You can hear her voice every weekday on the radio and without even seeing her face, you feel connected to her. She’s an award-winning radio personality who’s engaging, exciting and personable. Her name is Karen Vaughn and you can find her midday on Cleveland’s 93.1FM WZAK. Balancing motherhood and her career without ever missing a beat makes Karen Vaughn a true “Working Diva.” With a blog of the same name, workingdivas.com, and her voice on the airwaves, she continues to empower females by reminding them to take a moment for themselves. This kind of attitude has earned her the seventh spot on the list of the Top 30 Black Women in Media. Not bad, sharing the ranks with Oprah. I got the opportunity to ask Karen Vaughn a few questions and here’s what she had to say…
Musiq Soulchild is a veteran in the music industry. With his most recent album MusiqInTheMagiq being the sixth of his career, Musiq has proved that his soulful sound can survive the ever-changing music scene.
As if I wasn’t already impressed with Musiq’s recorded albums, his live show simply blew me away. His vocal range and stage presence were quite unexpected. Not because he isn’t talented, but because his vibe is so mellow. I didn’t expect him to be so high energy during his live show. He even apologized to the crowd, in case he got carried away on stage. Keep reading to see more pictures, in case you want to live vicariously through them. Haha.
You may recognize him from the Avant concert, on iTunes, or from the various posts on RuleofNext.com, local artist Antoine L. Dunn is definitely making a name for himself in the Cleveland music scene. Last night, he made our city proud when he opened up for Musiq Soulchild at the House of Blues. I got exclusive access to the band’s sound-check, got to hang out in their green room, and enjoyed their set from the front row. With the music industry’s recent trend of overproduced sound and excessive use of techno beats, it’s refreshing to hear a musician like Antoine L. Dunn who has an authentic sound and plays REAL instruments.
Harry Buffalo is a Cleveland restaurant chain known for their bison burgers and beer specials. As they expand their business across the greater Cleveland area, new Harry Buffalo restaurants seem to be popping up all over the place. The most recent addition to the Harry Buffalo family is a brand new restaurant in Parma Heights. I had the opportunity to attend an exclusive preview party to see the restaurant before it opened to the public.
While I was at the NEXT Tower City store, I took a walk around Tower City and noticed the amazing skylight above me. I snapped a photo and the picture came out unbelievably. It looks like art to me. Check it out.
There were so many great costumes and floats at the Parade on the Circle, that I couldn’t fit all of the pictures in one post. Enjoy these additional snapshots from the event…
The Parade on the Circle is an annual display of ingenuity and creativity by local Cleveland organizations and volunteers. University Circle’s Wade Oval was packed with people for it’s 22nd Parade. The sun was shining, the crowd was lively, and the day’s festivities were inspired. The Parade had representation from the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Botanical Garden and many other organizations. There was live music from steel drum bands, African dancing, and countless costumes.
Keep reading to see more pictures from the Parade…
Here’s what you should put in your plans for Saturday morning….
Tomorrow celebrates the 22nd Parade on the Circle on Wade Oval. This annual parade involves local community organizations and businesses who create large floats and routines for the event. The parade starts at noon but I suggest you get there early to get a good spot. It is definitely something worth watching. I will be there, rain or shine, to capture the excitement.
Gather your people and get to University Circle tomorrow morning for all the festivities. I have been so impressed by the creativity of the parade in the past that I can’t wait to see what this year brings.
Do you have any tattoos? Have you ever wanted one?
Well if you have any or want any, you know how important it is to get familiar with the tattoo artist doing your ink. Tattoos last forever and you don’t want just anybody in control of the needle that will change your body forever. Luckily, I’m here to introduce you to Focused Studio on Coventry in Cleveland Heights. Owned by twin brothers Jimmy and Jonny Hayden, Focused is the place to get the best ink in Cleveland. I went there recently to check out their work. I even was able to document a tattoo being done from start to finish.
People who aren’t from Cleveland don’t often realize that it sits on an American border. Cleveland is located on the coast of Lake Erie and marks the northern coast of the United States. Sail north of Cleveland and you will eventually reach Canada. It surprises people when I mention the beach or the lake because they often don’t attribute the city with such a large body of water. At the end of the day, one of my favorite things to do is watch the sun set over the lake. My friend Amy and I went to Edgewater Park to watch this daily event and I wanted to document it. Clevelanders don’t know how lucky they are to experience such a beautiful work of nature right in their backyards. Keep reading.
