Once upon a time, near the beginning of the century, the newly opened Beachland Ballroom and Tavern were the only signs of life on Waterloo Road.
Today, the main drag in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood is teeming with life thanks to a strip of galleries and a wide array of shops selling everything including records, arts, crafts and coffee.
This Saturday, the ninth annual Waterloo Arts Fest will be held, making the street even livelier. The block party will feature bands, performers, DJs, food and arts vendors, and several stellar art shows; these include “Visual Music: Northeast Ohio Photographers Look at Rock and Roll” at the Zaller Gallery, 16006 Waterloo, and “14: The Exhibit” at the Key Bank Building, 15619 Waterloo. The former is a photography show documenting six decades of rock and roll and features amazing shots of countless local acts as well as Prince, Mick Jagger and the Who. The latter features 14 installations by 14 artists, each in separate rooms. Each installation is based on a chapter in “14”–a novelette by R.A. Washington.
The event begins at noon on Waterloo Road, which will be closed to traffic between East 156th and East 161st streets.
Organizers are expecting around 10,000 people to attend. The Waterloo Arts Fest will end with an after party at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo at 9pm.
