July 22 marks the 222nd anniversary of Cleveland’s founding, and Cleveland Public Library is ready to celebrate! Attend a special birthday celebration for the city on Saturday, July 21 in the Eastman Reading Garden downtown, and check out the other events honoring Cleveland’s history this summer. Find the full details below to so you can prepare to party:
Happy Birthday, Cleveland!
Celebrate the 222nd anniversary of the founding of our great city with activities, food, music, and entertainment for the whole family. This celebration will feature comedian and magician Michael Mage, bubble experiments and crafts courtesy of the Great Lakes Science Center, swing dance demonstrations and lessons with Get Hep Swing, papermaking, birthday cake (of course!), and more.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center will also be on hand at this birthday celebration. In honor of NASA’s 60th anniversary, NASA Glenn will randomly distribute a limited number of “Golden Astronaut” tickets at this event to give winners the chance to take a special NASA tour on September 29.
This birthday celebration will be held outside in the Eastman Reading Garden (between Main Library and the Louis Stokes Wing). In the event of rain, the festivities will be moved to the Indoor Reading Garden in the Louis Stokes Wing at 525 Superior Avenue.
Saturday, July 21 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Main Library, Eastman Reading Garden
Downtown Cleveland History by Bike
Join a librarian from our Center for Local and Global History for a bike tour of historic downtown Cleveland sites. The tour kicks off in the Eastman Reading Garden to offer some facts about the Library before moving on notable buildings and landmarks, including the Leader Building, City Hall, Public Square, the Free Stamp, and much more. Bring your own bike (UH Bikes are also available outside the Library for a rental fee) and enjoy this leisurely bike tour through Cleveland’s history.
Friday, July 27 & Friday, August 24 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Main Library, Eastman Reading Garden
When the News was New
Visit this exhibit in the Literature Department to learn more about 200-year history of newspapers in Cleveland. Since the first edition of the Cleaveland Gazette & Commercial Register rolled off the presses on July 31, 1818, Cleveland has had a storied history of print journalism. Explore the papers, the people, the events, and the operations of newspaper publishing in Cleveland.
On display July 31-November 30
Main Library, 2nd Floor, Literature Department
325 Superior Avenue
Cleveland in the 1950s: Photographs from the Charles S. Hackett Collection
Take a visual tour through Cleveland of yesteryear by viewing this exhibit of selected photographs from the Library’s collection of more than 13,000 images taken by Charles S. Hackett. As an amateur photographer and dogged documenter of Cleveland’s commercial and industrial landscape, Hackett documented the city’s history through its architecture and transportation system. Some of his subjects include the last in-service streetcars of the 1950s, the Millionaires’ Row mansions, the dawn of the city’s Rapid trains, and more. This exhibit opens on August 11 with a discussion and presentation of Hackett’s work.
Saturday, August 11 at 11:00 a.m.
Louis Stokes Wing, 4th Floor
525 Superior Avenue