Hey there and welcome to The Westside Buzz. We’re the newsletter that pairs perfectly with your first (or second) cup of morning coffee.

Today we are buzzing on:

• Getting Petey Adopted 🐶

• Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream Gift Certificate Giveaway 🍦

• The Last Days of Avon Lake’s Power Plant 🧨

Thanks for being with us.

Cheers,

—The Briggses

The Blend

🐕‍🦺Good Boy Patiently Waiting Over 450 Days to Find His Furrever Home

Petey, a well-mannered 6-year-old terrier/pit mix, has been living at the Cleveland APL since September of 2023. Petey is a great listener, unlike myself when Jodie tells me about an event more than a week in advance. He loves people, playing with toys, and being around his favorite people.

Just like all of us, Petey wants a chance at love. 👉 Click here to check out his adoption page.

The APL staff encourages potential adopters to look past the amount of time an animal has been at the shelter. We can all think back to a time when we were picked last on the playground.

Let’s find Petey a home!

🎉140 Years of Stories: Westlake Porter Public Library’s Big Birthday Bash

Mark your calendars, Westlake! The Porter Public Library turned 140 on December 15th, and it’s pulling out all the stops to celebrate its journey from a modest 1884 book donation to today’s 70,000-square-foot community hub.

Founded by school teacher Leonard Porter with $1,000 and his personal book collection, the library has grown into a cornerstone of Westlake life, hosting nearly 794,000 checkouts and 267,000 visits just last year.

Festivities include a holiday cookie bake-off, a scavenger hunt for 140 paper Leonard Porters, and a trivia challenge packed with library lore. You can even check out Porter’s original book donation, lovingly preserved in the local history section.

Keep an eye out here for their schedule of events!🎂

🍀Irish Travel Host Shines Spotlight on Cleveland in New Show

If there is one thing that us Westsiders cannot get enough of is people saying great things about our gem of a town. Ed Finn, an Irish travel guide, did just that. He flew to The Land, hosted by Destination Cleveland, to film an episode of his travel documentary, Ed Finn’s America.

Ed had glowing things to say about his Cleveland adventure as he toured landmarks like The Westside Market, Market Garden Brewery, Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream, Playhouse Square, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ed also visited Columbus and Cincinnati.

🚨My challenge to you! Let’s make sure the Cleveland episode has more views than the other cities in Ohio. Thereby proving Cleveland is the best in Ohio. 🚨 

Click here to check out the video, or click on the image above to see what Ed has to say about Cleveland!

Lakewood's Canopy Tree Giveaway Was a Huge Success.

The goal was to beautify Lakewood by incentivizing residents to plant trees on their property.

To say there was demand would be an understatement. 200 free trees were claimed within hours of going online!

The program, supported by a $7,500 grant from the Healthy Lakewood Foundation, aims to double its impact in 2025 by offering 400 trees, including smaller flowering species and larger canopy trees to boost the city’s tree coverage and urban cooling efforts.

Keep an eye out this winter for sign-ups and help make Lakewood greener, cooler, and more wildlife-friendly! 🌳

The Grind

Cleveland’s Coolest Party is Moving to East Bank of Flats

In case you aren’t familiar, Brite Winter Fest throws the ultimate winter bash: a low-cost festival of fire pits, art installations, live music, games, and food that turns freezing temps into a community-building, culture-packed wonderland.

In its 16th year, the event will move back to the East Bank of the Flats on Saturday, February 22nd.

Not everyone is excited about the move. Obviously, the businesses in the West Bank of the Flats aren’t happy about missing out on a big event. Some are also voicing concerns about whether the infrastructure of the East Bank and the lack of parking can support the growing festival.

Keep an eye out here for the festival lineup when it drops.

🧨The Remainder of Avon Power Plant to Come Down This Week

The final controlled demolition of the Avon Lake Power Plant is scheduled to happen this week. The exact day is yet to be determined because it depends on weather conditions.

So if you hear a boom in the early morning hours this week, it isn’t AJ and Big Justice at Costco. It will be the Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group paving the way for big things to come on the prime, lakefront property.

📸Where were we?

🍨Want to win $50 to Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream?

To Enter:

1. Comment on our Instagram post today 👉 (@thewestsidebuzz.com) with the correct location of the photo above.

2. You must be following us on Instagram.

3. One (1) lucky winner will be chosen at random and win a $50 gift certificate to Mitchell’s Ice Cream!

Business

Big Moves, More Bliss: Sacred Hour’s Lakewood Spa is Leveling Up

Sacred Hour Wellness Spa – the go-to “treat yo’ self” vibes since 2004 – is upgrading its Lakewood digs to a sprawling 10,000-square-foot haven on Detroit Ave. Opening in early 2025, the new space is what wellness dreams are made of: 11 treatment rooms, a Finnish sauna fit for 20, cold plunge, salt room, private Korean scrub suites, and a top-floor recovery lounge with a hyperbaric chamber and infrared sauna.

Oh, and did we mention the outdoor oasis and cozy social bar? It’s like your favorite spa went to wellness boot camp and came back glowing.

Founder Tabitha Baker sums it up perfectly: “We’ve outgrown our space, but not our vision. Sacred Hour will always be a sanctuary for healing and connection – just now with a little more elbow room.”

Operations at the Rocky River location stay put, gift cards are golden at the new spot, and the best part? Follow along on their social media for sneak peeks and news about their grand opening.

🎨Arts & Culture

Cleveland Museum of Natural History Celebrates Grand Re-opening

Looking for something to do with the kids this winter? Take a worthy trek to the east side and rediscover the Museum of Natural History.

Check out a recap of the grand reopening weekend 👉 (CMNH IG)

Get more info on becoming a member 👉 here

Things To Do This Week

Wednesday, December 18th

Cleveland Monsters vs. Utica Comets 📍 RoMoFiHo

• 🕘 Puck Drop: 7 PM

Thursday, December 19th

Kick off the holiday season with a live performance by Tricky Dick & The Cover Ups. 📍 Winking Lizard, Lakewood.

• 🕘 Time: 6:30 PM-9:30 PM

Cleveland State Vikings Mens Basketball vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies Mens Basketball 📍 Wolstein Center

• 🕘 Tip-Off: 7 PM

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 📍 House of Blues

• 🕘 Show Starts: 7 PM (Tickets)

Most Sipped Links Last Week

Former Cavs Coach Sells Avon Lake Mansion For Tidy $1.3mm Profit - 👉 Check Out The House Here

Avon Boutique Takes Tired Cabinets and Furniture and Turns Them Into Masterpieces 👉 Check Out Their Work Here

Weather

Tuesday

43 🌡️ 32 | 🌧 | 30% | 💨 W 9-14 mph | 🌊 2 to 4 feet (15 - 20 knots)

Wednesday

39 🌡️ 29 | 🌨 | 70% | 💨 NW 5-9 mph | 🌊 2 feet or less (10 knots)

Thursday

35 🌡️ 28 | 🌨 | 60% | 💨 NW 7-13 mph | 🌊 1 to 3 feet (5-15 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 39ºF

Temperature readings are Friday forecasts for Lake Erie off Cleveland

Thank you for supporting the Westside Buzz! Try and do something nice for one person this week.

Until Friday,

The Briggses