Back to Community

North Olmsted welcomes the return of safe gatherings, events and activities that bring us together again. By Kristen Hampshire

Gathering is what community is all about — parades, celebrations, family-fun days and simply going to the recreation center and running into familiar faces. While the city had to pull back during the pandemic, residents and businesses found creative ways to connect. “We did smaller monthly activities, such as screenings during heart month and yoga in the park,” says Betsy Drenski, recreation commissioner.

While cautious in early 2021, this year introduced a promising and safe return to some of North Olmsted’s favorite events and activities. Summer camps were also in session, and Drenski says, “We had a waiting list of people who wanted to come back.”

A silver lining of managing a challenging year? A renewed focus on getting outdoors, working together and enjoying the best that North Olmsted has to offer. It’s back to the community — and here are some ways the city is embracing its green assets, engaging residents and igniting pride and a renewed sense of belonging.

Activities for All Ages

In 2021, North Olmsted’s Parks and Recreation department led the effort to bring back and expand Summer in the City, which began as a concert series hosted by the Arts Commission. The reimagined series included several smaller events for safer gathering, such as yoga in the park, Westside Flea, movies in the park, live music, the new Big Bike Bash and the Homecoming Parade as the grand finale.

The new bike event was born from the pandemic rush to buy bicycles as a way to get outdoors and enjoy some active fun. “I went to buy my daughter a bike last year, and they were sold out,” Drenski relates. “We know lots of bikes were bought last year, and there are more bikes out there — and we have a path here in North Olmsted, so we created a cool obstacle course for kids and adults.”

The Big Bike Bash is a new tradition that included a DJ and the Kona Ice slushy truck. And the city is following up on last year’s premiere Trek at the Rec drive-through trick-or-treat event, where participants like the swim team, Chick-Fil-A, North Olmsted Arts Commission and others handed out candy and goodies to guests who wheeled through, caravan-style.

“You could drive through with your family, and each stop handed out candy,” Drenski says, adding that festive decor along the course created a parade atmosphere. Last year, the weather didn’t cooperate, but Trek at the Rec is scheduled to take place Oct. 29 this year. Why Trek at the Rec? “It’s a journey — a drive,” Drenski relates.

Big Bike Bash

Good, Old Times

Old-time experiences come to life at Olmsted Historical Society’s Frostville Museum, a living history of 19th century Ohio in the Cleveland Metroparks Rocky River Reservation.

The motto is “preserving the past for present and future generations,” and houses on the site were moved from various parts of North Olmsted to create a quaint, museum village. Some, such as the Carpenter House, were gifts from local families. Generally, Frostville is actively programmed with special events, and after a quieter year during the pandemic, the calendar is once again filling up with safe, outdoor and indoor options, including the ability to reserve the chapel for weddings.

In fact, the historical society’s president, Cynthia Lentz, says that’s one aspect of her job she loves the most. “There’s nothing better than seeing a couple start out

A Thriving Canopy

For 27 years, North Olmsted was recognized as a Tree City USA because it met four standards of urban forestry management. Those are having a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day. The city once again received Tree City USA status for 2020.

The city also was awarded $11,572 to reforest North Olmsted Community Park by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant.

“Due to wind damage and storms, trees that were taken down have not been replaced, so this was an opportunity to do that without dipping into the budget for residential street trees,” explains Michael Bosau, city forester, adding that Tree City USA status is a point of pride. “It’s an appreciation of what we’ve accomplished and that we care about investing in green spaces.”

their happy life,” she shares.

Frostville is a family place, and this fall it welcomes back Pumpkinville, with balloon-making, face-painting, crafts, prizes and, of course, pumpkins and gourds for sale. Admission is $1 — an old-fashioned ticket price, if you ask Lentz.

Speaking of which, this year’s holiday theme is Old-Fashioned Holidays. “Houses will be decked out in the period of the date they were built, there will be a sing-along in the church, and local schools will come down with their choirs, bands and orchestras.”

The event is staged for Nov. 20 and 21. “We want people to see how Christmas was done a long time ago,” Lentz says.

Beginning March 2022, Frostville will put its “usual roster” of activities into play with three weekends of pancake breakfasts that coincide with the maple syrup running at the Cleveland Metroparks sugar bush.

“We also are looking to have doggone fun days, where everyone is welcome to bring their dog, and we’ll bring down pet vendors and have a doggy beauty contest,” Lentz says.

Then, there’s the Frostville Farmers Market, open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May through October, featuring a variety of local farmers, food purveyors, crafters and artists, as well as live music.

Frostville is a special spot for families in North Olmsted, Lentz relates. And, it’s a place where people of all ages can find simple, community fun. She says, “This year, we are coming back.”

Fun at the Flea

It grew from two dozen vendors to 108 and counting — and it brings makers and artistic entrepreneurs of all kinds to North Olmsted Community Park for full days of creativity, including performances, live music and food trucks. Westside Flea started in 2015 and is now based in North Olmsted, the hometown of Cathy Van Schoor, who started the organization with Michelle Swetland and Becky Vranesevic.

“We saw a need for something on the West Side of Cleveland so you didn’t have to go downtown — an event where vendors could afford a spot and something fun for the West Side, Van Schoor

Westside Flea

says. “More vendors kept jumping in, and it grew from there.”

Every event is tied to a charity, so guests can purchase a $1 raffle ticket to win a vendor prize. Each vendor donates a $10 or more prize that is stationed at their booths. If a raffle ticket number matches the vendor number, the guest wins the corresponding prize.

Westside Flea has supported charities including Connecting with Kids, PetResQ Ohio, the Up Side of Downs, Rescue Me Ohio, Girls with Sole, Project Noelle and Hope & Healing. “Every year, we donate money to the park in some way,” Van Schoor says, sharing how Westside Flea built a Free Little Library on-site that it turned into a food pantry last year for those in need.

This year, it will transition back into a place to find books. And, Westside Flea will continue its monthly food donations to various food banks, such as the North Olmsted Oxcart Pantry.

From graffiti artists to balloon art and the Gaelic Glen alpacas — “a big hit for the young and old” — the Westside Flea is full of activity, and it’s free to attend, Van Schoor says, adding that the upcoming Holiday Market on Small Business Saturday is back. Van Schoor

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encourages people to visit Westside Flea’s Facebook page for details about vendors and upcoming events.

“We are always trying to promote the vendors, and we include vendors at all different price points,” she says.

Celebrating Home

A typical North Olmsted Homecoming is a multiday affair with entertainment, carnival rides and a parade that caps the celebration. When the North Olmsted Community Council began planning the 2021 event, there was a great deal of uncertainty related to how the pandemic would ebb or tide. “Things were up in the air,” says David Furin, community council president.

The outcome of planning meetings was to deliver a “light” version of Homecoming to keep the tradition alive while being cautious and flexible. The parade marched on in a socially distant fashion. While the carnival ride company took the year off due to labor shortages and inconsistent bookings, the group opted instead to offer food trucks, entertainment and the car show, where the Citizen of the Year was recognized.

“We didn’t want to have two years in a row without the event because Homecoming is important to the community — we didn’t want the tradition to fade away,” Furin says, adding that this happy-medium gave residents something to look forward to and enjoy with family and friends without risking health and safety. He says, “We wanted something with that community feeling, and this gave people an opportunity to come out and enjoy the parade.”

Homecoming Parade

A Garden that Does Good

A new pollinator garden will attract butterflies and bees to a green space behind the North Olmsted Oxcart Pantry and help local scout Peter Dzurik become an Eagle Scout. North Olmsted Garden Club Treasurer Barb Geisinger learned about pollinator gardens from the Holden Arboretum.

The city is helping fund the pollinator garden, a 3-by-30-foot garden along a fence line behind the food pantry’s property that will be populated with perennials from members’ gardens that attract pollinators.

“I’m excited about the club doing more with the city, and I love plants and gardens,” says Geisinger. “It will be viewed by people who come into the parking lot, and we’ll include signage with information about the plants to let people know what we are doing and how beneficial it is.”

Following a year of adapting meetings and curtailing events, the garden club — like other North Olmsted organizations — is looking forward to getting back together and connecting in the community. Geisinger says, “It’s so nice to get out there and do something for the city.”

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