Acorn Alley in Kent

Acorn Alley Offers a Variety of Local Businesses to Enjoy

By Brit Charek 

Acorn Alley, located on Main Street in downtown Kent between Water and Depeyster Streets, opened in September of 2009. As a long time enthusiast of the Kent community, I was nervous that the only people who could afford to rent out a space in the new construction would be corporate chains and therefore I was a little apprehensive to go check it out. Fortunately, I was wrong, as I often am. The alley, which is a pedestrian walkway not unlike East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, is home to several local businesses—some expanding and some brand new. It’s awesome.

Among the new businesses is Popped!, a specialty popcorn shop, who celebrated their grand opening in early April. Among a rotating stock of miscellaneous recipes, they always carry their three signature flavors: caramel corn, kettle corn, and firehouse popcorn, which kettle corn with cayenne pepper that is sweet but with a kick.

Tree City Coffee in the Alley extends there hours during exams to give Kent State students the boost they need. They also collaborated with Bent Tree Coffee Roasters, another locally owned business down the street, to collectively make the popular Two Tree Blend. (Click here to check out our post on Bent Tree Coffee Roasters!) Tree City is a great place to sit and chill, but for those on a time budget they also have a drive-through.

Also at Acorn Alley is The Arctic Squirrel, an aptly named ice cream shop that prides themselves on being the “coolest” spot in Kent; Wild Earth Outfitters, an active outdoor lifestyle store who sells everything from tents to kayaks; Lazizia, who offers a modern twist on Mediterranean cuisine; and Funky Ladles, formerly known as Zoupworks, serve up a variety of cheap but delicious soups everyday.

With a growing number of unique and diverse shops being added on a regular basis, Acorn Alley is a great representation of the Kent community, which is really one of a kind. Don't miss out on spending an evening there this summer!

Bethesda

Akron Empire would like to welcome guest blogger Ash Adams, a freelance writer and good friend with Ohio roots currently based in Anchorage, Alaska. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications nationally. To follow Adams' work, visit her blog, Brian & Ash, which she manages with her husband, Brian Adams.

This Band Could Be Your Life: Bethesda

Photo courtesy of Brian Adams

It's really rare for one of your friends' bands to be one that you actually listen to when they're not around. And it's not because you don't love your friends—you do—it's just that you'd rather listen to good music.

This is why it took me almost 2 years to listen to Bethesda's first EP. Because I'm friends with Eric Ling and Shanna Delaney and, quite frankly, a little jaded after listening to a lot of bad music created by good people that I love. So when I finally listened to the band's first full-length album, Love in the Time of Tra La La, I was humbled, I was ashamed, and at the same time, I was squealing with delight.

YES. This was what I'd been waiting for at all of those other shows, listening to all of the failed bands of my friends.

Powerhouse lady vocals, poignant lyrics, melodic guitars, dancy percussion, tambourine, chimes, violin, and Midwestern swagger all intelligently stitched together into joyful, full sound. It was better than good—it was something I wanted to listen to and share with people.

My lack of faith then is embarrassing still. It's not that I didn't know that they were talented—the first time I heard Shanna's voice was in her car on one summer day in Kent, and I was blown away. So, consider this piece my personal apology for not believing in you guys from the get-go, Shanna and Eric. Please understand that I'd just been burned too many times before.

This disclosure is also for you, the reader. I may be friends with Bethesda, but I am still severely unbiased. I had no idea that Bethesda's songs would make it onto nearly every mix I've made during the past 2 years, including the one I made for my first child's birth. In fact, if asked beforehand, I may have bet against them. But I was wrong, so wrong.

And even still, Eric was willing to answer a few questions for me this week so that I could tell their story on this blog.

Bethesda's story starts in the way of many good stories. He meets she and then good things happen. Eric and Shanna, now married, were both attending Kent State, where they met one night through a mutual friend at a local pizza shop, Pete's Arena. “We had one of those moments,” Eric says, “where we knew something significant had just happened. A few “chance” encounters later, Shanna scrawled her number down my arm and the rest is history. I was hers without debate from that time forward.”

Eric was writing lo-fi guitar songs before they met, and Shanna was just coming out of the Kent State musical theatre program, so it was natural that music was a part of their relationship from the very beginning. “It was actually really difficult to begin with,” Eric says. “Shanna was vocally trained, and I was not trained in anything – ever. So there was a natural tension as we stumbled towards coming up with something that we were both excited about. After quite a bit of blood, sweat and tears, we had a handful of lo-fi acoustic-folk songs that we started to perform for our friends and family.”

They started playing these songs together as the Silver Diamond Doves. A couple of years later, Eric says, after attending an Anathallo, Sufjan Stevens show at Calvin College, the duo decided that they wanted to collaborate with other musicians, “to bring even more life to the songs that we had been creating.”

The couple spread the word at Vineyard Community Church, a local arts-focused church that they attended, and soon the couple had found a bassist (Dan Corby), a drummer (Justin Rife), and the band's original guitarist (Jesse Sloan).

“Soon, we had a full band, and we were intoxicated by the creative high of collaborating to create something truly original, full, and a whole level above what we were capable of by ourselves,” Eric says. “In our first practice, we had our ahhhhhhh! moment where everything fit so perfectly and naturally that we knew we wanted to take it as far as we possibly could.”

The band booked their first show at a coffee shop in Stow soon after, but as the day quickly approached, the group was still without a name. In the end, the name came from Sloan's father who suggested “Bethesda,” which in Jewish and Christian tradition is a pool of healing.

“We love the imagery of this place where the broken gathered in hopes that the water will bring some healing and give new life to them,” Eric says. “We write honest songs about the suffering and difficulties of life, but also about the life-giving hope that we believe in, so we thought it was fitting.”

The name stuck. It has just been a few years since Bethesda played that first show in the coffee shop, but since then, the Akron/Kent-based sextet has toured all over the country, playing at SXSW this year and booked for Bonnaroo 2012. The band has been slated for over thirty shows on big-name networks, and was interviewed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Photo courtesy of Brian Adams

And, in addition to working day jobs, they've found time to do some serious recording. After releasing its self-titled EP in 2008, the band released its first full-length album (Love in the Time of Tra La La) in 2010, its second EP (Dreamtiger & Other Tails) in 2011, and they are currently working on their second full-length album, which is scheduled to be released in 2013.

“We are really excited about this one,” Eric says of the album currently in production, tentatively called The Reunion. “I think people will be surprised by the dynamics of the album.”

But even though they've been gaining national acclaim, Bethesda hasn't lost their Cleveland pride.

“Cleveland is a city whose musical history is full of some of rock’s greatest acts,” Eric says. “With the burden and delight of this history, Cleveland is in the middle of an artistic resurgence as the city continues to be filled with appreciative folks that care about culture and invest in their communities. We are thrilled to be a small part of it each time we take the stage in Cleveland. It is truly an electric and unique experience. Really, I think it is a legacy thing. When kids grow up in a creative culture, they are more likely to be supported in their own creative efforts and believe in the importance of creating and sharing their art form. We are privileged to be a part of such a community.”

If you haven't heard Bethesda yet, chances are you will soon. To see them live, visit their website to keep up with their tour schedule or head up to the BeachlandTavern next Wednesday, May 30th where they'll be opening for Plants & Animals.

Celebrate National Bike Week at Kent Cycle

Kent Cycle: More Than Just a Bike Shop

by Brit Charek 

Kent Cycle opened their doors in March, just in time for cycling season to start. Co-owners Stefan Meyer and Mario Morelos opened the store to accommodate the needs of the ever-growing population of commuter cyclists in Kent. They are both avid cyclists and proud community members, and just all around great guys.

The store is in a charming space that used as a church at one time, and most recently as the main offices of a local concrete supplier. Evidence of the venue’s former lives remains scattered throughout the shop, making it unique. The space is used not only to display and sell bicycles, but to show off the work of local artists and host fun events with live music.

 

The city of Kent's limit on the amount of signs a business can have inspired this mural to be painted on the side of the building.

Owner Stefan poses for a photo with his morning coffee from Bent Tree Coffee Roasters down the street. The "Builders" sign above his head was left from when Horning Builders Supply moved out.

Kent Cycle sells bicycles and cycling accessories and they're excited to be the new home of the Crooked River Cycling School, which offers classes about safety and technique for riders of all ability levels. They also have a full service repair shop, but if you're more of a DIY person, the staff is more than happy to help you locate reasonably priced parts and guide you in the right direction.

This room in the store is sometimes used as a gallery space for local artists to display their work.

 Just in time for summer approaching, this week is National Bike Week. The Akron Metropolitan AreaTransportation Study (AMATS) has several events scheduled in the Greater Akron area, including “The Benefits of Bicycling”on Tuesday, May 22, Kent Free Library from 6:30-8pm. The event is hosted by TransPORTAGE, and Kent Cycle will be there too. They will present information about the health, economic and ecological benefits of embracing a bicycling lifestyle.

 

 

Also, the Kent Bike Club meets every Tuesday night at 5pm at the corner of Main and Water Streets downtown Kent. They're open to all ages and ability levels. To get more information, find them on Facebook, or just ask the nice guys at Kent Cycle.

Kent Cycle is located at 115 Lake Street in Kent. You can visit their website, “like” them on Facebook or just drop in to learn more about what they have to offer. 

Bent Tree Coffee Roasters Participate in Kent Chocolate Walk

Bent Tree Coffee Roasters

by Brit Charek

“Knowledgeable, friendly and handsome.” This is how the staff at Bent Tree Coffee Roasters describe themselves on their website. Needless to say I was a bit skeptical.

Fortunately, owners Mike Mistur and Ryan Brannon are, in fact, friendly, easy on the eyes and very serious about their coffee. They opened Bent Tree Coffee Roasters on North Water Street in Kent in last summer.

Unlike some chain coffee shops that tend to over roast their beans in an effort to keep the taste of their coffee consistent, Bent Tree tends specialize in medium roast coffees so as not to mask the flavor of the beans with the roast.

The historical building has sold Model T Fords, pizza, and now coffee.

Bent Tree sells single cups of fresh French pressed coffee as well as beans roasted in house by the pound. If the blend you want to try isn't on the menu that day, don't be afraid to ask-- the staff is happy to make you a single cup of coffee of your choice. My personal favorite is the Black Squirrel blend, a South American dark roast named after the city of Kent's unofficial furry mascot.

Bent Tree keeps their coffee beans fresh by ordering in relatively small batches from all over the world.

Instead of buying all their beans from the same supplier (which would make life easy, naturally), Bent Tree goes to special efforts to buy their beans from suppliers who work with coffee farmers to improve their techniques. This gives them a variety of high quality beans to work with to make their blends. They carry a number of organic and Fair Trade coffees, but their number one priority is quality and taste.

Bent Tree will be participating in the first ever Kent Chocolate Walk this Saturday May 12^th, from 1 to 5 pm. Participants stroll through downtown Kent collecting chocolate gift items from each of the twenty participating businesses-- sort of like a scavenger hunt or a grown up trick-or-treat. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit Main Street Kent, a non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Kent. Tickets are available at Off the Wagon and McKay Bricker Framing & Gallery or you can call Main Street Kent directly at (330) 677-8000. 

Bent Tree Coffee Roasters is located at 313 N. Water Street in Kent. You can buy their coffee and learn more about their philosophy by visiting their website at http://www.benttreecoffee.com or by simply stopping in and talking to the staff. You can also purchase their coffee to brew at home at West Point Market in Akron or at Kent Natural Foods Co-Op.

Midway Twin Drive-In Theater

Midway Twin Drive-In Theater
by Joanna Wilson

Some of my fondest memories from childhood are the excitement of getting in my pajamas, filling the backseat of the car with pillows and going to the drive-in theater.  I remember not being old enough to stay awake through the double feature but waking up when my parents laughed out loud at the action on the screen or being carried into the house after arriving back home.  I also remember my parents taking me to see a re-release of Disney’s Bambi at a drive-in theater but watching an R-rated film in the side mirror showing on the screen behind us!

We like to arrive early to select the perfect spot.

I still love going to the drive-in theater, even if I no longer wear my pajamas, fall asleep or watch the movie in the side mirror.  The drive-in is one of those cool retro places where it feels like a trip back in time--one of the last hold-outs of an experience from an earlier era.

You are charged per carload rather than per person for admission.

Last weekend, I went to see a horror film double feature at the Midway Twin Drive-In Theater.  We saw the new movies Cabin in the Woods and Silent House.  Something about seeing horror movies at the drive-in just seems right.  But I never have to worry too much about what's playing--seeing a movie on the giant screen of the drive-in makes just about any movie a good movie.

Located just beyond Kent Sate University along Rt. 59, this drive-in has two screens each showing a double feature.  Gone are the window speakers--instead you receive the sound through your car radio tuned to the theater’s own frequency.




The Midway Twin Drive-In charges admission by the carload instead of per person ($18 per car).  This makes going to the movies far more affordable for families and groups of friends. Take note: drive-ins make their money at the concession stand so if you bring in your own food, you’ll be required to pay for a $5 food permit.  But at the concession stand, they offer the quintessential drive-in snacks: pizza, burgers, french fries, nachos, popcorn, soft drinks, candy, ice cream and more.  Help keep the drive-in open and buy your food there.

As the sun goes down, the lights turn on.

Midway is currently showing movies each Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.  Click this link for Midway's website for movie times and directions to the theater.  This summer, they will be open on week nights as well.  Follow their Facebook page for updates on the movie schedule and screening times.  So throw the kids in the backseat and start creating memories of your own.