Upcoming events

October 3 Hessler Street Fair, noon to 7 p.m. (one block north of the Euclid and Mayfield/Ford intersection in the heart of the University Circle neighborhood). Come and enjoy music, fine art, food, lemonade, knowledge and inspiration. Featuring Hello!3D, The JiMiller Band, Charlie Mosbrook and Friends, HooDoo BBQ, Country Honk, Austin Walkin Cane, Ms, BBC & DiQueenooom.

October 3 Cleveland Pickle Fest is a celebration of pickles and volunteerism in Cleveland. This fun-filled day features plenty of pickles and pickle-flavored food, desserts, candy, drinks and more from local and regional vendors, plus dozens of food and non-food vendors with pickle-themed merchandise and goodies. All event proceeds benefit Greater Cleveland Volunteers. Saturday, October 3 from 11 am to 6 pm on Mall C, in downtown Cleveland.

October 3 Ohio City Oktoberfest Mark your calendars for the return of our Ohio City Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 3, from noon to 8 pm at Market Square Park (across the street from the West Side Market) for an afternoon packed with crisp brews, delicious local eats, fun family-friendly games, and live music. We will have an awesome lineup of local brews on tap, food vendors serving local favorites and Bavarian eats, a Pretzel Toss, Steinholding Competitions, and live music from Die Unpronouncables.

October 5 Voter registration deadline The deadline to vote in the November 3 general election is Monday, October 5. Now is the time to register, update your information if you’ve moved or changed your name, and make a plan to vote. You can register to vote, or check if you’re already registered, by visiting the Ohio Secretary of State’s website at ohiosos.gov/elections.

October 9 LGBTQIA+ photography classes Join artist Bridget Caswell (they/she) for a hands-on photography workshop designed for LGBTQIA+ folks of all skill levels. Learn to take better photos using the tools you already have – whether it’s a smartphone or a digital camera. This 2-hour session includes guided instruction followed by a neighborhood photo walk. Come as you are and capture your story. October 9 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the LGBT Community Center (6705 Detroit Ave).  An additional session will be held November 7 at the Jefferson library (850 Jefferson Ave.) from 2 pm to 4 pm. Registration is required for both events. For more information and to register, visit cpl.org/events.

October 9&10 Free dental and medical clinic MedWish MedWorks will hold a free two-day dental and medical clinic on Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10 at the Huntington Convention Center (300 Lakeside Ave E). Services provided include dental screenings, cleanings, extractions, fillings, and temporary partials for adults and children. General and women’s health. Doors open at 7 am, walk-ins only. You do not need to provide a name, ID, or other identifying details like income or insurance. Translation services are available. Need help now? If you are in need of no-cost/low-cost health care, you do NOT need to wait for a MedWish Medworks clinic. Please call 216-692-1685 ext. 205, or email the team at NavTeam@medwish.org. We can discuss your situation and options and help you find the care you need to live a healthier life.

October 10 “Caffeinate and Create” at Stella Marris Create with purpose, sip with intention, and show up as you are at this free, therapeutic art session. All canvases, supplies, and instruction are provided. No experience needed — just bring your creativity and good vibes. Saturday, October 10 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at Stella Maris Coffee Shop

(1302 Winslow Ave.).  Registration is required. Register now at stellamariscleveland.com.

October 10 Artist Inventory Challenge Join Art House Inc. for our 10th annual Artist Inventory Challenge: an entertaining evening of conversation, good food, and watching the creative process unfold as invited artists create new work inspired by donated materials. Pieces created during the event will be available for sale following creation. The event will be held on Saturday, October 10 from 7 pm to 9 pm at Art House Inc. (3119 Denison Ave). Entry is free.

October 10 Latina Girls’ & Women’s Day Celebration Join the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center for the second annual Cleveland Latina Girls’ & Women’s Day Celebration, a day of empowerment, learning, culture, and connection for Latina girls and women ages 9 and older. The event will feature inspiring speakers, interactive workshops, cultural activities, and opportunities to learn about women’s history and rights. Saturday, October 10 from 9:30 am to 2 pm. Registration required. (The exact location will be shared only with confirmed registrants for safety and confidentiality.) Questions? Contact Evelyn Rivera at lahsodeclevelandoh@gmail.com. Register now at juliadeburgos.org/calendar.

October 13 Cleveland Westside Village Happy Hour The Cleveland Westside Village is hosting a “happy hour” for older adults to learn more about our organization. We are a group of seniors working to age in place and enjoy life. We invite folks, age 55 and older, who live in Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Cudell and Edgewater neighborhoods to learn about our organization at Forest City Brewery (3135 Columbus Rd.) on Tuesday, October 13, from 4 pm to 7 pm. Join us for a complimentary beer or a glass of wine. Please register at Clevelandwestside.helpfulvillage.com/events.

October 15 Memory Café is a place to explore engaging experiences in a supportive environment designed for individuals with dementia and early memory loss and their care partners. Each café has a unique focus to facilitate social connection. Light refreshments will be provided. We meet from 1 pm to 2:30 pm on the third Thursday of each month at the West Park Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (3805 W 157th St). This month’s café will be on Thursday, October 15. Questions? Contact Heather Tuck-Macalla at 216-623-2921.

October 15 Senior food boxes Seniors may register for the Cleveland Food Bank’s Senior Food Box Program, which provides a box of shelf-stable food each month to income-eligible people who are 60 years old or older, in person at the West Park Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (3805 W. 157 St.). Thursday, October 15 from 10 am to 6 pm.

October 17 Street Studio This month’s Street Studio will be Saturday, October 17 from 1 pm to 3 pm at St. Paul’s Community Church, 4427 Franklin Ave. All are welcome to share music, poetry, and spoken word – or to listen in support. Piano, drums, guitar, and microphones provided – as well as coffee and snacks. For more information contact Ian Heisey at heisey2140@sbcglobal.net or Trennell Garrison at sapphire1497@yahoo.com.

October 21 Books and Bites Kids, tweens, and teens! Join library staff as we read some great stories and have fun chatting about them over pizza, the third Wednesday of each month at the Lorain Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (8216 Lorain Ave.) from 4 pm to 5 pm.  This month’s event will be on Wednesday, October 21.

October 27 Monster Bash Calling all ghouls and goblins! Join us for a spooktacular afternoon of Halloween fun. Enjoy Halloween-themed crafts, games and more during this yearly celebration at the Fulton Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (3545 Fulton Rd.) on Tuesday, October 27 from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

October 30 Big City Boo A Halloween-themed event for kids and families, Big City Boo returns to city recreation centers on Friday, October 30 from 5 pm to 7 pm. The event features candy, refreshments, and games – all in a safe and fun environment. Every Cleveland rec. center will be participating, including Cudell (1910 West Blvd.), Estabrook (4125 Fulton Rd.), Halloran (3550 W. 117th St.), and Michael Zone (6301 Lorain Ave).

October 31 Trick-or-treating Traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating will be held in Cleveland on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, from approximately 6 pm to 8 pm. Households participating in passing out candy should turn their front porch light on to indicate to trick or treaters that they are participating.

Throughout the month

Garden Markets at Kentucky Gardens are open every Saturday from now until October 31 (harvest dependent) at Kentucky Gardens at 1753 W 38th St. The markets are a great opportunity to purchase fresh, locally grown produce and get to know your neighbors. They will be open from 10 am to noon. For more information, visit kentuckygardens.com.

Eat Smart and Move More for Older Adults Learn about the nutritional needs of older adults,  participate in physical activities and make quick and easy recipes Tuesdays at the Eastman Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (11602 Lorain Ave.). For additional information, contact Heather Tuck-Macalla at 216-623-2921.

LegalWorks Clinics LegalWorks is a non-profit organization that provides legal consultation and assistance for qualified, low-income youth and adults in underserved communities, helping with expungements, sealing records, obtaining certificates of qualified employment, clearing outstanding warrants, restoring driving privileges, and other select legal matters. Assistance is available at the Fulton Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (3545 Fulton Rd.) on Tuesdays from noon to 3 pm. By appointment only! To schedule an appointment now, visit legalworksneo.org.

Trucktober on Public Square Through the month of October enjoy food trucks Tuesdays through Thursdays every week from 11:30am to 1:30 pm on Public Square, accompanied by live music.

Community resources

ID cards for kids You can get a free Ohio identification card for your child (17 years old and younger) at any Ohio Deputy Registrar. Having an ID card for your child has many advantages, plus it may help police if a child is reported missing. Visit bmv.ohio.gov to learn more.

Education/public health

Citizens’ Police Academy: The Citizens’ Police Academy is an educational program designed to meet the interests of citizens in the community. The Academy curriculum covers a wide variety of subjects with the intent of giving attendees an overview of how the Cleveland Division of Police accomplishes police activities and functions. Learn about police, communication, outdoor range, traffic stops, SWAT & K-9 units, complaint procedure, human trafficking, domestic violence, partnering, organizations and more. This year’s class will meet every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. from October 7 through December 9th at Mary Queen of Peace Church, 4423 Pearl Rd. For Additional information, contact via email the Bureau of Community Relations at CommunityPolicing@clevelandohio.gov.

Free piano and violin classes for youth The Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center is launching a pilot program offering piano and violin classes for youth ages 6 to 10 years old. Days and times are still being determined, and we want your input on when classes should take place. The program starts in October and will run for 8-10 weeks. Instruments provided at no cost. Visit https://juliadeburgos.org/calendar and click on “Piano & Violin” to learn more.

Kids Cafe Afterschool Meals: The Kids Cafe program provides free, nutritious afterschool meals for children and teens. Meals are available 2:30-3:30 p.m. at select branches of the Cleveland Public Library, including these westside branches: Carnegie West (1900 Fulton Rd., 216-623-6927), Eastman (11602 Lorain Ave., 216-623-6955), Fulton (3545 Fulton Rd., 216-623-6969), Jefferson (850 Jefferson Ave., 216-623-7004), Rockport (4421 W 140th St., 216-623-7053), South (3096 Scranton Rd., 216-623-7060), and South Brooklyn (4303 Pearl Rd., 216-623-7067). No registration required. For more information, call your local branch.

School Vaccination Requirements in Ohio (Kindergarten through 12th Grade: Ohio Revised Code 3313.671 requires students to be fully protected against 10 vaccine-preventable diseases: Diphtheria, Hepatitis B, Measles, Meningococcal, Mumps, Pertussis, Polio, Rubella, Tetanus and Varicella. Schools are required to report the immunization status of students by October 15th of each year. If you need help locating your child’s vaccination records, you can: Ask your child’s healthcare provider, who will have a copy of their medical records and may be able to access the state system. Contact your local health department, which may be able to access the state system. Ask a workplace, camp, or school that you may have provided the records to in the past. Complete and mail in an Ohio Department of Health Authorization to Disclose Form.

0 to 3 Read to Me Support your child’s early learning through reading, singing, talking, and play! Designed for children ages 0-3 and their caregivers, this interactive experience features engaging books, music, movement, and sensory-rich activities that support language development, early literacy, and social-emotional growth during the most important years of brain development. On select Tuesdays from 10:30 am to 11:15 am at the Lorain Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (8216 Lorain Ave.). This month’s sessions will be on October 6 and October 20. Older siblings are welcome as well. Questions? Call 216-623-7011.

Homelessness

NEOCH Navigation Center now open The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) is reopening the doors to our shelter (at 1530 E 19th St.) under a new name, our Navigation Center! The center is intended as a low-barrier, housing-focused shelter to provide critical overnight refuge to individuals who would otherwise remain unsheltered in our community. Shelter guests will need a referral from NEOCH outreach staff to apply. Call us at 216-432-0540 for more information, or visit neoch.org/nav-center.

If you need shelter, contact  Cuyahoga County’s Coordinated Intake office at 216-674-6700. Hours of operation: 8 am – 8 pm, Monday – Friday. After hours and weekends, please call 2-1-1 for an on-call Coordinated Intake representative. If it is after hours, women in need of assistance may also go directly to Norma Herr Women’s Center, 2227 Payne Ave., and staff will assist you in contacting Coordinated Intake the following day.

Transportation

The Cleveland E-Bike Rebate Program is an incentive program designed to make electric bicycles more accessible to Cleveland residents and encourage more people to use e-bikes for everyday transportation. The program, sponsored by Bike Cleveland and the City of Cleveland, will provide vouchers worth between $500 (for all residents) and $1,500 (for people meeting its income guidelines) to go toward the purchase of an electric bicycle at a participating local bike shop. To qualify, you must be at least 18 years old or older and be a permanent resident of Cleveland. Only one e-bike per household can be awarded. At the end of the application period, approximately 100 qualifying applicants will be chosen at random to receive a voucher. Please note: Because vouchers are limited, not all qualified applicants will receive a voucher. To learn more, and to apply, visit ebikecleveland.com.

Volunteer

The Kids’ Book Bank, a local nonprofit that gives high-quality, gently used children’s books to organizations of all sizes that can distribute them to children and families in need, has a variety of volunteer opportunities available. Help us sort, process and package books in our new westside warehouse (13913 W Parkway Rd., in the Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood), host a book drive in your community, assist families in choosing free books to take home at various events, and more. Visit www.kidsbookbank.org for more info or contact us at volunteer@kidsbookbank.org or 216-417-1803.