The Scoop on Summer in Collinwood
The definitive round-up of the events, youth programs, arts and eats in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood. We offer a full color print edition covering June thru September, plus a website for year-round programs.
Leader
Erin Randel
Location
15614 St Clair Ave Cleveland, OH 44110
About the project
The Collinwood area of Cleveland is a gritty little slice of heaven on the Lake Erie shore, and the Scoop on Summer is the first and only grassroots-based community guide in the City of Cleveland. Collinwood is a community rich in assets of people, community groups, nonprofits, independent businesses, parks, recreational opportunities and institutions, despite news reports that focus on our deficits.
The Scoop collects event and program submissions from every corner of our diverse neighborhood, and turns them out in a beautiful full-color print edition that makes you feel good just to look at it, not to mention if you go to one of the free sunset concerts, nature programs, or arts happenings. It invites residents and visitors alike to come out to explore and connect.
It's free to submit content, and we distribute 15,000 free copies starting with the neighborhood schools, and estimate our impact at just 20,000 people given the anecdotal evidence that many people like having a copy on the fridge and another in the car for quick reference.
The Steps
April 1: Outreach for submissions, fundraising
May 1–3: Editing submissions, layout of printed piece
May 4–6: Proofreading by volunteers
May 7: Final proof created from edits
May 8: File transfer to printer
May 14: Volunteers begin distribution to 20 neighbrohood schools, sponsors and institutional partners
May 18: Distribution throughout neighborhood & to regional hotspots
May 21–September 30: Social media, ongoing promotion and continued review/approval of submissions
October 1, 2018–March 31, 2019: Ongoing promotion. Continued outreach for/review/approval of submissions.
Why we‘re doing it
In January of 2007, our neighborhood was devastated by the news that the newspaper we counted on for more than 60 years, the Sun Scoop Journal, was being closed by their new owners. Without a community center, there was no way to spread the word about youth programs and free summer fun.
A small group of committed residents got together to produce a summer programs guide, and the response was so overwhelming that it has become an annual tradition. As the project has moved to electronic submissions and a year-round website, the work of managing the project has become more centralized and the need for support less apparent—folks just assume it will happen. That's why I'm excited to partner with ioby—to help get the word out about the many moving parts and budget needs behind the project we all look forward to.