Upcoming COA trip to highlight Cleveland

VW independent staff/submitted information

A stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is one of the highlights of the Van Wert County Council on Aging’s upcoming day trip to Cleveland.

The trip is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14. The bus will leave Van Wert at 7 a.m. and will return at approximately 8:45 p.m.

Located in downtown Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a large scale museum with several floors of displays. It is filled with interesting exhibits from all of the genres of music, wonderful videos on American Bandstand and the Hall of Fame inductees by year, plus original clothing worn by the artists, famous guitars, hand written lyrics, and a variety of props from concerts.

For those with mobility issues, the Rock Hall’s guest services department has elevators to each floor and wheelchairs to borrow free of charge. They also have a limited supply of electric scooters that are available for daily rental fee of $10. The museum also offers a cafe that serves fresh meals, sandwiches, salads, snacks, beverages and desserts.

After stopping at the Rock Hall, the bus will travel to Lake View Cemetery, which was founded in 1869 and is one of Cleveland’s oldest cemeteries. Some of Ohio’s and Cleveland’s famous historical figures are interred there, including President James A. Garfield, John D. Rockefeller, Eliot Ness, Alan Freed, Ray Chapman, Garrett Morgan, Adella Prentiss Hughes, Al Lerner and Carl Stokes.

The next stop on the trip will be at Cleveland’s West Side Market, which is located in the historic Ohio City section of downtown Cleveland. The West Side Market is Cleveland’s oldest public market and is home to 100 vendors offering meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, dairy, flowers, ready-to-eat foods, spices and nuts. It opened November 2, 1912, which makes it the city’s oldest, continuously operating, municipally-owned market. It was originally built to replace Cleveland’s Pearl Street Market, which had operated on the opposite corner since 1840.

Together with the Broadway Market and Central Market, the West Side Market served Cleveland’s growing immigrant population in the early 20th century. Of these three public markets, the West Side Market is the only one still in operation today. The West Side Market was designated one of ten “Great Public Places in America” by the American Planning Association in 2008. In 2012, the market celebrated its Centennial with yearlong activities commemorating its great regional worth.

If time permits, the bus may make a quick stop at Cleveland’s Malley’s Chocolate, which has been serving sweet treats around the world for over 80 years.

Seats are limited and the price to attend the excursion is $130, which includes admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Lake View Cemetery Tour, travel and driver tip. Anyone age 18 and older is welcome to travel.

The trip is considered the highest level of walking.

To reserve a seat for the trip, stop by the Senior Center, 220 Fox Rd., Van Wert. Cash or Check accepted.

For more information and itinerary call Council on Aging call 419-238-5011.