Big Boy's Return, Skyway Drive-In Closes After Nearly 75 Years: CLE Daily

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🍦Cool Off: Survive this sweltering week with our favorite ice cream stops. 
⚾Midsummer Classic: Three Guardians — Travis Bazzana, Parker Messick and MLB saves leader Cade Smith — make their first All-Star appearances tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in Philadelphia.
🎸Hot Listen: Singer-songwriter Ray Flanagan released a music video this month directed by local creative Shawn Mishak for his song “Ashes.”
🗳️ Last Call: Best of Cleveland nominations close Wednesday — get your favorite shops, spas and salons on the ballot before final voting starts July 20.

ICYMI: Firestone Country Club's more than 70 years of professional golf tournaments came to an end Sunday. Here's what we saw.

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Today's Trivia

Cleveland was once home to the first electric traffic signal. At which intersection was it installed in 1914?

News: The Big Boy train returns to Northeast Ohio. 

By CM Staff, Photo by Adam Matthews of Train Wizard Productions

Big Boy 4014, one of the largest, most-powerful locomotives in existence, continued its East Coast journey to celebrate America's 250th birthday on Monday, moving through Northeast Ohio through much of the day.

• The 85-year-old train started Monday in Conneaut, before moving through Rocky River and Fostoria.

About Big Boy: Built in 1941, the train was designed to haul iron ore, steel and military supplies up the steep inclines of Wyoming and Utah during World War II.

• Only 25 Big Boy trains were ever commissioned by Union Pacific Railroad, which leaned on thousands of specialized workers to construct the 1.2 million-pound beast.

• No. 4014 took its final ride in December 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles, and it underwent a renovation in 2013.

Last Chance: It's on display in Fostoria (about two hours west of Downtown) today and departs on Wednesday at 9 a.m. to continue on its journey toward Indiana.

Read more about Big Boy 4014.

Talk of the Town

An extra hour of evening sunlight could be coming for Cleveland winters. The Sunshine Protection Act, a bipartisan bill in congress, would make Daylight Savings Time permanent. That means Ohio's midwinter sun would rise around 9 a.m. and set closer to 6 p.m., an hour later than usual. 

A man accused of attempted kidnap of a 2-year-old at Madison Park in Lakewood pled not guilty on Monday. His bond was set at $500,000 with conditions. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 20. 

The body of a 5-year-old boy was recovered in Lake Erie by Cleveland Metroparks divers on Sunday afternoon. The boy is believed to have fallen off the East 55th Street Marina on Saturday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Frontier Airlines is resuming non-stop flights from Cleveland to Puerto Rico starting Dec. 17, reports cleveland.com. The airline paused the service earlier this year. Right now, flights are available daily but only through Jan. 4. 

Comedian Martin Malloy appeared for the second time on Kill Tony podcast. Again, he wowed the crowd and the judges, which included Joe Rogan as a special guest. Check out our profile of Malloy.

Food & Drink: Skyway Drive-In closes after nearly 75 years of carside service.

By Douglas Trattner

Northeast Ohio lost another piece of culinary history over the weekend when Skyway Drive-In closed its doors in Fairlawn.

A Bite of History:  The beloved burger restaurant opened in 1952 and, at its height, operated locations in Fairlawn, Green, Medina and Stow. Fairlawn – the first and the last – closed with 74 years of business under its belt.

Nostalgic Service: Skyway, like its friendly competition Swensons, featured carhops who would shuttle food from the drive-in to the car window. While curb service is alive and well at Swensons, the system of service has pretty much become extinct thanks to drive-thru windows.

• Owner Steve Large: “For more than seven decades, Skyway has been so much more than a restaurant – it has been a tradition, a gathering place, and a piece of our community’s story. What began in 1952 with Pop Ross’s dream and hard work grew into something truly special. Long before drive-in restaurants became a trend, this place was serving fresh food and friendly smiles from the car window.”

The restaurant, which attracted generations of burger lovers thanks to classics such as the double-decker Sky-Hi with special sauce, was founded by Ross Large and Ruth Schaff.

What's Next: The property will become to Dutch Brothers Coffee, a national chain with literally thousands of locations, thus advancing the “same-ification” of America. As we lose more and more of our one-of-a-kind, home-grown, family run businesses, we begin to lose the local traditions that customarily take place at those types of businesses. 

Read more about Skyway Drive-In.

Photo of the Day: Belle Oaks Marketplace offers sneak peek. 

By CM Staff

We got a sneak peek at Belle Oaks Marketplace this weekend during a pre-leasing event. The 69.2-acre mixed-use complex is built on the former site of Richmond Mall and is expected to bring about 1,500 new residents to the area. Applications for new residents are now being accepted.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer 

This Cleveland native and Baldwin Wallace alumnus won four Olympic track gold medals. Harrison Dillard.

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question

People love trains, and my friend Adam Matthews is one of the biggest train fans I know. A talented photographer, he's behind Train Wizard Productions, and Cleveland Magazine collaborated with him on a video of Big Boy 4014 yesterday. His interest in trains goes way back to when we were kids growing up in Amherst; I remember checking out his impressive model train setup at his house.

Many years later, and he remains dedicated to the scene. On Saturday, he woke up at 3 a.m. to join a crowd of onlookers in Pennsylvania, just to see the hulking Big Boy locomotive make its way around the scenic Horseshoe Curve. If you're into train history and events in Northeast Ohio, I recommend checking out more of his work! -Annie Nickoloff, Senior Editor

What are you getting up to this weekend in Northeast Ohio? Let us know at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com.

Have a story idea? Tell us what we should cover at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com.