With 22,000 acres, the Metropark system is one of the largest in the country. Despite the popularity of the system with residents throughout Cuyahoga County, however, the park still has many hidden gems. From cranes to castles, from ancient beasts to outer space, I think the many unexpected facets of our emerald necklace can still surprise us all. Here are ten spots throughout the system that you may not know about, or may not have made time to visit.

1) Squire's Castle
North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills, Ohio
Built in the 1890s by Cleveland oil pioneer Feargus B. Squire (1850-1932), this building was only intended to serve as a "gatekeeper's lodge." Squire planned to build a large country home behind it, but the larger building was never constructed. Today only the outside walls of the castle remain, a tribute to the building's former beauty. Some people say the building is haunted by the ghost of Squire's wife.
http://www.clemetparks.com/visit/index.asp?action=rdetails&reservations_...
http://web.archive.org/web/20071020124106/http://www.sunnews.com/news/su...

Enthusiastic crowds from around the city braved gray skies, chilly winds, and the threat of rain to line the route of the first Polish Constitution Day Parade in Parma today. The crowds gathered along Ridge Road to watch Polish-American celebrants, marching bands from high schools around the city, and local business and civic groups march in celebration of the signing of the Polish Constitution in 1791. The Grand Marshall for the parade was the popular local TV host Big Chuck Schodowski.

The parade drew controversy this year because the organizers, the Ohio Division of the Polish American Congress, moved the parade from Slavic Village, where it has traditionally been held. The Congress said that with changes in Slavic Village the parade drew few Poles anymore, and Parma reached at to them to become the new host for event. But Slavic Village residents said that the parade was deserting its home and the people who still lived there. They argued that while only a handful of Irish-Americans lived downtown, no one was trying to move the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

At last count, eleven local school districts throughout Cuyahoga County planned to have levies or bond issues on the ballot for the May 4 election. There are I believe 31 total school districts so that's nearly a third of them. One district, Parma, will have two levies up for a vote. If one or both of them fail it's going to push Parma much closer to a state takeover of the district's finances. And this won't be the last we hear of the issue either. At least one district, Independence, has already placed a levy on next November's final ballot. Asking for more money in the middle of a massive recession isn't very good politics, but with state aid shriveling, districts have little choice.

Below is a list of the districts with levies up for approval in the election, and a brief summary of each, from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. In the next few days, I'll look at other issues and candidates, including those for the folks running for the new county council.

Beachwood City School District (Proposed Bond Issue) — Bond issue by the Beachwood City School District for construction and renovation of school district buildings and facilities, and for clearing and improving their sites. The principal amount of $30,000,000 will be repaid over a maximum of 30 years by annually property taxes of 25 cents for each $100 of tax valuation, first due in 2011.

I went down to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo this afternoon to check out the EarthFest event there in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. I have no idea how many people actually attended but there was a very steady stream of folks coming through the front gate, and most of the exhibits appeared to be drawing good crowds.

Indeed, if anything I wouldn't have minded a few less exhibits; traffic in a couple of the halls was pretty tight, and the rooms were somewhat noisy. Of course, there probably would have been twice as many people if the weather had been warmer and drier. Overall I'd call the event a big success, providing ample opportunity for people to learn about a huge variety of issues.

Hot on the heels of the most successful edition of the Cleveland International Film Festival ever, a heady group of jazz greats will take center stage this week as part of the 31st annual Tri-C Jazz Festival. The festival, which runs for two weeks from April 15-25, will present another outstanding line-up of artists and events.

Headliners for the festival include pianist Ramsey Lewis, named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2007, and Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group the Roots. The festival's artist-in-residence this year will be bassist Charlie Haden, a longtime Ornette Coleman sideman.

Of all the events on the schedule this year, I think I'm most excited about seeing guitarist Jack Wilkins, who'll be playing Monday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. at The Brothers Lounge. Wilkins, who's been playing since the early seventies, isn't as well known as some of his contemporaries, but he's got a wonderful harmonic sense. In addition to leading his own sessions, he's also worked with a huge array of other musicians including Chet Baker, Buddy Rich, and one of my personal heroines, Sarah Vaughn. Wilkins will be playing with the Cleveland Jazz Initiative, a collective of jazz musicians, educators and composers, which features a four-horn frontline plus a rhythm section.

The weather for the Indians home opener was gorgeous this year, but unfortunately Cleveland's play didn't match the climate as they dropped their 2010 home opener to the Texas Rangers, 4-2 in ten innings. Over 40,000 fans turned out for the annual spring ritual.

Cleveland starter Fausto Carmona turned in eight strong innings, holding the Rangers to a 2-2 tie. But the bullpen came in and cost the Tribe the game for the second day in a row. Overall the Indians are 0-5 against the Rangers in home openers. If I were Mark Shapiro I'd petition Major League Baseball for a new partner. And cross my fingers that Kerry Woods gets off the disabled list real soon.

Shin-Soo Choo gave the Indians an early lead with a first inning homer. The put up two in the fifth on an RBI single by Michael Young and a wild pitch. The Indians tied it up again in the sixth on Jhonny Peralta's sacrifice fly. They had a chance to take the lead later in that inning when Matt LaPorta singled to center, but Julio Borbon threw Travis Hafner out at the plate.

But just a day after blowing an 8-4 lead to the Tigers the bullpen struggled again. Reliever Chris Perez, who gave up the winning run to Detroit, loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth, but the Tony Sipp and Jamey Wright miraculously bailed him out of that jam. In the tenth however, Wright gave up a single to Josh Hamilton. Wright retired Vladimir Guerrero, but Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer to left for the game-winner.

We've passed the first day of spring now. The weather in northeast Ohio is slowly turning. Of course that doesn't mean winter is completely over yet. We've already had one late season snow, and don't forget last year, when the Indians' whole opening week was snowed out. Still, April is only a few days away, and then May. So to celebrate, here are a few pictures of some early blossoms, with more below the Read More link.

The Ohio Education Department announced last week that that it has accepted the financial plan submitted by the Parma school district. The move helps balance the school system's budget for this year and for the moment forestalls a possible state takeover of the system. But the system still faces deficits in the future unless voters approve two levies this spring.

The new budget reduction plan cuts $6.9 million in fiscal year 2011, which starts in July. The district had been facing a $6.5 million deficit. Because the school system is required by law to balance its budget, failure to do so would have triggered a state takeover of school finances. But the cuts imposed by the new budget are extremely sharp, and I don't think anyone can be sanguine about their impact. Under the plan, 97 people will lose their jobs, including 18 teachers in elementary schools. Another 18 positions in middle schools will be eliminated, and Dag Hammarskjold grade school on Grantwood will be closed.

Other cuts include elimination of 4.5 teachers who provide in-service training and curriculum assistance, and middle-school house leaders who serve as department chairs. Two of the district’s three high school pools will be closed. Two school buses which served children who lived in high-traffic areas or areas without sidewalks will also be cut.

When the Plain Dealer runs a crime story online they use a police shield for an icon. It's a sensible move since they frequently can't use a photo for reasons of sensitivity and privacy. One downside, however, is that if you have a strong of crime stories it makes it really obvious, and may give people a false impression about crime in Cuyahoga County. I know that I've seen as many as five or six crime stories right in a row in the PD. It's not as if they need help, what with local TV news broadcasting tales of mischief and violence, 24/7.

I've written about jobs and schools in the past, but not so much about crime. I think part of that is that I don't spend a lot of time worrying about becoming a crime victim myself. At 6 feet tall and about 220 pounds, most muggers are going to think twice about taking me on, not because I'm some tough guy but just because it's easier to find someone else. However I know many people who do worry about crime; indeed some of them are practically panicked on the subject. So I looked at the FBI's most recent crime statistics to see exactly what they show.

Everyone knows the feeling. You care about someone. You spend time with them. You get to know their personalities. Their tastes. Their quirks. There may be some things that annoy you from time to time, but you think about all the things you like and it doesn't matter. They're always there when you need them. And then one day—they're gone. And suddenly a big yawning hole opens up in your life, and you don't know what to do.

That's how I feel about the Jigsaw Saloon.

The Jigsaw was located on State Road in Parma. For over 30 years it was a local institution. Several years ago, however, the owners sold it and the new owners mismanged it into the ground. It abruptly closed its doors in early 2009.

When I moved here from New York in 2001 the Jigsaw was one of the first places I discovered, and until it closed I don't think a week went by that I wasn't there at least once. The combination of good food and beer, decent prices, a jukebox with a wide variety of songs, and the friendly atmosphere made it all work for me, and for lots of others. It's no simple thing to keep those few simple elements in balance, especially over so many years.