Updated: Nov 4, 2018

On Dec. 1, kick off the holiday season with a daylong game of Pokemon GO and a seasonal sing-along on Kenmore Boulevard.

In celebration of the event’s 20th anniversary, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance and the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau are teaming up to bring Pokemon GO trainers to this year’s Kenmore Holiday Celebration. Holiday Hunt players will have chances to win prizes by participating in a Pokemon scavenger hunt.

You can pick up their Pokemon GO map at the Live Music Now Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Then, enjoy free admission to the Holiday Hootenanny at the Rialto Theatre from 3 to 5 p.m., featuring the high-energy honkytonk and country sounds of Shooter Sharp & the Shootouts along with Rubber City Ukes. Expect an afternoon of hand-clapping, toe-tapping entertainment and singalongs. This will be a free all-ages show.

Shooter Sharp & the Shootouts will headline the Holiday Hootenanny at the Rialto Theatre Dec. 1

“I’ve seen a lot of positive things happening in Kenmore recently,” said Roger Riddle, the marketing and social media manager for the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau. “When you see a neighborhood trying its best to become a better place to live work and play, you want to help out whatever way you can. This fellowship with Niantic and Knight gave me an opportunity to bring people who may not be familiar with Kenmore to the neighborhood so they can see the good things that are happening.”

For more information about this and other events, visit the KNA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KNACares.

Kai Wick Studios and The Rialto Theatre are partnering to bring top-notch art to Kenmore Boulevard, and they’re starting by featuring the work of talented residents in the Akron Soul Train program.

Project Three Gallery, a project of Kenmore Better Block veteran Kai Wick, is a new gallery space at 998 Kenmore Blvd. that will feature local, regional and national artists to create and display original works. The space will operate as a work area, gallery, small store front and teaching space, Wick said. It will also provide an accessible, affordable space for Kent State University, University of Akron Students and Kenmore-Garfield art students to feature their work.

“The goal is to create an education exchange between the community, art world and students,”

said Wick said. “We will hold demo classes, artist talks, and, possibly a pop-up shop so artists

can sell their wares.”

The gallery will make its debut Dec. 1 during the 20th Annual Kenmore Holiday Celebration and

will feature the work of Akron Soul Train September and October residents Joshua Eiskamp of

Seven HIlls and Charisse Mae Harris, a Columbus resident and daughter of So Fresh Used Auto Sales owner Jacqueline Harris. Joshua specializes in abstract painting and Charisse in mixed media. Their work will be on view through Dec. 20. Then, on January 10 an opening reception will be held for Christi Birchfield, a print and sculpture artist from Cleveland who was Akron Soul Train’s November artist in residence. It will be on display throughout the month.

Akron Soul Train is an artist residency village connecting and empowering the community and

artists by granting fellowships that provide resources for all creative disciplines, thereby

fostering a more vibrant Akron. Since its inception in 2016, Akron Soul Train has supported

seven local artists with fellowships. Most recently, out of 70 applicants for 2018-2019

residencies, the committee selected 13 local and regional artists for residency. For more

information visit https://www.akronsoultrain.org.

Learn more bout the Dec. 1 opening event

Updated: Nov 4, 2018

Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance has invited a team from Main Street Ohio to our community, Nov. 7-8, to explore the possibility of becoming an official Main Street affiliate. The Main Street Program, administered by Heritage Ohio, works with communities across the state to revitalize their historic or traditional downtown areas. It is designed to improve all aspects of the business district, producing both tangible and intangible benefits such as: recruiting new businesses, rehabilitating buildings, strengthening community participation, elevating public perception and making the business district a fun place for residents and visitors.

Throughout Main Street Ohio’s two-day visit to our community, they will be touring Kenmore Boulevard, providing information to residents about the Main Street program and meeting with residents and stakeholders in small groups to identify opportunities and issues to be addressed.

In the beginning of 2019, Main Street Ohio will deliver a plan to the Kenmore community with specific recommendations to address all concerns and create clear strategies for a thriving neighborhood business district.

“As a Main Street Ohio affiliate, we will gain the direction and focus needed to accomplish our revitalization goals over the long term while more robustly engaging the community,” said Jeffrey Vujevich, president of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance.

On Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. at Sam Salem Community Learning Center, residents are invited to engage with Main Street Ohio’s team, which is made up of downtown revitalization veterans from around the state. Community members will hear about Main Street Ohio’s work in other communities, learn about proven strategies for revitalization, as well as provide input to help guide the plan for Kenmore’s Boulevard District.

For more information about Main Street America program, visit www.mainstreet.org. Or, for details about the Nov. 7 community session, visit the event page..

Next month, Kenmore, will play host to the nationally renowned New York Public Theater for a free staging of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play SWEAT in Kenmore’s Masonic Temple on Oct. 2, 2018 at 6 p.m.

With warm humor and tremendous heart, SWEAT tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets and laughs while working together on the line of a factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in the hard fight to stay afloat.

With Kenmore’s industrial past, many families may find themselves relating to this story. According to Karen Freeman of KenMore Kreative, stories like this have the power to open up dialogue within communities. “The issues in the play are issues relevant to Akron and even to Kenmore, and they should prove to provoke thought and conversations about our own community,” she said.

Karen is most excited because, as she puts it, “Broadway is coming to us: real Broadway actors with a play that’s been performed in New York and all over the country. There’s no need to get dressed up or drive far, just down to the Boulevard,” she said. “How exciting is that?”

This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is a collaboration of The Public Theater, KenMore Kreative, Victory Lodge #1160, Arts Now and Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance.Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets are free and available here

Recommended for ages 16+ due to strong language.

Sixty four years ago, a Scottish-Irish Kenmore native named Etta Mae Smith opened a dance studio on the boulevard. Since then, the studio’s mission has been to educate, inspire, and instill a passion for dance in each student. Etta Mae Studio of Dance strives to create a good atmosphere where dancers can find their true voice and achieve confidence.

Keeping Etta Mae’s legacy alive, the studio has been teaching classes in the following subjects:

• Ballet: A technical and graceful form of dance that builds the foundations for other types of dance.
• Pointe: A form of ballet where the dancers wear special shoes and perform dance steps on their toes.
• Jazz: An energetic form of dance seen on TV, in commercials, movies, music videos and on the stage in musicals.
• Hip Hop: A style of dance that incorporates street dance, break dance, and jazz.
• Tap: A form of dance where the dancer creates rhythmic sounds using metal plates on the tap shoes.
• Lyrical: A fluid style of jazz that blends with ballet and is performed to interpret the lyrics of the song.
• Acro: Bending, twisting, balance, stretching and rotating to perform skills for incorporation into dance routines.

Etta Mae studio of dance has performances and recitals throughout the year. Interested students can participate in classes for $35 per month or can take private lessons. To learn more about registration, visit ettamaedance.wixsite.com/emsstudioofdance/schedule—fees.

If you love comics and superheroes, you don’t have to go any farther than the Boulevard to find them. Since 1987, Kenmore Komics & Games has hailed on the Boulevard as one of Akron’s best specialty comic book and gaming stories.

From Superman to Magic Cards, the store has an extensive collection of Modern and Silver Age comic books, as well as, role playing, strategy, and card game memorabilia. Known for it’s fantastic selection, visitors come from Cleveland, Columbus, and other nearby cities.

The store’s owner, John Buntin, came to Akron in the 1980s to open a store with a friend and fell in love with Kenmore. According to him, Kenmore Komics & Games provides customers with a “hobby, escapism, and fantasy” with the games and comics it sells.

“We do what we can to get our customers to enjoy their lives when they’re not at work,” said John.

To learn more about Kenmore Komics & Games, visit www.kenmore-komics.com.

Driving down the Boulevard, you can’t miss the bright red sign with the words “Rialto” beaconing from the above the marquee. The Rialto Theatre is currently, and has always been, a staple in the Boulevard District. The retro ticket booth and colorful facade are telltale signs of the venue’s rich history.

Even the name had important significance in the past. The term “rialto” reigns from a medieval covered bridge in the Italian city of Venice. Here, novelty shops were built and the first entertainment district was born. “Rialtos” came to be plazas where people could go for fun and enjoyment. Theaters bearing this name began popping up in the early 1900s worldwide and a select few exist to this day — including the one in Kenmore.

In Akron, the Rialto Theatre thrived on the Boulevard and was adored by residents as a staple of the neighborhood until it closed in the 1950s. In the height of the rise in popularity of films, the Rialto was one of the earliest venues to feature “silver screen” movies in the United States, which makes sense: the silver screen was invented by Kenmore resident Harry Coulter Williams. Today, the Rialto Theatre’s legacy lives on as the “silver screen” cinema-turned something new.

Brothers and bandmates Nate and Seth Vaill have turned the building into a recording studio, full bar, and event space. Together they are restoring the Rialto Theatre to how it looked in the glory days, beaconing with a bright red marquee and historic ticket office. The studio has recorded a mecca of local artists, including Ampichino, King Locust, and Ben Gage. In addition, they are promoting arts in the Kenmore and greater Akron community by hosting a variety of events, including music concerts, comedy shows, theater performances, art exhibits, swing dancing lessons, and more.

With renovations starting in 2010, the Rialto Theatre is constantly changing and evolving to this day. What started as a warehouse has now transformed into a top-notch recording studio, a thriving and eclectic event space, and cozy little bar. But, that’s not all the Vaill brothers have planned for the venue. The new ticket box outside will be finished by the end of July and will resemble the old one. In addition, they are adding a lobby area called the Rialto “Living Room,” as a space for acoustic acts. In the future, they plan to become the Boulevard’s first breakfast spot by offering coffee and food in the morning.

“We wanted to create a place where people could experience anything from hip hop to bands to theater to rap battles,” said Nate. “The Rialto is a safe and fun environment where the community can come together and experience art and music.”

To see what’s events are happening next at the Rialto Theatre, visit https://www.therialtotheatre.com/calendar/.

Updated: Jul 26, 2018

Nearly a year after their successful Kenmore Better Block event, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is working hard to turn those temporary changes into permanent improvements along Kenmore Boulevard.

The organization recently received a $62,500 grant from the Huntington Akron Foundation to develop a comprehensive neighborhood plan. The goal is to create a set of recommendations based on resident feedback, the alliance’s revitalization efforts, and the city of Akron Planning Department’s large-scale neighborhood research. The plan will suggest both short- and long-term improvements to the neighborhood, which comes at a key time from a funding perspective: The city is prepared to invest significant resources into the Kenmore Boulevard business district through its Great Streets Akron program.

The Kenmore Neighborhood Plan, led by Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance’s community planning partner MKSK, gathered resident, business owner, and property owner feedback earlier this spring. They walked the boulevard with residents during May’s Jane’s Walk event and discussed advantages, needs, and opportunities in the district, a discussion that included everything from buildings, streets and alleyways, sidewalks, parking amenities and safety.

At the event, residents also voted on their favorite street design: a slower, more bike-and pedestrian-friendly Kenmore Blvd. with fully protected bike lanes and a single eastbound and westbound travel lane for cars. The vote came in advance of the city’s Kenmore Boulevard repaving project. The alliance shared residents’ preference with city traffic engineers in hopes of improving safety and comfort on the soon-to-be repaved Boulevard.

On Aug. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Busk Until Dusk, residents are invited to review and provide feedback on a range of initial boulevard improvement concepts. The free event will take place on the 14th St. block of Kenmore Blvd. near Pierre’s Brooklyn Pizza. It will also include musicians like Kenmore residents Jim Ballard and Rialto Theatre co-owner Nate Vaill, as well as children’s activities by KenMore Kreative, vendors from across the area, and street food.

For more information about the neighborhood plan, visit www.betterkenmore.org/neighborhood-plan.