Naturally Collinwood

Summer has finally arrived and there are many things to do at your local state park (Wildwood, Villa Angela, Euclid Beach).  With playgrounds, picnic areas, fishing piers, boat ramps, beaches, and multi-purpose trails there are many opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors with your family.  If you’re not sure about exploring on your own why not join one of the park sponsored activities? There are programs for discovering nature, canoeing, fishing, and much more.  The complete schedule is available online by visiting the park website at www.clevelandlakefront.org and clicking on ‘Naturalist Programs’ or check out the bulletin board next time you’re at the park. And best of all, these activities are FREE!!!

Among the many positive aspects of the Collinwood neighborhood is that we have a genuine jewel right in our own front yard: Lake Erie. A great pleasure of mine is a run (OK, a slow jog) followed by a swim in the lake.

Along with all of its beauty, though, the lake still holds many perils. It's relative shallowness makes its behavior the most unpredictable of the five Great Lakes. Riptides/ripcurrents and undertows are not uncommon.

Spring has arrived on Nottingham Rd!

Started in 1930 by Felix and Angela Cavotta, Cavotta's Garden Center is a family business where our customers have become family over the past eighty years. Just as our parents and grandparents, we strive to provide the best for your garden, the freshest produce and the same warm and friendly atmosphere that our friends have come to expect from us. 

This year we’ve added bagged soil, chicken and cow manure and a large selection of herbs. Lots of Heirloom tomato plant varieties to choose from along with your basic Big Boy’s and just about anything you’d want for your garden. Annuals and perennials galore and beautiful hanging baskets everywhere.  We also have fresh eggs available daily from our own chickens.

Adopt-a-Beach is a volunteer organization and subsidiary of the Alliance for The Great Lakes, a Chicago based non-profit dedicated to sustaining and improving the health of our lakes and beaches. Each month our team conducts beach clean-ups and monitors bacteria counts. The data is utilized by the Alliance to secure grant funding to target beach/water quality issues. What we can surmise from our data collection at Euclid Beach thus far is that our lakefront parks face a number of challenges from improper waste disposal/management to high levels of bacteria in the water. 

I was recently listening to the radio while driving to work and heard that Cleveland had been named "the worst winter city". I asked myself, if this is true, why am I here? I’m not a big fan of cold temperatures and blustery winds! But there are certainly some beautiful scenes and fun activities that make it all worthwhile.