Lock 3

This ain’t your mainstream Hip-Hop.  It’s Hip-Hop in its truest form.  Keeper’s of the Art is a local advocacy organization dedicated to  preserving the roots & integrity of hip-hop.  Through education and entertainment, they spread the word of the art as it was originally intended- not the booty shakin’, money flashin’ form of hip-hop you see on MTV.  It’s the word, the rhythm, the flow, the culture that the group purveys.  KotA does several workshops and lectures, as well as live performances and a weekly show on 91.3 the Summit, “Hip-Hop Flavas- Celebrationg the Golden Age & Beyond,” Saturdays at 10pm.

Tonight you can witness the Art for yourself down at Lock 3, as the group hosts their 2nd Annual Hip-Hop showcase.  They will also be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Stop the Violence Movement- an anti-violence campaign in the hip-hop community formed by acts like KRS-One, Public Enemy, MC Lyte and others.  Live performances at the showcase include headliner KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Buckshot, Mick Boogie, Fly Union, Poetic Republic, and Ace Boogie.  Admission to the showcase is $5, and you’ll definitely want to pick up an event t-shirt to commemorate the event (we didn’t make them, but I hear they are pretty awesome).  We wish we could be at the event tonight, but Akron merch duty calls.  Enjoy the show & make sure you tune it Saturdays @ 10 on 91.3.

This weekend is chock-full of LeBron James.  On Thursday night, a lucky few WITNESSED LeBron at a screening of the documentary, More Than a Game, at the Civic Theater.  The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival two years ago; after making the festival rounds, it has returned home to Akron, Ohio.  More Than a Game will open in select theaters nationwide on October 2nd.  In addition to the film event at the Civic, there was a pre-party at WE Gallery (where I happened to bump into Mr. Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon….weird); and a post-party at Big City Chophouse.  On a related note- stop down to the Chophouse where you can check out a LeBron-autographed STVM horse that was auctioned off for Akron Children’s Hospital.

LeBron Weekend action continues Saturday with the ‘King for Kids Bikeathon’ downtown.  The event includes a 8 mile ride with LeBron and other celebrity cyclists, as well as a 3 mile family-friendly bike ride.  Then everyone will congregate at Lock 3 for an after-party filled with food, entertainment, and fun.  It is sure to be a fun day, with proceeds from the event going to the Akron Urban League and the Akron Area YMCA.  For more info on year-round biking, check out Bike Akron.

As you all know, RCC had a booth at the 4th Annual National Hamburger Festival this past weekend at Lock 3.  Main Street was closed off between East Bowery & State, packed with tents, people, and more burgers than you could ever dream of.  There was a wonderful smell of grilled meat in the air (my sympathies to the vegetarians and vegans that came down and were nauseated by the smell), I was in paradise.

The RCC booth was right across from The Lockview & Akron Peanut Shoppe on Main St.  We were the only booth carrying official HF merchandise, as well as Rubber City Clothing and Made in Akron shirts.  I was hoping to try one burger from each vendor, but that became almost impossible.  The festival was packed, and I had hundreds of people coming by the booth throughout the day; plus the lines for some of the vendors were ridiculously long!  The first day I sampled Fuddrucker’s (which is a long-time favorite of mine- their buns rise with the sun); White Castle (I do love me some White Castle- and Harold & Kumar); and I ended up making two trips to Bravo Cucina for a delicious little burger with bacon & balsamic vinagrette (my favorite from the weekend).  My dad pointed out that we should probably try to sample ‘new’ burgers or restaurants we usually don’t get to, so I decided the next day to stay away from MetroBurger (I was already there two days before the HF), Crave (which is right next door to us), and other Akron favorites.  The next day I tried two out-of-town restaurants- a cheeseburger & fries from Midway Oh! Boy in Elyria; and a very unique burger from the Steel Trolley Diner in Lisbon.  The menu from Steel Trolley Diner was extensive & featured a lot of unique ingredients.  I couldn’t decide between the ‘Johnny Appleseed’- a burger with cheddar, grilled onions, and an apple jam; the ‘Tipsy Blue Moon’- a blueberry bbq sauce & swiss cheese; or the ‘Elvis’ which had bacon, peanut butter, and a ‘Jammin’ Banana Jam’.  I decided to live like the King and went with the Elvis.  Pretty damn good.  Along with these wonderfully odd ingredients, I had an STD on my burger.  I kid you not, they stamp ‘STD’ on top of every bun.  I will certainly be making a trip to Lisbon for more STD burgers (I would put up a link, but it looks like their site is down).  Plus there was great ‘carnival’ fries, lemonade, and amazingly delicious funnel cakes.

All in all the HF was a great time- good, good food, lots of nice people out, and some pretty awesome exposure for RCC.  I forgot to mention- great performance by 1964- The Beatles Tribute band.  I’m a longtime Beatles fan, and those guys did the Fab Four some pretty good justice.  Can’t wait till next year!

July is certainly a busy time of year for this fine city.  We started off last week with the Rib, White & Blue Fest and the Fourth of July Fireworks show.  This weekend is the big Italian Festival (July 10-12), celebrating its first year in downtown Akron (after a controversial move from Cuyahoga Falls).  Come down to Lock 3 for 3 days of Italian food, music, culture, and heritage.  I’m not the least bit Italian, but I studied the language in college & my boyfriend is a proud hairy-chested Italian, so we’re going to stop by Sunday.  I will be a little disappointed if there isn’t any Zeppole, but any kind of sugary fried dough will do.

Next weekend is quite a big one for RCC- the 4th Annual National Hamburger Festival, where we will be the main merchandiser for the event.  We will be showcasing some of our best designs, as well as official Hamburger Festival shirts.  I will be down there trying to balance my time between selling shirts, promoting Akron, and sampling hamburgers.  We are quite honored to be a part of the Hamburger Fest, but on a personal note, I have one grievance.  Last year I sent in an entry to compete for the title of ‘Miss Hamburger Festival’.  I am certainly not one for pageants (and find them kind of really creepy), but I certainly love my hamburgers.  A few weeks after I sent in my application, I followed up only to find that they changed the age qualification from 16-27 to 16-22.  Well, let’s just say I’m a little older than that, and therefore unable to acheive my dream of being ‘Miss Hamburger’.  Not to toot my own horn, but I guarantee I know more hamburger facts, can out eat, and still look as good as anyone up for the competition (maybe without creepy pageant hair and makeup).  Alright, I’ve said my peace.  Anyway, come down for the big fest July 18 &19 at Lock 3.  Live music, competitions, all the burgers you could want, and the coolest t-shirts in Akron!

Then, if you still have room in your tummy, the following weekend is the Akron Arts Expo (July 23-26) at Hardesty Park.  The Expo kicks off Thursday evening with ‘The Taste of Akron’ where you can sample some of the area’s best foods.  Lots of great restaurants are involved, including Papa Joe’s, Virtues, and West Point Market.  The next night is an uber-swank Wine/Beer Tasting and Silent Auction, call 330.375.2836 for tickets.  Then Saturday & Sunday will bring the Arts Expo, featuring hundreds of local artisits & craftsmen.  There will be lots of great, unique items for sale; as well as all kinds of fun activities for the whole family.

Join us tomorrow for the first Lock 3 Summer Farmer’s Market.  We’ll have a large assortment of homegrown Akron pride on t-shirts.  The market is held on the last Saturday of each month from 9am-1pm, and each market has a ‘theme’.  This month’s theme is ‘A Very Berry Saturday’.  I’m excited to get down there and see all the locally grown fruits & veggies, as well as other local goods.  Plus, I get to work on my Ohio tan.  SPF 45, baby.

In additon to the monthly Saturday market, RCC will also by down at Lock 3 each Friday afternoon from 11am-1:30pm.  Much like the Saturday market, it will feature local goods.  It is a great way to get downtown workers out of the office and into some fresh air!  The Friday markets start next week, on June 5th.

We hope to see you there!