‘A is for Akron’ lists collection
of fun places and things in city
A is for Akron, say Karen Starr and Joanna Wilson, is “an A to Z list of Akron’s places & things that make us smile.” They must be smiling a lot, because they have found a lot of special things about Akron.
An A-to-Z book might be limited to only 26 items, but the women set a generous pace with A, for Akron Art Museum, Archie the Snowman and Airdock. B, of course, is for Blimp. The book is loaded with photos, and there is information for new Akronites who might not know why D is for Devil Strip or why E.J. Thomas Hall is the place to go for TubaChristmas. Former locals will find nostalgia galore.
By the time the reader arrives at Z for Zippy, he will feel right at home. A is for Akron (114 pages, softcover) costs $20.95 from www.aisforakron.com.
Appearing as part of the Spring Speaker Series, Starr and Wilson will sign their book from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Mustill Store in Cascade Locks Park, 57 W. North St., Akron. Starr owns Hazel Tree Interiors; Wilson blogs at Akron Empire and is the author of The Christmas TV Companion.
Pictorial park history
In High Bridge Glens of Cuyahoga Falls, author Mary McClure told of the short-lived park on the Cuyahoga River, so popular that it was known as “The Niagara of Ohio.” Her new pictorial history book, Silver Lake Park, covers the better-known “Coney Island of the West,” which operated from the mid-1870s until 1917.
The park was owned by grocer Ralph Lodge and his family, who began it as a simple fishing and picnic grounds, but continued to upgrade it and add attractions, like a dance pavilion, zoo, aquarium, roller coaster and merry-go-round. Even an airfield and racetrack were later included.
McClure explains that the park’s fortunes really took off when the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railway added a convenient stop in Cuyahoga Falls. The train’s termination of passenger services in 1912, combined with the loss of customers to the armed services in World War I, led to the park’s demise.
Hundreds of vintage photos show the park at the height of its popularity, with visitors swimming, boating and riding the miniature railway, which cost a nickel for a one-way trip. McClure notes that remnants of the train tracks can be found in the yards of residents of the present-day Village of Silver Lake, which was incorporated in 1918 on the former park’s grounds.
Silver Lake Park (127 pages, softcover) costs $21.99 from Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. McClure will sign her book from 1:30 to 4 p.m. today at the Cuyahoga Falls Historical Society museum, and from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson.
Events
Kent Free Library (312 W. Main St.) — Scott Longert, author of The Best They Could Be: How the Cleveland Indians Became the Kings of Baseball 1916-1920, talks about and signs his book at 7 p.m. Monday.
Twinsburg Public Library (10050 Ravenna Road) — Aurora author Stephanie Siciarz discusses and signs her debut novel Left at the Mango Tree, 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Stark County District Library (Lake Community branch, 11955 Market Ave. N., Uniontown) — Authors Peggy Aston (The Rivers of My Need), David Herbert (The Personal Trainer: A Tale of Pain, Gain, Greed and Lust), Kathy Long (Dying to Dream), Shellie Palmer (The Poetry Diaries) and Maryanne Shaw (The 9 Week Miracle: A Son’s Incredible Survival Story) will talk about and sign their books, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Olmsted branch, 27403 Lorain Road) — Tallmadge novelist Amanda Flower, author of the Appleseed Creek and (as Isabella Alan) Amish Quilt Shop mystery series, appears from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.) — Chagrin Falls author Kathryn Makley signs Samuel Mather: First Citizen of Cleveland, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Ritter Library (Baldwin-Wallace University, 57 E. Bagley Road, Berea) — Cora Carmack (Finding It), Jay Crownover (Rome), Sophie Jordan (Foreplay) and Molly McAdams (Forgiving Lies romantic thriller series) discuss their novels, 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.) — Financial planner Jeff Cirino talks about investing and signs his book The Skinny on How to Have a Fat Retirement, 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Happy Dog (5801 Detroit Ave., Cleveland) — Former Beacon Journal columnist David Giffels, author of The Hard Way on Purpose: Essays and Dispatches from the Rust Belt, accompanied by his band, the May Company, reads from and signs his book at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Quaker Station (135 S. Broadway St.) — Biographer Bob Spitz addresses the Akron Roundtable luncheon, talking about Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, 12 to 1:15 p.m. Thursday. $20; call 330-247-8682.
John S. Knight Center (77 E. Mill St., Akron) — The 32nd annual Akron Antiquarian Book Fair brings more than 40 vendors from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. $5.
Visible Voice Books (1023 Kenilworth Ave., Cleveland) — James A. Mitchell talks about and signs The Walrus and the Elephants: John Lennon’s Years of Revolution, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday; novelist Michael Grant Jaffe signs When Blackness was a Virtue, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson) — James Pryor signs his pictorial history Akron Aviation, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Dover Public Library (525 N. Walnut St.) — Brimfield police Chief David Oliver signs No Mopes Allowed, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; Thomas Scott McKenzie signs Power Chord: One Man’s Ear Splitting Quest to Find His Guitar Heroes, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; a local author fair will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Half-Price Books (1607 Golden Gate Plaza, Mayfield Heights) — Robert Spirko, author of The Palestine Conspiracy, will sign his new novel Secret of Ekaterinburg: The Hour-Glass, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Ellet branch, 2470 E. Market St.) — Bob Grau signs Five Million Steps on a Journey of Hope, 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
— Barbara McIntyre
Special to the Beacon Journal
Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.