Seven years ago, Fairview Hospital needed more electrical power. The only way to get it was to string high-tension wires down Lorain Boulevard to the power station at the corner of 150th and Lorain, something that didn’t go over well with city council members. Instead, local politicians proposed a street-scaping project that would allow for the heavy-duty power lines and simultaneously bury all the street’s other power lines. The project broke ground two years ago and will enter its penultimate phase on May 15. To mark the event, the neighborhood is throwing a bash they’ve called the Hooley.
“When we were casting around for a name, some people were saying ‘Taste of Kamm’s Corners,’” explains West Park Development Corporation Executive Director Steve Lorenz. “This being an Irish neighborhood, I just Goggled different words on the computer and 'hooley' popped up as Irish slang for party. Around here, it seems about half the people know what it is. Once you get outside of the neighborhood, it seems like about a quarter of the people know what means. We feel like the name will stick and people will want to go to the Hooley.”
The ribbon cutting with Mayor Jackson will take place at noon and local bands Cats on Holiday, the Mighty Tigues and Marys Lane will play on a large stage on Lorain Avenue, which will be closed to traffic. Perhaps the most important ingredient to the entire affair will be the introduction of Kamm’s Lager, an exclusive brew (concocted down at Akron’s Thirsty Dog) that you’ll only be able to purchase at Kamm’s Corners bars. Kamm’s Lager will be introduced with plenty of fanfare on May 15, delivered via horse-drawn wagon.
“It’s a custom-made beer, and no one else is using the formula,” Lorenz says, adding that the idea came from Heidelberg Distributing, a regional craft beer distributor. Locally based cabinet company Wood Dimensions will carve the tap handles, which will bear an image of the the clock on the side of the Fifth Third Building.
“The Hooley will be a full day of events and we’re hoping people will go back into the bars and hang out and have a good time,” Lorenz says. — Jeff Niesel
