That magical purple glow over the city of Cleveland is, sadly, not a vortex opened to deliver us all peacefully and safely to a more just, happier dimension.

But, on the upside, the light show is also not a byproduct of pollution from the Sweetums factory.

Yes, it’s that time of year when the late sunrise, certain atmospheric conditions on certain days, and the operations at the Green City Growers in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood combine to give Clevelanders a purple sky show.

Since 2018 when it installed energy-efficient LED lamps, the worker-owned greenhouse and urban farm’s magenta lamps that give life to its crops also provide a little razzle dazzle for early-morning commuters from about 4 a.m. to sunrise when the weather is just right.

Green City Growers is under the Evergreen umbrella of companies, which also just helped Phoenix Coffee transition to an employee-owned cooperative model.

This article appears in Oct 7-20, 2020.

Vince Grzegorek has been with Scene since 2007 and editor-in-chief since 2012. He previously worked at Discount Drug Mart and Texas Roadhouse.