G.A.B.B.

Just found this on a Technorati search. So far they have one post -- standard recitation of the organization's mission. No indication what they aim to do with the blog.

Time will tell, but blogging as part of an organization's overall communications strategy is more difficult than it looks. Anyone who has tried it will affirm that the care and feeding of a blog is a significant investment in time. Yesterday Village Green yesterday discussed running across the Akron Public Schools blog. Mostly APS used the Blogger platform as a turnkey community bulletin board, which is a clever use of a freely available tool. Even so, they haven't posted a new open thread since the beginning of March. And if you aim at posting content and moderating comments, look out.

So, time will tell. But UW is an important element in the civic life of the city, so it will be interesting to see what they have to say.

Labels: Akron Blogs

From Eric's blog:

I do have one new nugget of news -- at least for some of you. I spoke with Joe Albrecht of the Acme family Friday to discuss rumors that Acme plans to buy the Highland Theater. The grocery store chain has an interest in the theater's future since it's opening a new store as part of the West Akron renovation project. Albrecht told me that as a rule, the company does not comment on future business or rumors, but that in this case he wanted me to know that Acme is NOT putting together a plan to buy the theater.

Since the blog is still technically crappy, I have to tell you that it's the Saturday, April 28 post about Bernie Kosar's jersey.

Labels: Akron, Neighborhoods

Redhorse picked up the story on ANN reviewing the turnout. And of course he has some thoughts of his own. I had noticed an ANN interview with Highland Square Theatre Corp. ED Lisa Bostwick in Saturday's preview story. Given that the event was at the American Legion hall, it's a safe bet that PeppermintLisa was there.

To clarify my reiterate what I said to Lisa and in my comments to the previous post, I would be very happy if HSTC makes a go of it. What they are talking about would be an asset to the neighborhood. I am skeptical it will work, but I'd love to be proven wrong. What I don't love is the insistence that saving the theatre is crucial to maintaining the character of the neighborhood. It does good to neither the effort to preserve the neighborhood nor the effort to save the theatre to exagerate the Highland's importance.

But they continue to make the rhetorical link. When, for example, did it become the Highland Square Theatre?

Labels: Akron, Neighborhoods

Sergeant White is coming home. It is a happy day for White, his friends and family, and those of us who have been following his service.

Here's hoping he will continue to blog. His is a formidable voice.

Labels: Akron Blogs, The Wider World

I'm trying hard to find things about the Cleveland+ branding campaign for the Northeast Ohio region, er, make that the Cleveland region. More on my thoughts later on the Pages.

Anyway, scrying Technorati for Akron posts, I found "Selling to Small Business," one of those blogs titles that doesn't need further description. The proprietor of StSB lives in the area. She notes that the Cleveland+ website is full of useful small-business-oriented market research.'

So we've got that going for us. Which is nice.

Labels: Business, NEO

A quick hit from Doug at Brewed Fresh Daily taking the Beacon's Paula Scheis to task for her breathlessly uncritical coverage of the Cleveland+ brand rollout.

For the record, I don't think the Beacon is trolling for ad money. They've been unremittingly boosterish about the the Voices and Choices process since it began, mostly in a apparent hope it will help.

Labels: Akron Media, The View from Outside

Chris Brown at Branding and Marketing got tagged for a meme asking what she is passionate and obsessive about. Well, duh:

I'd have to say marketing. (What a cop-out, you're whispering to yourself!) But no, really. I love marketing. It's like a giant puzzle to me, trying to figure out the niche/positioning. It's like trying to see what is missing, what isn't there.

Check it out.

Labels: Akron Blogs

This is a new feature for GABB. Every week I hope to have at least one post spotlighting an Akron-based website. I'll save until later the broader discussion for how this plays into a broader vision for GABB. For now, the website.

I learned about the Akron Global Polymer Academy site at the Nanotechnology Summit this past week. The University of Akron is not only a global leader in polymer research, they aggressively promote polymer education in the broader community. The Global Polymer Academy is a project of the Akron Polymer Training Center, a division within Polymer Sciences at Akron. The Training Center is about workplace training. The Global Academy posts basic information about polymers and resources for K-12 education about the field, plus other general information. They also have a Resources page which appears to be more specialized, and appears to be a work in progress.

If you check out the slide shows, the narrator is Dr. Carin Helfer who does outreach to K-12 teachers and into schools. She tries to use polymer science to get kids excited about studying science in general.

As Akronites we hear about polymers constantly. If you want to know what it all means. the Global Polymer Academy has the multimedia presentations offering basic information. Even if you know as much as you need about polymers, the website gives you a good window into how seriously the University generally and Polymer Sciences in particular takes its mission to educate beyond the bounds of the campus.

Labels: Akron Web

Events all week to educate normal people about the legal system, the highlight of which will surely be the "Jammin' for Justice" battle of lawyer-populated band at The Barley House.

Schedule on the Leader website. More detail on the Akron Bar calendar.

Labels: Events

He asks a Darn Good Question:

Now, let me get this straight. Weren't we all scolded last year for not putting our new jumbo trash cans out on the devil strip facing the right direction? Didn't city hall warn us within an inch of our recycles that we had to position the Pac-man containers within a certain number of inches from the street? Wasn't it all so the new high-tech trucks could pick up the cans and dump them without city workers having to risk injury lifting them? I thought that the plan also included one-man trucks where the driver used a robotic arm and wouldn't have to even get out of the vehicle. So how come every trash day I see 2-3 guys in the trucks who physically grab my cans (after turning them around first to grab the handle), roll them out into the street, and then physically hook them on the truck? I thought we were going to save on manpower? I thought that the position of my cans was paramount to make trash-a-thon a success? For the love of blue bags I don't understand it.

I've been wondering the same thing. Fortunately Eric is more likely to get his Darn Good Questions answered, so keep an eye out.

By the way, the Time Warner people haven't done anything to make his blog more bloglike, so the link is always the same. If you are reading this many months hence, happy scrolling.

Labels: Akron, City Government

I don't share the enthusiasm for the destination, but some might find it good news:

I am so excited! AirTran Airways will start nonstop service to Las Vegas on August 15 from CAK. And how about $99 each way?? Now that’s a price just about anyone can afford.

Labels: Elsewhere

Perhaps they need a catchy slogan to move the campaign forward. How about some of the following?


“Summit County CSB: How could it possibly get any worse?”
“Summit County CSB: The Union isn’t Always on Strike”

That's a sample. Click through to the post for the rest.

Labels: Government, Summit County

Police have arrested a registered sex offender for rape and aggravated murder. Details.

Labels: Akron, Crime

I wasnt' aware of the business, but VG offers a good rundown:

Dave Blewette of Grandmother's Video is packing up his antique televisions and his museum of television memorabilia. His video production services will continue, we are pleased to find out. But the storefront next to the Main library will no longer house him or his amazing collection.

I've known Dave for many years and have spent many late nights in his place hanging out with a lot of interesting folks who found their way there. Grandmother's video was the unofficial after hours gathering place for major events as well as underground happenings downtown. Dave and his camera have recorded hours and hours of local culture. He has an amazing collection of local bands and performance artists appearing at clubs long closed but well remembered. From the Ohio Ballet to Akron First Night to late nights at the Bauhaus, Dave has captured the artistic impulses that have flourished in this city over the last three decades.

Click through to her post -- she has some links to some Dave's work online.

Labels: Arts, Businesses

Though they haven't specifically gone at each other, two of my favorite people in the Akron sphere are approaching the discussion about what should happen to the Highland Theatre from decidedly different angles.

First, Village Green posts the email a lot of us got from the Save the Highland folks, without further further discussion. After a discussion of logistical moves, we get to the guts of the email:

We have throughly researched the issues that have hindered urban neighborhood theaters’ commercial success. Urban flight has left city neighborhoods with a population possessing a lower disposable income, rising crime rates, and a lack of parking, while the “megaplexes” in the suburbs have kept patrons from coming to the classic movie theaters. However, the film distribution system has been the leading cause of the urban neighborhood theaters’ failure to compete. This scenario has led to the destruction of thousands of historic landmarks across the country. However, our research has found older theaters that have turned this trend around. We have contacted the owners and proprietors of these theaters to learn how they have been able to remain open and profitable. The answer is that nearly all of these theaters operate under a “community center” business model using their theaters for a wide variety of events and programming. This model has also enabled the theaters’ restoration, as it makes them eligible for funding from a variety of sources, and after restoration the theaters have attracted significantly more patrons. This “community center” business model has proven to be the savior of many historic theaters.

We have adopted this business model for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are eligibility for restoration funding and the security of a proven track record, and we feel confident that it holds the key to the future of the Highland Theater’s success. In addition, we have working with a national provider of digital cinema systems (the digital systems cost less than traditional film distribution), as well as a company that specializes in alternative energy systems which are so efficient the heating and cooling costs would be minimal. In the short term, we have a parking agreement with Oriana house and are currently working with the other businesses in Highland Square to produce a parking map. In the long term, we are investigating grants and low/no interest loans to help pay for a parking structure underneath the Portage Path School playground. The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission also has programs available for parking.

While VG stops at Submitted for Your Approval, Redhorse shares his reservations:

Speaking of those fired up folks, on Sunday the Highland Square Neighborhood Association deposited their newsletter upon your humble stable's doorstep. It is...interesting [PDF file]. The flier reveals pure hearted, if grandiose, local activists and de rigeur bogeymen -- politicians and developers, oh my!

Regardless, after being cloaked in rumor, the HSNA's vision/plan for the Highland is there for all to see and comment upon. Go, marvel, shake your head.

I still have issues with the "right size" notion of the theater. The Civic and EJ are thought to be too large for smaller production companies to rent and fill. That's true. But what makes one think these smaller productions, with their smaller staffs and budgets can fill 1000 seats? How is that profitable for the Highland and the company? And judging from their "possibles" list, the only item mentioning theater productions is for children's theater. To fill 1000 seats, you'll need about 300 kids in each production. Not happening.

Meanwhile, PeppermintLisa hasn't updated her post expressing ambivalence. I share that ambivalence. The first problem with the Highland is expressed by Redhorse and can be seen in the photo above -- over 1000 seats. And by the way, no parking.

The second problem is the Highland just isn't that nice a building. It has a storefront facade with promise, but past that, it's a big brick blob that glowers over the other storefronts on the south side of market.

But most importantly, a community center Highland would compete with a similarly modest-sized venue -- the auditorium in Main Library. The Highland needs renovations that will easily run into seven figures just to be a pleasant venue. Main Library's auditorium right now is a spanking new, clean space with a better rake, state-of-the-art acoustics and presentation electronics and ample parking. And it's more convenient to Akron generally as opposed to just the few neighborhoods around Highland Square.

All other things being equal, I wouldn't begrudge people their quixotic mission to save a building I don't care that much about. But in a world with finite money and volunteer energy, I wish people would leave the Highland to its fate and concentrate on rescuing the Civic -- truly an Akron jewel -- from its apparent difficulties.

UPDATES: For a blog that gets -- this is true -- an average of three hits a day, this post is already well travelled. I just got of the phone with Lisa Bostwick who is leading the effort. First off, a clarification of sorts. I posted the photo from the opening of the Highland with the big "1700 seats" sign. Apparently some seats have since been eliminated so now the theatre is down to around 1000.

Lisa and I talked at great length about the the issues I raised about the viability of the theatre. I'm not convinced, but understand that the Save the Highland folks have considered those issues and feel they have resolved them. If you are interested, read up on their website.

Labels: Akron, Highland Square

If you've never seen the show, the first three minutes almost invariably involve someone finding a body. After more than a decade of the show, the bit seems increasingly contrived, but sometimes these things do happen:

A jogger, whose identity was not released by police, was running through the sprawling Mount Peace Cemetery on Aqueduct Street at around 6:15 a.m. when she found the body and called authorities.

I got hip to this because we saw a Channel 5 news truck parked at Mount Peace cemetary yesterday, for a reporter stand-up. I've also found out that a relative knows the jogger (who is a he, not a she, by the way.) He is fairly shaken by the incident. Mount Peace is in a fairly safe area of the city, and Akron is not New York and in any event, life isn't supposed to be a TV crime show.

Meanwhile, this case already looks bizarre, even by the standards of Akron's increasinly gothic murders:

From about 40 feet away, Long said he could see the woman's body on its back with the hands clasped together and resting on the abdomen. She was fully clothed in a jean skirt and buttoned blouse. She wore no shoes or socks.

Her body was positioned in front of a headstone reading "Bliss'' and placed under a large tree located along the far eastern tier of the 90-acre cemetery, the city's second oldest.

"She was in a position like somebody laid her there and placed her on her back,'' Long said. "The way she was laying, it just looked as if she was posed.''

There is no way for this to end well. In fact, it seems unlikely the back story will be anything less than high-end creepy. Thoughts and prayers for the (still) anonymous victim and her family.