By Jennifer Conn Spectrum News

Published November 23, 2021

Tina Boyes and Corey Jenkins of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance are working to promote businesses on Kenmore Boulevard. (Spectrum News/Jennifer Conn)

AKRON, Ohio — Move over Highland Square Porch Rokr, there’s a new music festival in town.

The first Kenmore Winter Break Music Festival, set for Dec. 17 and 18 at the Rialto Theatre on Kenmore Boulevard, is designed not only to break up the monotony of a dreary Ohio winter, it’s also part of a strategy by the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance (KNA) to shine a light on Akron’s “Music Row.”

With five recording studios specializing in singer-songwriters to hip-hop, an historic guitar repair store, an instrument shop and a live music venue with multiple stages, the music industry has deep roots in Kenmore, said KNA Executive Director Tina Boyes.

“We’re finally listening to our musicians and music businesses and saying, ‘What do you need?’” Boyes said. “I don’t know that anyone’s really done that in a concerted way. That’s what we’re trying to do. We already have the music businesses here.”

Since Boyes took the helm of the newly created community development corporation in 2016, KNA has focused on revitalizing the businesses still standing on the Boulevard, Kenmore’s sole business district.

KNA began by spearheading a Better Block festival in 2017, which is designed to show what’s possible in a community, while featuring what’s already great.

That three-day event morphed into Kenmore First Fridays in the summers, which brought food, vendors and music to the Boulevard, drawing thousands of Akron residents over the past few years.

Boyes also applied for, and was awarded, an historic designation for the Boulevard, whose listing on the National Register of Historic Places offers benefits to small business owners looking to make building improvements.

During the long months of the pandemic, 10 new, small businesses opened their doors on the Boulevard, filling in shop fronts and bringing more vitality to the neighborhood.

Now, with a strong foundation under the business district, and the pandemic easing enough for people to come out again, KNA is fine-tuning its focus to help the individual music businesses market themselves — a move that sparked the Winter Break Music Fest idea.

“The businesses need marketing help yesterday, everything from somebody to take a picture, and put it on Facebook to an advertisement,” said Corey Jenkins, KNA’s promoter and experience manager, and the mastermind behind the music fest. “Overall, most don’t know how to do any of that.”

But Jenkins does, having experience both as a musician with the band “Big Pop,” and in corporate marketing.

The Kenmore Winter Break Music Festival is set for December 17 & 18 at the Rialto Theatre on Kenmore Boulevard. (Courtesy of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance)

KNA plans to begin promoting the core music businesses first, and expand to others on the Boulevard as she and Jenkins flesh out the best approach with the means they have to work with, Boyes said.

“There are people living within a block of these businesses that have not known for 15 to 20 years what these businesses even are,” she said. “That’s our job as the CDC here for this district is to make sure people know that this district is great. Magnify that visually, you know, marketing-wise [with signage] and branding. We want to make this affordable and accessible, but it cannot be free.”

The idea for a music fest was sparked when Jenkins began planning promotions with Rialto Theatre owners Seth and Nate Vaill for a relaunch of the theatre. The brothers bought the theater in 2010, and opened a performance venue, an event space and Just A Dream Recording Studios in 2015.

While working on a relaunch plan to showcase the theater’s newly created Living Room Stage for acoustic sets, Jenkins suggested a music festival.

“By December, people are missing the summer music festivals,” he said. “With the COVID stuff, there hasn’t been the opportunity for a lot of that, so I was like, ‘Let’s do something big.’”

The Vaills liked the idea so Jenkins contacted 91.3 The Summit FM, Akron’s original-music station, which agreed to participate. The Summit already refers to the Boulevard as Akron’s Music Row in ads, Jenkins said.

Once the other Boulevard’s music businesses agreed to sponsor the event the festival was on.

“It’s about giving Kenmore and the Rialto a signature music event that is unique and they can own,” Jenkins said.

Promoting the Boulevard as Akron’s Music Row makes sense, said Seth Vaill.

“To be honest, there’s a rich history here,” he said. “I think we start with the musicians and then the people come. I think that’s the key, getting the musicians to come down and play you know, and then people will follow once there’s a community of musicians that are here.”

Big Pop is scheduled to perform at Kenmore Winter Break Music Festival in December.

The Rialto is in good company on the Boulevard.

• Lay’s Guitar Shop was opened by Virgil Lay in 1968, serving the likes of Jack Bruce, Phil Keaggy and Joe Walsh. Lay also founded SIT Strings (stay in tune), which is now located about two miles from the Boulevard.
• Lay’s is now owned by Dan Shinn, who opened the Loft at Lay’s upstairs from the repair shop, and sells hand-made and custom instruments, vintage guitars, amplifiers and more. Shinn’s brother, Joel Shinn, runs a guitar refinish and restoration business and is working on launching Lay’s brand guitars.
• The Guitar Department, a Boulevard staple since 2009, is a new and used consignment shop catering to players of every skill level and budget, and offering music lessons.
• Among the recording studios is Thom Tadsen Live Album Recording Studio, in the former Cook Hardware. Tadsen operates a 24-track live and 128-playback music studio specializing in punk, metal, rock and rockabilly.

Boyes likens the services KNA could offer Boulevard businesses to agency work, where offerings would be on a project or retainer basis.

“We’re saying, ‘There’s a whole new group of people out there that could be paying attention to you, that want to pay attention to you, and we can reach them,’” she said. “Let us help you.”

by Doug LivingstonAkron Beacon Journal

No one came knocking on Sandra Saulsberry’s door for approval six years ago when “a guy from California” wanted to paint a mural and make Summit Lake more friendly to a mostly younger crowd.

Saulsberry and her neighbors balked at the plan after a long history of well-intentioned visionaries swooping into their Akron neighborhood talking about what’s best for them. But in the six years since, the 30-year resident of Summit Lake has been on a journey with the Civic Commons, a Knight Foundation-funded collaborative that engages residents on reimagining public spaces and fostering community.

Saulsberry was initially leery of these latest philanthropists, architects and civic leaders. She even said she Googled for dirt on Dan Rice, who’s overseeing the project as president and CEO of the Ohio and Erie Canal Coalition. Eventually, Saulsberry said Wednesday from the eastern shore of Summit Lake, she trusted them and, more importantly, let them trust her.

“You know,” she said with Rice, Mayor Dan Horrigan, Council President Margo Sommerville (whose ward includes the lake) and Akron Program Director Kyle Kutuchief with the Knight Foundation all sitting behind her, “when the Civic Commons did do this park right where we’re standing, I came down one evening and just sat on a swing at sunset.

“It was such a beautiful day,” she said. “In the midst of it, a large bird flew over the sunset and I thought, wow, if I had a camera and took that picture and put it on Facebook and asked someone, ‘Where do you think I was vacationing at?’ they would have never dreamed that was a scene from Summit Lake.”

That’s a still frame from the photo album that has become the community-led vision for reimagining Summit Lake. And with $2 million in support announced by Horrigan on Wednesday, that vision has never been clearer now that the first two phases of this $10 million-plus project are fully funded.

City Council has been asked this month to approve the $2 million allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan Act as part of an annual spending measure that funds city government for the first three months of 2022, until the entire annual budget is ready.

Last year, council unanimously approved $3 million for the Summit Lake renewal project, which includes a $3 million trail around the lake that spins off the Towpath Trail, a bridge from the community center playground to a new north shore boathouse, canoe launch area and pavilion, and a full extension of the floating boardwalk to span the width of the lake, connecting Summit Lake and Kenmore while allowing boats to pass under an arched walkway.

Building bridges, building trust

Residents like Saulsberry say they see the plan as truly for and by people who’ve stayed near Summit Lake for decades, enduring urban renewal projects that cut them off from economic opportunity and private disinvestment that’s led to more demolitions and empty lots than there are standing houses on some streets.

A century since the upper class flocked to a Ferris wheel, boardwalk and tiled swimming pool of “Akron’s Million Dollar Playground” at Summit Lake, the next chapter of recreation — of place-making and community-connecting, of bringing people of various walks of life together to foster empathy and understanding — is being written with local residents instead being handed to them.

“I learned so much about trust,” Saulsberry said. “Do I allow people to come into my space and see who I am as a resident? And that’s still an issue in this neighborhood, that we don’t trust people. Well, trusting people who come to your community and open their hearts and ask, ‘Well, what do you want?’ and not ‘what I want to give you’ — that’s invitation right there to know that ‘I’m not out to take anything from you. I’m coming to bring. And I’m going to bring what you like, what your family will enjoy.’”

Rice and architects with City Architecture presented preliminary designs Wednesday. Wayfinding markers staked around the lake that morning flapped in the breeze, allowing the more than 100 community stakeholders in attendance, including County Councilwoman Veronica Sims and City Council members Jeff Fusco and Ginger Baylor, to place the location of the new pavilion and boathouse or the bridge that will carry people off the Towpath Trail to the north shore.

Juleian Curtis with City Architecture led the many community meetings that shaped, and reshaped, the planning. For example, a west shoreline amphitheater that might have been a destination for people living elsewhere was rejected by local residents, whose opinions took priority.

Curtis recalled that as an undergraduate at Kent State, he was assigned to reimagine Summit Lake. It was 2011, before the Reach Community Center was built, before a studied declared the water clean enough to boat and fish (and getting cleaner), before Civic Commons got involved and installed benches, picnic tables and a public space that fills with farmers markets, bands and festivities in warmer weather.

“It’s even better than we imagined it would be,” Curtis said, looking at a giant poster board of the preliminary plans he helped design.

Timeline for construction

Rice and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, along with the city and other partners in the Civic Commons, are overseeing a total of $40 million in improvements at Summit Lake and Lock 3, a downtown park set for a complete overhaul next year.

At Summit Lake, the $3 million trail is in the final design stage, Rice said. The plan is to bid the work in early 2022 and break ground in the spring or early summer.

The rest of the Phase I and II improvements at Summit Lake — the boathouse, a parking lot for boat trailers and another for guests, a bridge and pavilion, and an open lawn area for community events — will undergo nine more months of design. The plan is to leave as many trees as possible to serve as a natural sound barrier with the interstate not far away.

Construction would commence in 2023 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony toward the end of the year.

Phase III of the Summit Lake Vision Plan will then shift focus to the Kenmore shore, where Rice said $5 million to $7 million in potential upgrades are still being sorted out by residents.

Reach Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3792.

Taylor Rahe is a Kenmore resident and stay at home mom to two young children she and her husband Ben, a business owner, are raising. Since moving to Kenmore about a decade ago, Taylor and Ben have been actively engaged in the community – particularly with Friends of Chestnut Ridge Park and Project Shine.

1. How long have you lived in Kenmore and what attracted your family to the neighborhood?

We moved to Kenmore eight or nine years ago when Ben was on staff at First Glance. We have since purchased both our first and second home here. We have stayed for the community and seeking the welfare of our neighborhood. The affordable cost of living in Kenmore has also provided us with opportunities to invest and pursue business ventures.

2. You and your husband are active with the Friends of Chestnut Ridge Park, how did you become involved in that group and why is Chestnut Ridge Park special to you?

We live very close to Chestnut Ridge Park and take our two young kids to play there nearly every day! When we moved in three and a half years ago there was already a movement to make improvements and maintain the park and we jumped in to support however we could. We just started showing up to meetings and availed ourselves however we could.

3. You also got a disc golf course installed at Chestnut Ridge Park, what’s your advice for people who have never played, but want to learn, and what do people need to know in order to go play at Chestnut Ridge?

Chestnut Ridge is the perfect place to check out disc golf if you are new to the sport! It was designed with new people in mind. Discs can be purchased for $10 or less at Play it Again Sports. We are still working on getting signs in at the park and until then the best way to navigate the course is through the UDisc app. We would also be more than willing to show people around and lend a disc!

4. What is your favorite spot in Kenmore? What do you love about it?

Besides Chestnut Ridge we love Old 97! It’s such a gem. I love the unique drinks they have and the atmosphere.

5. You and your husband worked with Project Shine to renovate the exterior of elderly resident’s homes with teens. What can you tell us about Project Shine, why it’s important to you, and how others can become involved?

Ben and I became involved with Project Shine through First Glance when we would take students to participate. I served on the board of Project Shine from 2017-2019. I love Project Shine for the two fold aspect of the ministry – not only is it a service to the community, but it is teaching local teenagers how to serve in their community! It’s awesome to drive through the neighborhood and see the homes that have been painted throughout the years and be reminded of the good memories and friendships we have through Shine.

6. What is your favorite Kenmore memory or story to share with people?

I don’t have one specific moment in mind, but I love when we all come together for First Friday or other community events when the BLVD is packed with people we love and we can bounce from person to person catching up. [Editors Note: Light The BLVD is coming December 3!]

7. You can only pick one Kenmore Pizza – Pierre’s, Rocco’s, Regina’s, or Talamo’s – which one is it going to be and why?

Pierre’s! His Pierre’s Pizza is my all-time favorite. Pure garlicky goodness.

8. What concert or event would you love to see at The Rialto Theatre?

As far as bands go- I would love to see Needtobreathe there! Also either a showing or performance of It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas time would be so fun!

9. As a resident, where do you see Kenmore in ten years?

I see a vibrant boulevard with thriving shops and businesses.

10. What do you want the world to know about Kenmore?

We are a true community here. We are a part of a bigger city, but we have the community aspect of a small town. People have roots here. We have festivals/events like a small town- community Thanksgiving, Christmas on the Boulevard, Easter on the Boulevard, First Fridays.

Interested in joining Friends of Chestnut Ridge? Connect with Chestnut Ridge Park on Facebook or email chestnutridge@akronparks.org for more information.

by Charlee Harris

Kenmore Boulevard is quickly becoming Akron’s hotspot for fun and safe nightlife and The Nite Owl Restaurant, located at 992 Kenmore Blvd., is a major contributor to this new fun scene.

Owner Sharness Dowdy is a devoted mother and passionate entrepreneur. The Nite Owl was located in Barberton before moving to the Kenmore location in September of this year. September also marked The Nite Owl’s two year anniversary of being in operation, a milestone Sharness is truly proud of.

“I wanted to quit so many times but I am a Capricorn, a true GOAT reaching the top of every mountain I encounter”, Sharness writes in a recent Facebook post.

The Nite Owl boasts a truly diverse menu with soul food classics such as shrimp and grits but also has Italian staples like Alfredo. The menu has a pleasant rotation, with new exciting dishes being added and seasonal favorites being retired until next year. The Nite Owl menu offers great lunch and dinner options with affordable price points. The Nite Owl really lives up to its name, with menu options available until twelve am on weekdays and two am on weekends.

The Nite Owl staff offer warm, friendly, and quick service. My order of chicken wings was ready within twenty minutes of ordering and had a perfect balance of sauce and crispness. The fried green tomatoes I ordered were so delicious and authentic they took me back to my summers spent with family down south. The restaurant was immaculately clean and the staff all had personal protective equipment.

With a google rating of 4.9, it’s no wonder why The Nite Owl is quickly becoming Kenmore’s go-to eatery. So if you are on the boulevard patronizing one of the many local businesses, be sure to give The Nite Owl a try, they will not disappoint.

The Nite Owl is open Tuesday – Thursday from noon until midnight, Friday from noon until 2am, and Saturday from 4pm-2am for dine-in or takeout orders. The Nite Owl updates its menu on its Facebook page and orders may be called in at 234-678-7488.

By Kerry Clawson Akron Beacon Journal

Published October 28, 2021

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a series spotlighting live music venues in and around Akron published by the Akron Beacon Journal.

For the Vaill brothers, Seth and Nate, owning the Rialto Theatre in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood has been an outgrowth of their own musical passions.

Seth, 36, and Nate, 41, originally from Norton, put together the folk band, A Band Named Ashes, when Seth was about 19 and Nate was about 24. Nate wrote music, played guitar and was lead singer, and Seth started in the band playing bass before moving to keys.

The sons of Norton teachers, the brothers dropped their own plans to become educators as they began touring regularly with their band. In 2008, they started recording and editing their own music at their home studio, which led to engineer Nate gaining recording clients.

“We need a facility to kind of house bigger artists and do bigger recording,” Seth Vaill related about the brothers’ goal at the time.

They started renting-to-own the old Rialto movie theater at 1000 Kenmore Blvd. in 2010, creating a recording studio for themselves and other musicians while renovating the theater over the next four years.

The goal was to create one venue where musicians could record, practice, mix, edit and perform. That includes providing a theater performance space for album release parties.

The Vaill brothers purchased the 1920s-era Rialto in 2014, going into family business with parents Bill and Sue with Just a Dream Entertainment Inc. The Rialto Theatre was born in 2015 when they got a liquor license, and local artists started playing at the venue.

By 2017, the Rialto was growing and attracting traveling artists, including Clark Beckham from American Idol. They have also hosted comedians, including Dustin Diamond (“Screech” from “Saved By the Bell,”), and they rent for private events.

Among its diverse offerings, the venue also has swing dancing nights the second and fourth Wednesday of every month.

The Rialto closed due to COVID-19 in March of 2020 and didn’t reopen until this past July. The theater hosts artists in every genre, including folk, rock, hip hop, country and alternative.

Now, the brothers are gearing up to open an intimate new live music performance space — the Rialto Living Room. It’s a lounge area at the front of the building where guests can get a drink at a new second bar, order sandwiches, salads or appetizers from a small café and listen to music.

The space was created by relocating the Rialto’s front recording studio and moving it next door on Kenmore Boulevard.

The Rialto Living Room will have its grand opening Dec. 17 and 18 at Kenmore Winter Break, an annual mini-festival that features local musicians. Each night will feature three bands on the main stage and three solo artists in the Rialto Living Room.

Vaill recently talked about the Rialto as part of a Beacon Journal series spotlighting live music venues in and around Akron. (Some responses have been edited for brevity.)

What does the Rialto Theatre have to offer that might be different from other area music venues?

We try and take an opportunity for artists to do multiple things at our venue. And what I mean specifically about that is the recording, the mixing, playing at an actual performance space where the venue is dedicated to the show. We actually record — both video and audio — the actual shows. So the artist can actually take that home, and we’ve done Live at the Rialto. So in other words, we actually use the space to record the performance so they can actually release the album. We’re run by musicians for musicians and music fans.

What’s the most challenging thing about running a concert venue?

Making each show as successful as they can be, and a lot of that has to do with attendance. You need to create avenues to make each show have a little spice to it. You give your audience opportunities to kind of see new things and create opportunities to see new stuff. We’re not gonna do folk all the time. We’re gonna do a hip hop show, we’re gonna do a theater show, we’re gonna have a play, we’re gonna have a comedy show.

Conversely, what’s the most rewarding thing about running a concert venue?

We think music — arts and culture — is one of the most rewarding things in our society. We think it’s an opportunity for people of all different backgrounds to share something.

What have been some of the most memorable shows at the Rialto Theatre?

The most important show is the first show we ever did back in May 2015 [including A Band Named Ashes and country artist Mark Leach], because that was the start of our wonderful venture that we’re doing today.

Why was it important for you to include two recording studios at your venue?

One is more like a vocal booth, the other is more like a band setup. We think it’s important, because for artists having an album recorded and tracked is a really important part of being a musician.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Upcoming concert schedule at the Rialto Theatre

A Brief History of 991 Kenmore Boulevard.

102 years ago, workers were busy clearing the lot located on the northeast corner of Kenmore Boulevard and 15th Street for the construction of a new building.

Upon opening in 1919, the new structure bared the name G. L. Cook & Son Co. and by 1937 was known simply as Cook Hardware. The Cook family business would remain at 991 Kenmore Blvd. for 84 years.

Cook Hardware is remembered fondly by current and former Kenmore residents alike, including Kim Hamilton-Jenkins (KHS Class of ’75), who took the photograph to the right around 1983.

“I have so many memories of going to Cook Hardware with my father as a child and even as a young adult,” Kim recalls. “I would go there to buy balls of twine and maybe a few nails, which were sold for just pennies apiece. Most of the wares were loose items in bins and you’d gather up your purchases, take them to the counter and they’d everything put in a small brown bag.”

The closure of Cook Hardware in 2003 was an emotional experience for many longtime Kenmore current and former residents like Hamilton-Jenkins, however the closing of Cook only marked the end of the first chapter for 991 Kenmore Blvd., as the building still had a bright future ahead of it.

Seven years ago, the Cook Building became part of Kenmore’s lush musical landscape when it became home to Thom Tadsen Live Album Recording Studio – where new memories are made on the BLVD every time Thom presses record.

Tadsen, a drummer and recording engineer, owns the 24 track live and 128 playback music studio and specializes in punk, metal, rock and rockabilly. The building’s 7,000 square foot footprint and 14 foot high ceilings make it perfect for tracking instruments – especially drums.

“I’ve carved out a niche tracking bands live in the studio producing records that really resonate with people,” Thom says. “There is magical quality to live band in the room hitting a great performance. You can’t fake it.”

Connect with Thom Tadsen Live Album Recording Studio via Facebook.

On May 1, 2021, Lavar Jacobs opened the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center at 946 Kenmore Boulevard to support women faced with a breast cancer diagnosis and in need of anything from counseling and financial advice to a massage or a wig fitting. Named in tribute to his mother who passed away from breast cancer in 2009, Lavar has worked tirelessly to honor her life, memory and courageous battle by providing support to women as they go through breast cancer treatment and beyond.

1. Why did you choose to start the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center?

My Mother passed away from Breast Cancer in 2009. That led me to start my nonprofit organization, Not Just October (NJO), in 2014. We were providing several resources for women currently battling, but wanted to establish a single location to provide as many of those resources as we could from. That location ultimately became the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center.

2. Did you face any challenges while working to establish Not Just October? How did you overcome them?

Spreading the word about the organization was an issue initially, but I buckled down and got deeper in the community through events and organizations. Networking is a major key in the growth of NJO.

3. What services do you provide to women battling breast cancer and their families?

We provide lawn care, snow removal, home cleaning, carpet cleaning, wigs, massages, tutoring for their children, therapy for the family members, food through our pantry, and much more. Anything a woman may need, if we can find an entrepreneur who provides the service and we have the finances to pull it off, it’s done!

4. Why did you choose to locate the center on Kenmore Boulevard?

Kenmore is a growing area and I also appreciated the support they gave us on social media. Everything lined up and it was perfect!

5. Did you have any connection to Kenmore prior to opening the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center?

No I didn’t. I work at Metro on Kenmore Blvd., but that was the extent of it.

6. How can people help support the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center?

People can donate in person at our location financially or through cash app $notjustoctober, Zelle notjustoctober@gmail.com, or drop off non-perishable items to our pantry. We are active on all social media under @notjustoctober, FOLLOW US!

7. What advice do you have for anyone who may want to launch their own nonprofit in Kenmore?

GO FOR IT! I’m here to support, don’t get in your own way, focus and make it happen.

8. What is your favorite spot in Kenmore? What do you love about it?

Just a Dad From Akron because I like what they represent over there! Being a father is important and I’m happy about the recognition they give us.

9. How do you envision Kenmore Boulevard in 10 years?

I think Kenmore Boulevard will have an artistic Highland Square kind of vibe with food and exciting attractions.

10. Is there a favorite memory of your mother that you’d like to share?

I wish I could relax and watch General Hospital with my Mom, she loved Soap Operas. My mom always told me to believe in myself, she was also my biggest supporter. She’s the reason I feel like I can do anything!

Bonus question: What should people know about the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Walk Saturday?

People can expect a sea of pink taking over Kenmore Blvd! The street will be blocked off down to Shadyside Park! Vendors in the park will be welcoming and selling all different types of merchandise. Show up at 8am wearing pink or purchase some Not Just October merchandise, WALK WITH US!!!

The Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Walk ’21 takes place Saturday, October 16 from 10am – 3pm. The walk begins at the Kim Jacobs Breast Cancer Resource Center (946 Kenmore Blvd, Akron Ohio, 44314) and concludes at Shadyside Park. For more information, visit kimjacobswalk.org.

Photo: Sane Wynn

In 2015, Seth and Nate Vaill opened a music venue run by musicians, for musicians and music fans on Kenmore Blvd, Akron’s music row. It became a successful business that, by all accounts, would be sustainable for years to come.

Then came March 2020.

The Rialto Theatre’s certain and predictable future went out the window as COVID-19 rapidly spread across the United States. Suddenly every show, event and activity was cancelled, and the concrete foundation the theatre’s future rested on turned to quicksand. Instead of planning for the next show, the Vaill brothers found themselves preparing for an uncertain world of unprecedented mandates, restrictions, guidelines and lockdowns.

“The past year and a half has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride,” Seth said. “At the end of every day we had to ask ourselves if our business could even survive through the next day.”

The Vaills debated whether to continue as a live music venue or change their business model altogether. Ultimately, these musically minded brothers held tight to the vision for The Rialto Theatre, adapting however possible to make their venue a safe place for artists, concert goers, and employees

“Many of the touring artists include a special COVID-19 clause in their contracts outlining what precautions must be taken in order for them to perform here,” Vaill explained. “The artists want to stay healthy so they can stay on the road. They also want to keep their audiences healthy.”

In response, The Rialto Theatre joined more than a dozen regional music clubs and theaters that, in September, began requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test for entry into their establishments. Ultimately, the measures have enabled venues to keep their doors open while offering a consistent, united message to their shared customer base. In July, The Rialto Theatre began hosting live music again and continues to evolve, renewing its owners’ optimism for the future of their business and the Boulevard. By the end of 2021, the owners will launch The Rialto Living Room, an intimate venue located in the front of the Rialto building with a second bar that will serve food and host solo performers.

If its October schedule is any indication, it promises to be bigger and better than ever. From the pop/soul stylings of American Idol runner up Clark Beckham to the no-nonsense hard rock of national touring act Thelma and the Sleaze, there is something from everyone coming up at The Rialto.

Kick off the weekend this Friday, Oct. 8, at The Rialto with a double album release party featuring Mudhouse Gang and Kenmore’s own The Tenants, followed by PIN 2 HOT, Samantha Grace and Ed Potokar’s “Sound Dart” on Saturday, Oct. 9.

For a complete concert schedule and tickets, visit therialtotheatre.com.

Sean Blake is a fourth-generation Kenmore resident who works as a Civil Engineer I with the City of Akron Water Distribution Division. Sean is very involved with the Kenmore community – he is Captain of the Kenmore Clean Team (and he’s always looking for extra volunteers to keep Kenmore clean!), and has served on the KNA’s Design Committee and Wayfinding Subcommittee.

1. You’re a fourth-generation Kenmore resident – what has kept you and your family here?

We’ve always been a close-knit, hard-working family, so Kenmore has always felt like home to us. It’s funny because actually my great-grandfather lived in the house next door. My grandpa lives in it now with my uncle and we all take care of and watch out for each other. We like the location of our house too. People don’t realize it, but Kenmore is really close to a lot of places, so we enjoy being centrally located. Personally, I am still here because I want to make a difference in my community. The neighborhood has lost a lot of talent, young and old, so it feels as if the torch has been passed on to me. Now it’s my turn to be a leader in my community. In addition to making my community better, one of my goals is to get more young people to move here.

2. What is your favorite spot in Kenmore? What do you love about it?

My favorite spot in Kenmore is easily The Rialto Theatre. You can travel around all you like, but you will never find another music venue as great as it! We are extremely fortunate to have a business of that caliber in our neighborhood. My second best spot is Summit Lake. Again, we are so fortunate to have a lake and park of that size so close to us! There are currently major improvements coming to Summit Lake Park, and when all of them are done, it is going to be a world-class experience. Also, shout out to the bike lanes on the Blvd that make both of these destinations less than a 10 minute bike ride from my house.

3. Your great-grandfather built one of the buildings on Kenmore Boulevard, which one did he build and is there any interesting history related to the building you can share?

My great-grandfather, Harry Stiffler, built 940 Florida Avenue. That address actually makes it sound like it isn’t on the Blvd, but it is – it’s on the corner next to the bank. I believe the building currently houses Dreams Academy. My great-grandfather was a jeweler so when it originally opened it was a jewelry store. I believe he also sold pianos too.

4. What made you want to take charge of Kenmore’s Clean Team and why is keeping the neighborhood clean so important to you?

What our neighborhood looks like reflects a lot about who we are. You never know who could be passing through the neighborhood at any minute – and you want them to think positive thoughts about it. I’ve also learned that people are more likely to litter and destroy things that already looked blighted. So trying to keep them from even ending up looking that way is a goal. I seem to be very good at people management – what I mean by that is – coming up with tasks for volunteers to do, keeping them busy, and communicating clearly to them what needs to be done. Also the Civil Engineer in me has a passion for taking care of urban infrastructure. So all these things make it feel like a natural fit.

5. Why do you think people should want to volunteer for the Kenmore Clean Team?

This is OUR neighborhood, and we should be proud of it! It is really a rewarding feeling to give back to your neighbors. Plus, the more volunteers we have, the faster we can get the work done and get out of there. No matter what your physical ability is – as long as you show up and want to work, we can use you. Also, it is a great way to meet your neighbors and local business owners.

6. You’re a Civil Engineer with the City of Akron Water Distribution Division – what drew you to that field of work?

To be honest – growing up I never thought I would be working at the water department. I actually started as a co-op in college and just never left. I am very fortunate to have two amazing bosses and a bunch of wonderful co-workers.

I enjoy the challenge of thinking on my feet every day. When you have to maintain 100+ year old pipes you never know what is going to happen next, so you have to be ready for anything. I also enjoy meeting all of the wonderful people that live in Akron and seeing the different parts of the city. It is an absolute honor for me to serve the people of Akron by making sure they have clean and safe drinking water.

7. What is your favorite Kenmore memory or story to share with people?

My favorite memories are definitely of the Kenmore Carnival. Here in Kenmore we used to do it big with a five-day carnival, Memorial Day parade, and fireworks. I grew up going to the carnival, and then ended up working it, all the way up to being the head of the grounds crew in its final years.

8. You can only pick one Kenmore Pizza – Pierre’s, Rocco’s, Regina’s, or Talamo’s – which one is it going to be and why?

Definitely Pierre’s all the way. Unfortunately, in 2018 I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease so my pizza eating days are over. I will still get Pierre’s if I have guests over or have a crew working in the neighborhood. Also, I hear Reeves Cake Shop has gluten-free pumpkin roll, so I might have to give them a try this fall.

9. What concert or event would you love to see at The Rialto Theatre?

Currently right now my favorite band is CHVRCHES. I realize that they are a bigger band so they would have no interest playing at a small venue like the Rialto, but I can still dream. Lauren Mayberry, if you are reading this, the next time you are on tour please make a stop at the Rialto! Coming back down to Earth now, every time Zach & The Bright Lights play at the Rialto it is an amazing show. I realize he just played there like a month or so ago, but if you’re reading this Zach please come back soon! Looking at their upcoming events, the Halloween Concert on October 16th looks like it’s going to be a great show, so I would advise people to get their tickets (and their costumes together) now.

10. What do you want the world to know about Kenmore?

The people that actually live here and have lived here for years are amazing. They are the kind of people that you want as a neighbor. It seems like on the news and in the press we are always the butt of jokes, but when you are actually here working with the residents you can see how great of a community this is. We have a lot of Kenmore Cardinal pride here!

Visit the Kenmore Boulevard Cleanup Facebook event page for more information and RSVP if you are able to help Sean and the rest of the Kenmore Clean Team!