Are You Going To Hessler Street Fair? |
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A couple of weeks ago, as I loaded the last of my belongings out of my Hessler Road residence and into a U-Haul, I reflected on what drew me to this eclectic enclave in the first place. I thought of Hessler's old-world aesthetic: Tudor-style buildings; brick- and wood-paved streets; a courtyard. I recalled warm-weather porch barbeques, dance-party blowouts in the Ford-Hessler apartment building, and of course, the irreverent and historic Hessler Street Fair. I was of Hessler's more transient population. I rented, I soaked it in, and I moved on. But others on the street have been in it for the long haul. Much of this group comprises people who belong to the Hessler Neighborhood Association and the Hessler Housing Cooperative, the latter of which banded together in the '70s to purchase properties on Hessler from University Circle Inc. (UCI). Many of the HNA and HHC members are also on the committee to organize the street fair. Many Clevelanders know of Hessler Road only because of the fair, which has been running on and off since 1969. Sure, there's also Ohio's oldest wood-block paved road on the tangent Hessler Court, but every year on the weekend before Memorial Day, the fair invites thousands of people to Hessler to browse through arts and crafts tents, hear music, sample world cuisine and maybe even participate in a drum circle. Back in '84, many Hessler residents seemed to lose interest in the fair and thus began a decade-long hiatus until '95, when it was revived. Unfortunately, this year, various factors seem to be leading toward another lapse. Hessler resident and street fair committee member Ti Haugh is the type of guy who you might expect to live on Hessler. He's got long dreads, works over at the Cleveland Food Co-op and is a devotee of the African-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. In a recent phone interview, Haugh outlined the demise of this year's fair, citing as the main reasons "burnout of the committee members, lack of any sort of financial support and lack of Case/UCI support." According to Haugh, last year's street fair cost over $20,000, some of which committee members covered out of their own pockets. This led to tensions over funding options. "The [Hessler] Street Fair committee has never been good at getting grants," explains Haugh. "The Hessler Street Fair never did [apply for grants], not once." Haugh cites the annual Ingenuity Festival as an example of an event which draws part of its funding from arts grants. But Ingenuity is based downtown and can rely on support from groups and foundations concerned about downtown's future. Haugh says University Circle Inc. appears to be less interested in helping the Hesslerites. (A spokesman for UCI could not be reached before press time.) Veteran Hessler Street Fair performer Jim Miller, of the Jimiller Band, says losing the Hessler Fair would leave a noticeable void in Cleveland's festival season. "Every year is memorable" says Miller. "[The HSF] is the kick-off of the spring. It's such a Cleveland event." Miller also notes that the HSF is a great family event: "Families come out that don't get a chance to see [the Jimiller Band] on the club scene." If the HSF were to take place this year, family-oriented attendees would have also noticed something strange growing in the Hessler community gardens on the corner of Hessler Court and Bellflower Road. Instead of a patch covered with a hodge-podge of overgrown plants and flowers, which is normally converted into a children's area for the HSF, visitors now will find the in-progress Case Mandel Center for Non-Profit Organizations. Oh, the irony. Still, this is merely the continuing evolution of a neighborhood, and Case will inevitably and rightfully build on the land it owns. Hessler will also inevitably remain. And, with or without its street fair, and whether as a stretch of student-friendly rental properties or as an off-beat utopia, the nuances of Hessler will always make it one of Cleveland's most interesting landmarks. But Haugh says that his corner of Cleveland is slipping through the cracks. "I'm feeling like we've kind of lost it here" says Haugh. "Cleveland seems much less attractive to me." Hessler residents are still planning on getting together in memory of the fair. "It's going to be a block party," says Haugh. "It's not going to involve large-scale performances. Just food, music and a drum circle." |
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