John Daly Honored. Independent Artists Keep Opera Alive. A Gordon Square Toxic Site Is Gone: CLE Daily

 81°; Thunderstorms

⛳️ Last Call at Firestone: The Kaulig Companies Championship teed off Thursday at Firestone Country Club — the final pro golf tournament in Akron after 72 years. It runs through the weekend with the final round Sunday.

💙 Saying Goodbye: The funeral for Rittman Sgt. Scott Ries is today at 1 p.m. in Wadsworth, followed by a procession to Rittman Cemetery; up to 2,000 attended Thursday's calling hours.

🦴 Weird Weekend: The Oddities Expo rolls into the Huntington Convention Center tomorrow with its traveling collection of the strange and macabre.

ICYMI: The future of public transit in the Greater Cleveland area remains in the balance as talks on a levy to boost the system get pushed to September.

Support our local journalism with a print subscription to Cleveland Magazine.

Today's Trivia

Finish this lyric from a Cleveland Browns Christmas carol: “On the first day of Christmas, Art Modell gave to me…”

Independent artists are keeping Cleveland's opera scene alive.

Music | By Lauren Bischof

In a practice room at Cleveland State, soprano and vocal coach Madelyn Hasebein is teaching more than notes — she's teaching breath, posture and the emotional mechanics beneath the sound. It's quiet work that sustains an art form Cleveland has kept alive since 1849, when the Manvers Operatic Co. staged the city's first opera at Watson's Hall.

• The Landscape: Since Opera Cleveland folded in 2010, the scene has survived through a patchwork of local companies like Cleveland Opera, partnerships with the Cleveland Orchestra and freelance performers. "Smaller companies provide singing opportunities for young singers," says Kent State voice professor Timothy Culver. "We owe them a great debt."

• The Pipeline: Cleveland's classical bona fides still run deep. The Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin Wallace and Kent State Opera Theatre regularly train vocalists who perform nationwide.

• Her Story: Hasebein made $8,000 her first year out of college, and the pandemic silenced the industry overnight. Rather than leave music, she founded Transpose Your Life, a health and wellness coaching business connecting mind, body and voice.

• Hasebein: "A violinist has a violin. A pianist has a piano. Our instrument is us."

The Takeaway: "Opera is not meant just for an elite class," Hasebein says. "Opera tells important stories of all kinds of people, often with relevant themes of love, fear and triumph."

Read the full story.

Gordon Square's most toxic eyesore is finally gone.

Development | By Ken Prendergast

Master Chrome was tiny — a building under 10,000 square feet on barely half an acre at 5709 Herman Ave. But after 75 years of storing hazardous waste on-site, tearing it down took $5 million in state funds, years of legal battles and a small army spanning Cleveland City Hall, the county courts and Columbus. "The old Master Chrome building is down," Law Director Mark Griffin declared this week.

• What Was In There: Hexavalent chromium, the toxic, carcinogenic electroplating chemical, plus volatile organic compounds, plating residue, unmarked storage tanks and pits and likely asbestos. "This was not a building you could simply knock down," Griffin wrote.

• The Legal Saga: A 2023 default judgment ordered Master Chrome to shut down and pay a $550,000 penalty, but the company had split the site's ownership across two corporate identities, tangling access and cleanup in foreclosure actions for years.

• Why It Took Public Money: The site was too small and too contaminated for the economics of private redevelopment to work. State Rep. Tristan Rader, who helped secure the $5 million, called the cleanup "environmental justice."

What's Next: The pits are sealed, the debris is gone and soil testing continues. Yves Development of Vermilion has had a purchase agreement to build townhomes on the site, which is zoned for single- or two-family homes. "There is more work to do," Griffin said. "But this is a real victory."

Kaulig Companies Championship honors John Daly 

Sports | By Ron Ledgard

John Daly received the Ambassador of Golf award Thursday night at House Three Thirty in Akron as part of the Kaulig Companies Championship. Guests included former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and Kaulig Companies chairman Matt Kaulig, who spoke about Daly's impact on the golf world and his charitable contributions. The event also raised money for Northern Ohio Golf Charities and Foundation.

The golf tournament continues today with the second round at Firestone Country Club. Jerry Kelly took the first-round lead, shooting a 5-under-par 65 on the South Course in Akron. He holds a one-shot lead over Darren Clarke and Mike Weir.

Talk of the Town

Check your berries. Ohio is among the states reporting summer cases of cyclosporiasis, a foodborne illness often tied to fresh produce, with more than 30 cases statewide since May 1.

Decades has new house rules. The Flats nightclub reopens with age minimums — 25 for women, 30 for men — plus a dress code banning plain white tees, sagging pants and sweatpants, after closing for several weeks.

A 107-year independent streak ends. Cleveland accounting firm Meaden & Moore has its first private equity owner, selling to Unity Partners after converting to an alternative practice structure.

Saturday surgeries are coming to the Cleveland Clinic. Starting this month, patients can schedule weekend appointments for some elective eye and orthopedic procedures at the Cole Eye Institute, Medina Hospital and Marymount Hospital.

A Cleveland Heights landmark hits the market. The Excel, a 1940 apartment building at 95% occupancy, is listed for $2 million.

Things To Do This Weekend.

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets in Concert at Blossom | Music | July 11-12

The Cleveland Orchestra plays John Williams' score live while the film screens in high definition — a spellbinding way to spend a summer night under the Blossom pavilion. Performances are at 7 p.m. both nights. 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com

Y-Live 2026 at Stambaugh Stadium | Music | July 10-11

Country superstars take over Youngstown: Jason Aldean headlines Friday with support from Travis Tritt, and Eric Church closes it out Saturday with Ernest. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. both nights. 1 University Plaza, Youngstown, ylive2021.com

The Big Bounce America Tour at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds | Family | July 11-12

Billed as the world's biggest touring inflatable event, it brings seven massive attractions to Berea — including a newly expanded 24,000-square-foot bounce house and a deep-sea foam party inflatable. 19201 East Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights, 440-243-0090, thebigbounceamerica.com

Icons Fest at Cleveland Public Library and the Maltz Museum | Arts | July 11-12

Celebrating the Maltz Museum exhibit Icons in Ink: The Jewish Comics Experience, this two-day festival kicks off downtown at the Cleveland Public Library before a full day of programming Sunday at the Maltz Museum campus in Beachwood — a tribute to Cleveland's enduring connection to comics. 325 Superior Ave., Cleveland; 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood; 216-623-2800, cpl.org

The Scarlet Letter at Cleveland Public Library | Film | July 11

The Cleveland Silent Film Festival & Colloquium screens the 1926 drama with an original score performed live by the all-local Cleveland Photoplayers, featuring music by Cleveland native John Stepan Zamecnik. It starts at 2 p.m. in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium. 325 Superior Ave., Cleveland, 216-623-2800, cpl.org

For our full list of things to do visit clevelandmagazine.com/things-to-do.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer 

What Hall of Fame goalie acquired his nickname, “The China Wall,” while playing for the Cleveland Barons in the 1950s? Johnny Bower

From the Editor

I don't know what it says about the Guardians or the American League, but going into the final weekend before the All-Star break next week, they are right in the thick of the playoff race with a record that keeps wavering near .500.

Most of the teams in the league are around that same benchmark so it isn't stellar baseball, but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. Finish atop the division or grab one of the three wild cards, and October baseball will be back in Cleveland.

Enjoy the ride the rest of the way.

— Ron Ledgard, Managing Editor

For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.

Cleveland Magazine is also available in print with immersive features, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.