturday, May 31 with a free bicycle tune-up day. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents can bring their bikes to the Coventry Courtyard near the Grog Shop. Mechanics will be on site to inspect the bikes and make needed repairs. The Coventry Village Special Improvement District (CVSID) is partnering with the Heights Bicycle Coalition to provide this service.

 Four days later, the first Free Wheelin’ Wednesday will take place. Cyclists can meet in the Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park at 6:30 p.m., and they will be taken on guided tours, ranging from historical sites to a pub crawl. The bike rides will take place every Wednesday through Aug. 6. They are sponsored by the two organizations that put together the bike tune-up day. Angela Hetrick, executive director of CVSID, said that the organizations are looking into the possibility of showing bike-based films in P.E.A.C.E. Park after the rides are over.

 Again this year, CVSID will present free concerts every Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the parking lot between Marc’s and Heights Cleaners. The first, on June 10, will feature the Revolution Brass Band. At press time, the organization was still finalizing the list of bands. Old Boy and Carrie Ryan will participate, and the School of Rock will do a show one night. The Cleveland-based Cellar Door Records will present a Songwriters in the Round show.

In addition to the music, tents will be set up around the sides of the parking lot where the bands will perform. Coventry merchants will be selling their wares, as will several Heights residents with their locally made products, such as clothing, jewelry, honey and jam. Marc’s will sell produce outdoors during the concerts.

On Thursday nights, CVSID will show movies in P.E.A.C.E. Park. The series will include:

June 12 – “The Goonies”
June 19 – “Ghostbusters”
June 26 – “The Muppets Take Manhattan”
July 3 – “Top Gun”
July 10 – “Better Off Dead”
July 17 – “Major League”                                                         
July 24 – “The Three Stooges,” followed by a pie fight
July 31 – “The Karate Kid”
Aug. 7 – “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”

Hetrick said, “We wanted to show films that would appeal to families and also to single people who want to come down to the park and see a film with their friends.”

CVSID is also working with merchants to create promotional offers that will encourage shopping and dining before and after the films.  

CVSID is once again sponsoring Sundays in the Park. SpyngaFlows will give yoga sessions at 5 p.m., followed by community drum circles at 7 p.m. CVSID is hoping to have the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library bring its book bike to the park, so visitors can sign out a book and enjoy reading in the park.

The only event that won’t take place this summer is the Coventry Street Fair. Due to the many problems and arrests at the last couple of street fairs, CVSID decided not to hold it this year.

James Henke

James Henke, a Cleveland Heights resident, was a writer and editor at Rolling Stone magazine for 15 years. He is also the author of several books, including biographies of Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Bob Marley.

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Volume 7, Issue 5, Posted 1:11 PM, 05.05.2014