Category: Recreation and Popular Culture

FAIRS AND EXPOSITIONS. Fairs and expositions have always provided an outlet for the public expression of the fundamental temper and economy of a community. As a midwestern county seat, Cleveland participated early in the enthusiasm for agricultural fairs, which were so much a part of 19th-century rural life.

FARAGHER'S BACK ROOM was a catalyst for the local folk music scene in the early 1960s. It was located at 1945 South Taylor Rd. in CLEVELAND HTS. In the spring of 1961, Bill Faragher opened a music room called the "Rising Moon Room" in a storefront next door to his bar.

The FESTIVAL OF FREEDOM has been Cleveland's official 4th of July celebration since 1938. Begun as part of the national convention of the Grottos of the U.S. and Canada, the festival has continued as an event of its own. As part of the Grottos' Mardi Gras on 29 June 1938, entitled "Festival of Beauty and Fire," the first program attracted 250,000.

FLORA AND FAUNA. The early settler who cleared a bit of forest for his cabin and garden began to change the area's plant and animal life. In the forest around his cabin he could hunt deer, bear, wild turkey, and smaller animals necessary for daily living. Indians before him may even have encountered elk and wood buffalo.

FOREST CITY PARK was reportedly the first amusement park in the Cleveland area. It was originally known as Beyerle Park after its developer and first operator, George William Beyerle. The park opened about 1883. The entrance to this 47-acre park was on Sykora St., not far from Independence Rd.; a streetcar line also followed this route.

FOREST HILL PARK, located west of Lee Rd. and south of Euclid Ave. on Cleveland's east side, was originally part of the estate of JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER (see FOREST HILL).

The FOUR-IN-HAND AND TANDEM CLUB, in existence 1902-08, brought together a group of wealthy Clevelanders who believed that driving four-in-hands (a 4-horse team driven by 1 person) and tandems (a 2-seated carriage drawn by 2 horses harnessed one before the other) was an outdoor exercise that could bring them "amusement, recreation, health, and profit." On 31 Mar.

FREED, ALAN (15 Dec. 1922 - 20 Jan. 1965) played a critical role in the popularization of ROCK 'N' ROLL. He was born to Charles and Maud Freed in Johnstown, PA. The family moved to Salem, OH, in 1924 where Alan graduated from Salem High School.

The FRONT ROW THEATER, built at an approximate cost of $3 million, was completed in 1974 and opened on July 5 of that year. It was located in HIGHLAND HTS. on Wilson Mills Road near I-271. Richard R. Jencen, who lived in SHAKER HTS., designed the Front Row.

FUQUA, HARVEY (27 July 1929 - 6 July 2010), gained prominence as a singer at Motown Records who influenced the careers of many 70’s soul and pop groups, and who was associated with artists such as Etta James, Marvin Gaye, and The Spinners.

GARDEN CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND. See CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN.

(see: GARFIELD PARK RESERVATION)

GARFIELD PARK RESERVATION, between Broadway and Turney avenues in present day GARFIELD HEIGHTS, was originaly one of a number of major municipal parks established in the 1890s by Cleveland's second Board of Park Commissioners.

The GARFIELD-PERRY STAMP CLUB, one of the first stamp clubs in the U.S., was formed by area collectors on 17 Mar. 1890. Its organization was initiated by Geo. J. Bailey, a stamp collector and agent for the Harkness estate, who invited area collectors to a meeting to form a local branch of the American Philatelic Assn.; they were chartered as Branch No. 7.

GAY BARS IN CLEVEAND have been in existence since at least the 1940s and have served as important sites for the city’s LGBTQ community to socialize, organize, and distribute information and resources. 

GHOULARDI See ANDERSON, ERNIE.

GLEASON'S MUSICAL BAR, 5219 Woodland Ave., was Cleveland's first ROCK `N' ROLL nightspot. The owner, William "Jap" Gleason, began presenting live rhythm & blues MUSIC, which was then called "race music," in his restaurant in the late 1940s.

The GLOBE THEATER was one of the first theaters in the city of Cleveland. Built by J. W. Watson in 1840, it was located on the 2nd floor of a business building on the north side of Superior Ave., approximately midway between Bank (W. 6th) St. and Seneca (W. 3rd) St. The theater was 60' wide by 100' long and approximately 25' high.

GORDON PARK is a 122-acre outdoor recreation area bordering Lake Erie on the eastern side of East 72nd Street. The lakefront tract along the final leg of Doan Brook was originally the private estate of WM. J. GORDON, who landscaped the property with gravel paths, bridges, and wooded groves.

GREAT LAKES EXPOSITION (1936-37) Planned to coincide with the centennial of Cleveland's incorporation and help draw the city out of the Great Depression, by the time the Great Lakes Exposition had drawn to a close in 1937, the Expo had attracted 7 million visitors to the downtown area. The Expo had all the feel of a real World’s Fair, without the official title. 

The GREATER CLEVELAND HOME AND FLOWER SHOW, a popular annual event, was first held in Public Hall in 1941. Before that, home shows and flower shows were held separately in Cleveland. The first home and building show was run in 1916 by Ralph P. Stoddard, a Cleveland newspaper man, and the Complete Cleveland Bldg. Show Co.

GRUBER'S RESTAURANT was a popular fixture in Greater Cleveland for almost 60 years. It was founded in 1907 by Max Gruber, Sr. During its first years, the restaurant moved frequently. It was originally located at Columbus Rd. and Willey Ave.