Cleveland International Film Festival

by Jamie Rhein on

When snow dumps in massive amounts, one wonders about the events that happen once a year that require people to attend for a success to happen. Our friends moving back to Japan had two people show up for their moving sale. We managed to slide down their street to pick up a dresser we bought from them.

This past week a mega event started in Cleveland. We won tickets but weren’t able to head north since even heading down our street was questionable. Since this event is continuing through this week and next weekend, here’s a heads up. The Cleveland International Film Festival is a chance to see films that often don’t get noticed and a chance to see creativity at work when the dollar a movie can make is not necessarily the reason to make it. Each day offers a wide variety of choices.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cleveland, going to this festival could not be more convenient. It’s being held at Tower City, a shopping mall with various eateries that is connected to Terminal Tower. If you park in the garage, you don’t have to step outside once. Although, I do recommend heading over through the mall to Terminal Tower which was once the second tallest building in the world in the early 1960s. The architecture is gorgeous. If you go out onto Euclid Avenue, you’ll see the Soliders and Sailors Monument in Public Square a few steps away. Parking for the film festival is free.

San Antonio Missions need a restoration fix

by Jamie Rhein on

Even though there is National Park status for the San Antonio Missions, and they are of the 14 U.S. sites on the tentative list for possible World Heritage distinction, the money to restore them and preserve them is not enough—yet. So far $4 million dollars has been raised with another $11.5 million to go.

The missions were established almost 300 years ago, as Catherine mentioned in her post on them in our series of the World Heritage tentative list. In U.S. history–(not counting places like the Hopewell Culture sites or Anasazi ruins like Mesa Verde) that’s ancient. One thing I enjoyed about these missions when I visited them is the chance to learn more about the Spanish and Catholic influence on the development of the U.S. When one grows up in the midwest or the east coast of the United States, these are details that can be overlooked. Places like Mt. Vernon and Boston Harbor get more press.

The fund raising effort for the missions is being done by Las Misiones. The organization has the right idea about caring for those things that are important. Although World Heritage status would be terrific, not having it yet is not the worse thing. The missions included in the fund raising effort are: Mission Conception, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.

Helen Keller: Women’s history that shouldn’t fade

by Jamie Rhein on

There’s a story out about a rare and, perhaps, one of the best photographs of Helen Keller as a child with her teacher Anne Sullivan. As with many treasured photos, it was tucked in another family’s album. The photograph is now in the care of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, a place for pouring over old documents, photographs and microfiche. Perhaps, you can see Helen’s photo if you ever go there.

Not long ago, I read that Helen Keller is becoming one of those people who those under a certain age don’t know about. Not because she’s not important, but because of how quickly time passes. Other people who are more recent start taking their place. If people do know about Helen, it’s the sound bite version. “Oh, she was the blind and deaf girl who learned to finger spell water.” This is a reminder about the need for history months. It gets us to dust off the stories, and point out the places of interest where we can wander around in the lives of truely remarkable people who lived before us.

To wander around in Helen’s life, one place to head is Helen Keller’s birthplace, Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, Alabama. The house and grounds are still there to visit. As an interesting point, the house was not harmed by the damages of the Civil War and looks today as it did back then. Included in the tour are several of Helen’s belongings.

The fact that Helen was deaf and blind is remarkable, of course, but her life was much more than that. She also blazed trails for women’s education and voice in public life. Plus, she gave voice to the goodness and hope in people. A timeless message, perhaps?

Here’s a quote from Helen that fits the traveler’s life: Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger in the long run is no safer than exposure.

Rutherford B. Hayes and the Easter Egg Roll connection

by Jamie Rhein on

When Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president,of the U.S. he started the tradition of the Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn. The tradition has since carried over to Hayes’ estate in Fremont, Ohio. Every year, kids show up at Spiegel Grove with hardboiled, colored eggs in hand to participate in egg related contests and scarf down Easter goodies. This year, it’s March 22. So, that’s one afternoon. What about the rest of the year?

The estate, part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, has the original gates from the White House and is where Hayes and his wife Lucy are buried. Other points of interest are the presidential library— the first ever presidential library, in fact. Also, there are Hayes’ and his wife’s 31-room mansion, and a museum that chronicles Hayes’ life, presidency and Ohio history to add to a trip here.

For some reason, unknown even to me, (and I’ve written about this place before), I left the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center out of my U.S. presidents with Ohio connections round-up post. So, if you’re going to head to the spots where U.S. presidents lived, head here. It’s part of the Ohio Historical Society’s several landmark holdings, and one of the state’s signature places.

Magna Carta comes to the National Archives in DC

by Grant Martin on

If you were following the Sotheby’s auctions late last year (or listening to NPR the day of the sale), you probably heard that a rare copy of the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in the history of democracy, was sold to a Mr. David Rubenstien, of the private equity company Carlyle Group.

Speculation on where that version of the document, originally commissioned by the King of England in 1297, would end up, ranged from lost somewhere into a private collection to some sort of public display.

Luckily, this one wont end up on Steven Spielburg’s wall. The generous Mr. Rubenstien announced today that his company was loaning the treasure to the National Archives in Washington DC, where it will soon be put on display for the public to see, along with the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution. How exciting.

The document is slated to go on display on the 12th of this month. Make sure you stop by and take a look if you’re in the neighborhood — admission is free!