gargoyle

The roof of the porch of the war chapel at Glendale Cemetery Akron Ohio has two gargoyles.

picture of the day: Latvian Garden

One World Day 2017

I asked these three dancers of the Cleveland Ballet to pose. Thank you.

Someone asked whether i was going to the 'One World Order' thing, there are too many people who believe in ridiculous conspiracy theories, and they voted for Trump. I got late to the Gardens, and was a little tired. I spent time looking for my nephew and my hounds. I was pleased, that, i had some good pictures. Many people were pleased to see the hounds, someone invited them to the Armenian church festival.

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy, it is the wine of a new procreation, and I am Bacchus who presses out this glorious wine for men and makes them drunk with the spirit.” — Ludwig van Beethoven

The Germans, and those married in, were having a good time. It is true, that the Germans enjoy their ethnic culture; because of XXth century political realities, they have not been able to display it freely.

Having had ancestors in the old country, whom made concertinas and such, i like squeeze boxes. In the background, there is a double statue of Goethe and Schiller. They are older than the gardens, having been moved there from Wade Park.

 Finnish hockey jersey

 Angry Birds are Finnish.

 The History Museum brought a car, the city has a garbage truck cruising St. Clair.

The Slovenes were hard to find. They left two flags by Fr. Baraga, the Snowshoe priest, and candidate for sainthood.

 Someone left a wee painted rock by Baraga.

Papier-mâché pot and cup, and future pictures of an Ethiopian garden.

Irish dancers going from one performance to another

Ukrainian parade

Saturday, the Ukrainians marched on State Road. Several Ukrainian organisations, schools, and the churches paraded with a few non Ukrainian groups, and two high school marching bands. St. Vladimir Orthodox's float above is interesting, it includes several religious banners, a large vase with sunflowers, and two large pysanky (Easter eggs).

 This little girl does not look too enthused.

Normandy High has a sousaphone line. This sousaphone has no mouthpiece.

The 'Baltics' also marched with the Ukrainians. These countries were also part of the Russian and Soviet empires, and are pleased to be independent. Many Americans are unfamiliar with their flags. Horizontal stripes of yellow, green, red--Lithuania; red, white, red--Latvia, blue, black, white--Estonia. NATO's flag, and the European Union are there too, with a combination Baltic flag, with a stripe of color from the three separate flags (it took a while, ok, a few parades for me to figure that one.

Across from where we were standing was a barber shop.

 Parma High Marching Band

most casual marching

soap box

The marker says that Myron Scott saw a kid's race in Dayton Ohio. In 1935, the first Soap Box Derby was held in Akron Ohio. In 1936, Franklin Roosevelt's, and Harry Hopkins, Federal Work Projects Administration built Derby Downs.

view from the starting block

The building to the left is the Akron Rubber Bowl.

1 sunflower

This is the same sunflower photographed over several days: August 11-13, 15-22.

Glendale Steps

The Federal Works Projects Administration (WPA) had men cut stone for this staircase on a 200 foot slope between streets in 1936-7. Amongst the walls, and spaces for gardening, 242 sandstone steps were installed. The park was never completed.

This is the lower level. Above the wall seen here as top, there are more steps that reach Walnut Street. The big bare space has had plants.

Cassius (L), and Captain (R) stand at mid level. Behind them are five paintings, four with text, one defaced.

Frances Perkins (Secretary of Labor), Franklin Roosevelt (President), Harry Hopkins (WPA) are pictured in this panel. The 1930s were a time of great economic hardship, the federal government (and these three individuals) did much to alleviate it. The Works progress Administration employed many for years building and doing good and important things that the private sector would never do.

                                               these two fotos are of the upper level

This needs some rehabilitation, but we do not have a Roosevelt, or a Hopkins, or a Perkins.

Many stones are loose, or broken.  There is a road closed sign between Glendale Cemetery and the steps, beyond the steps is a car repair business and a fence that closes the road. These obstructions and diversions are part of the new road rebuilding.

Landscape planting is now, only on the very bottom.

photographs of abandoned places #15

Akron Rubber Bowl

From a distance, Akron Rubber Bowl (L), Derby Downs (R)

People who do not live in Akron, it is a little surprising that a football stadium is next to the Soap Box Derby. They were both built by President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration. Derby Downs in 1936, and the Rubber Bowl in 1939-40. Capacity is some 35,000.

University of Akron (Zips) played 32 football games between 1940 and 2008. Occasionally the Cleveland Browns played an exhibition game there. One regular NFL game was played there, the Dallas Texans had their only win, Thanksgiving 1952 over the Chicago Bears. Many high school games, and concerts played there. Circuses came, and other shows.

In 2013 the stadium was bought for 38,000 by a company hoping to get a non-NFL professional team. It did not happen.  In 2015 a proposed hip-hop concert fell through. The company did not pay property taxes to the county.

Vandalism has been a problem. Graffiti, some obscene (which prevents sharing of some fotos), some odd (Serbian nationalism) is heavy. Weeds grow in the cement, but not on the field. The 2003 carpet's color has not faded.

I added this edited foto in 2020, the entrance is now gone. In the upper left, i "painted" out an obscene graffito.

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update:  demolition began 20 June 2018