Leaving So Soon?

The way Rachel Zinn sees it, this weekend's Full Circle Festival might help plug Cleveland's brain drain. If she steers college students to local cultural attractions, she figures, they'll want to stay here after graduation. "Students ask why I get paid to put on parties," says Zinn, coordinator of College 360º, which tracks local college students from orientation through graduation.

The fest starts today with on-campus "road shows," where museum, theater, and sports-team reps will talk to students. Afterward, the undergrads are invited to Jacobs Field to watch the Tribe take on Minnesota. Tomorrow, the students take a trip to the Ohio Theatre to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. On Saturday, they check out the Sparx Gallery Hop. "Northeast Ohio is a great place to live, learn, and work," says Zinn. "The lightbulb comes on, and students get it." Festivities start at 1 p.m. today at the University of Akron (303 Carroll Street in Akron), at noon tomorrow at Kent State University (on Summit Street in Kent), and at 4 p.m. Saturday at Case Western Reserve University (on Euclid Avenue at East 117th Street). Call 216-420-9200 for a complete schedule of times and discount ticket prices.
Thu., Sept. 14, 1 p.m.; Fri., Sept. 15, noon; Sat., Sept. 16, 4 p.m.