On Friday, Oct. 2, Americana favorites Hey Mavis will headline a night of Appalachian music from 6 to 9 p.m. in Kenmore Boulevard’s South Alley parking lots, which are accessible via 13th and 15th St. The duo’s Kenmore First Friday Drive-In Concert appearance comes on the heels of the Knight Foundation’s $4 million grant to convert where the Ohio & Erie Canal enters Akron’s Summit Lake into a 35-acre public park connecting the Kenmore and Summit Lake neighborhoods.

Hey Mavis’s most recent album, “Silver Ribbon Dream – Songs & Stories of the Ohio & Erie Canal,” gives listeners a lens into those who lived and worked in the area during the canal’s earliest days.

“This part of Ohio owes much of its early development to the canal,” said Laurie Carner, Hey Mavis’s lead singer and songwriter. “The conditions for

Tina Boyes, executive director of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, said she hopes the concert does the same for her community. “These are lean times, particularly for our local small business owners, and it can be easy to get discouraged,” she explained, “but the music and camaraderie of shows like these give our little music district hope for the future.”

Hey Mavis will be joined by Americana trio The Stirs and Madison Cummins, whose latest release “Antidote” is included in 91.3 FM The Summit’s rotation. Carhop food service will be provided by ThaiSoul Fusion Grill, which recently relocated to Kenmore Boulevard from Romig Road.

A suggested donation of $5 per car will support the ongoing revitalization efforts of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance. In addition, attendees will get a link to a free download of Hey Mavis’s newest song, “Yes, the Gypsy Music.”

Cars will be parked at least six feet apart, and attendees are welcome to place lawn chairs in their parking spots. In accordance with the Ohio Department of Health guidelines, face coverings are recommended.

Kenmore First Fridays are presented by Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, the Kenmore Chamber of Commerce, and a variety of generous sponsors. The Oct. 2 event is funded in part by the Friends of Chestnut Ridge Park and Akron Community Foundation. For full event details, visit www.facebook.com/betterkenmore.

Updated: Sep 29, 2020

By MARK AREHART & ABIGAIL BOTTAR

Posted Sep 22, 2020

 

The Knight Foundation is committing $8 million in grants to help revamp some of Akron’s public spaces.

The Knight Foundation grants will enhance two public spaces in Akron: Summit Lake and Lock 3. Half the money will go toward rebuilding Summit Lake’s north shore into a community-focused park and recreation area.

Kyle Kutuchief, director of the Knight Foundation’s Akron Program, said this is the right time to be making a substantial investment like this.

As the pandemic has worn on, national trends have shown more people are using public spaces and parks.

“One of the advantages of being in Northeast Ohio is that we have amazing public spaces,” Kutuchief said. “However, not everyone has equal access to a great park in close proximity to their home.” 

Summit Lake Park

The Knight Foundation plans to invest $4 million to create Summit Lake Park on 35 acres on the lake’s north shore. Currently, the plot is an abandoned piece of land. However, Kutuchief says it will become a destination park. 

The hope is to start the $10 million project next year. 

The city of Akron committed $3 million to the project, leaving $3 million left to fund. Kutuchief believes this money can be raised through public funding, other philanthropic support and a fundraising campaign targeting individuals in the next year. 

Hear the stories of early canal-era residents and workers as Hey Mavis performs Oct. 2 at Kenmore First Fridays.

A Residents-first Approach

The project aims to create a space for the residents of Summit Lake. Summit Lake is the largest body of water in the City of Akron, and Kutuchief said it has rarely been used. 

“We see this park as returning the lake to the people that live in the neighborhood, giving them access to this amazing physical asset that’s in close proximity to their house,” he said.

Since 2016, the Knight Foundation has been working through a process called Reimagining the Civic Commons, through which it tests various elements of the park, such as trails, playgrounds, and picnic tables. The foundation has received very positive feedback from the community members, Kutuchief said.

“An important part of the process is that this is not a foundation or city leaders or fancy consultants coming into a neighborhood and telling people what they need,” he said. “We have been very intentional over the past four years about engaging the residents, starting to build trust, and asking them about what they want to see in their park.”

Kutuchief calls it a residents-first approach, which he has led to a better planning process and in the end, he hopes, a better park. 

Unifying Two Shores

The park will be going into a very diverse neighborhood. 

“Summit Lake neighborhood is a majority minority, primarily African American neighborhood, and the Kenmore neighborhood tends to be more blue-collar Caucasian,” Kutuchief said. 

Summit Lake has historically been two places, two shores. Kutuchief believes the new park will unify the neighborhoods and bring people together. 

“It’s investment in neighborhoods that don’t always get it and certainly haven’t gotten investment historically,” he said.  

Akron’s Central Park

Redesigning Lock 3, which Kutuchief calls downtown Akron’s Central Park, to make it more accessible for everyday use will take $2 million of the investment. In its current form, he says, Lock 3 is mostly a special event venue.

“There’s very little shade. There’s very little comfortable seating. And there’s a fence currently on Main Street. It doesn’t exactly invite casual use,” he said.

Lock 3 will become both a special event venue and an everyday park, with expanded seating and shaded areas for people to congregate, Kutuchief said. The project also will upgrade Lock 3’s performance space.

The Knight Foundation is also investing more than $1.3 million to support Downtown Akron Partnership and more than $600,000 to remodel the historic John S. Knight house in West Akron, which will become the new headquarters of the Summit County Land Bank.

Copyright 2020 WKSU. To see more, visit WKSU.

For his most recent mural, Kenmore artist Caleb Aronhalt went underground: well, under a bridge, at least.

The Summit Metro Parks commissioned Caleb to create a large-scale mural under the Kenmore Boulevard bridge where the Summit Lake Loop Trail connects with the west shore. “They wanted to make the space more inviting, “ Caleb said. They also wanted to be sure it was created by an artist from the neighborhood.

Bringing color to the community is very important to Caleb “because it shows that people actually care,” he explained. “I’m all about investing my time and talent in my neighborhood to help make my community better.”

Caleb has lived in Kenmore for eight years and has worked on several mural projects throughout the neighborhood. His most notable work can be found at the southwest corner of Kenmore Blvd. and 15th St., a collaboration between Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, Art X Love and the University of Akron Art Bomb Brigade.

“This project was different because I did not have a team; I’ve been doing it solo,” Caleb said. He estimates it took him about 80 hours in all, adding “every day was different” depending on the canal levels.

As more opportunities open up in Kenmore, look to see more from Caleb Aronhalt Art in the near future. We are grateful for his work toward our goal of bringing the beautiful neighborhoods of Kenmore and Summit Lake together.