An audience of local children and families were at the Rock Hall this morning when Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson joined Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris, KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Beth Mooney and Rock Hall Board Chairman Chris Connor for the special announcement that included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a performance from 2018 Tri-C High School Rock Off winners Montage.
Residents of Cleveland must show proof of residency (a driver’s license or state ID will work) to redeem a CLE VIP ticket and a voucher for one free fountain drink. Children under 18 residing in Cleveland may gain entrance with their guardians.
“The CLE VIP program is an extension of our long-standing commitment to serve locals and enhance the guest experience,” said Rock Hall CEO & president Greg Harris. “We are thrilled to partner with KeyBank on this incredible resource that helps us expand our mission to engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock ‘n’ roll.”
The $10 million grant from the KeyBank Foundation is the largest philanthropic commitment in the museum’s history.
“At KeyBank, we have made it our mission to create thriving communities and we believe that access to arts and culture is core to that mission,” said KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Beth Mooney. “As the spotlight is once again on Cleveland, we are proud to be a partner and highlight the significant cultural role the Rock Hall plays in not only our community but the nation.”
The Rock Hall has had a huge economic impact on the city. According to a press release, the Rock Hall generated $2 billion for the Northeast Ohio region since opening in 1995. In addition, more than $10 million in ticket tax revenue has gone directly to Cleveland schools during that time.
Last year, the Rock Hall had a $199 million economic impact on northeast Ohio and generated 1,800 jobs.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2018.
So, cuyahoa residents, I assume pay for the Hall thru county taxes, will not get the free admission !!
Why not ?
This stinks almost as strongly as the arbitrary and discriminatory city leaf pickup program.
Either everybody in the county should be eligible–or nobody at all. I call bullshit on this one.
If you’re trying to get locals (in addition to all the tourists and out of town visitors), why not make 1.2 million folks eligible instead of a mere 400,000? Don’t they hire marketing grads anymore? Do the math, morons!
Wow, you two twits are exactly what’s wrong with everything these days. You hear about something nice happening for some folks, and your response is “Why not for me???”
The money for this is coming from KeyBank Foundation, not your county taxes – learn to read. It’s specifically designated for Cleveland residents.
90% of the Rock Hall visitors come from outside the NEO area. They are not hurting for visitors or trying to get more traffic with this, this is just a nice little give back to the home town, made possible by a local foundation. It’s part of the community support they provide.
Neither of you probably even give a shit about the Rock Hall anyway – when was the last time you visited? It’s actually run by a non-profit org, did you know that? Have you ever supported it with your own money? This organization has done a TON to support Cleveland and has made Cleveland a tourist destination, almost on its own.
You just needed something to complain about on the internet – isn’t there enough bullshit happening that is ACTUALLY an affront to your human rights that you can go and bitch about instead of shitting on a nice idea?