I took the 7:48am 19 bus downtown to get a bite to eat then connect with the 9:01am 25B. Well, that didn’t work because I missed the bus by thismuch and was forced to wait another thirty minutes. Rats! This detour made me lost because MLK Drive is in a different location on Woodland Avenue than Buckeye. Lost I asked an old man for directions to MLK Drive off of Buckeye. Two lights down, he responded. While walking down Buckeye en route to my destination, Full Gospel Evangelistic Church, the 25B magically appears passing me as it chugs uphill to South Moreland. What do you know?!
At least I hadn’t arrived too late I secretly murmured to myself as I finally arrive, however, there is another problem confronting me: how to enter this fortress. The steel fences locked the church and I could had located any entry. Luckily, passerby familiar with the neighborhood and he too leaving a volunteer assignment at a local church found one. Immediately I scrambled inside the church to begin work. Throughout the incessant downpour, the rain didn’t make the basement musty! Yet the work area was twenty degrees hotter than the hallway. Upon entering the volunteer room, I met with the coordinator who told me where my t-shirt and name sticker were. After putting them on, I asked for instructions. He instructed me to vacuum the floor to get rid of the plaster. The only way to cut the industrial vacuum cleaner on and off was through the plug so everytime I used it I had to scoot down on the floor with the millipedes to put the plug back into the socket! L The coordinator took pictures of us working with this digital camera and throughout the day we discussed our lives after Hiram. Honestly, I was amazed that I was one of the youngest alumni there especially in the Cleveland metropolitan area. Being the youngest was an asset to me because I could talk to engage in conversation with everybody from the alumni to staff.
During my doughnut break, I talked with the panty coordinator. An elderly lady in her sixties, she discussed the length of the program, its service to the community and her family. She had two daughters: one who worked in Washington, DC at the Internal Revenue Service (is that I sign since my I received a phone interview for the IRS Economist position?) and another daughter who graduated from Spelman and attended Case for her graduate studies. This exchange made me realize that I needed to volunteer more in order to meet more progressive people like her. As the break ended, I reentered the storage room. Painting the walls were next on the agenda. Although I was by myself, I managed to do a pretty good job of painting the wall instead of myself. Not even the snide remark by the go-for-nothing parishioner dampened me spirit. Impressed with my hard work, left told the coordinator that I would be leaving.
Upon exiting the church, I sat at the bus shelter in the rain for the (you guessed it) the 25B to take me down to the Gallery Hop. Even though it was raining, I remained undeterred because this was an event I would be attending, That decision was made right after the IngenuityCleveland Festival! Rain, sleet, hail, snow. Didn’t matter because I wanted to view all of the different art galleries throughout Cleveland; and, my ticket to ride was a $5 Gallery Hop trolley pass which could be used then entire weekend. Cool! First stop was the CVS was I purchased a camera. Second order: purchase the $5 Gallery Hop trolley pass. Immediately buying it, the trolley appeared. Impeccable timing or what. Throughout the ride, I saw The Centerfest on East Fourteenth Street, the ArtJamFestival located in front of the city’s newspaper central office on Superior Avenue, and the artist sections of Saint Clair. My first official departure point was the Tremont Festival which usually was a bustling place but because of the rain deterred many people from partaking in the events. I wlaked around tasted some sweet potato chips (they were good!), bought a $3 hamburger dinner (it came with macaroni salad and baked beans and you cannot beat that). The next place were the two galleries in Tremont. One in particular had this magnificent jewelry box, and though it cost $65, I could see it in my collection very soon. Hopping back on the trolley, we passed Tremont Scoops. Both the passengers and the tour guides raved about this place and after visiting Arterfino I promised myself that I would eat some ice cream.
The return ride back from Tremont was unforgettable. We had Vicki Blum Vigil, the author of Cleveland Cemeteries, served as our tour guide providing us with an abundance of history during our trip. She quizzed the riders on local trivia. While on the Carnegie-Lorain bridge she asked us a question about a famous Cleveland chef but before she finished I shouted Chef Boyardee. Vicki said “Oh, she gave away the answer! (Well, that historical fact plays on Channel 5 every morning.)” Then trolley driver espoused about how the Gateway district was once Big Italy because 90% of Cleveland’s population consisted on Italians. Now that’s when things got interesting. Chef Boyardee was Italian and the commercial said that he was buried in Parma, OH; but, Vicki proclaimed that he wasn’t because she had some verifiable proof. Plus she wrote about cemeteries should she should know. Whew! Go tell! :)
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