Kings Island is bringing back Phantom Theater with a reimagined dark ride opening April 18, 2026. Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare puts guests in a supernatural opening-night story, with interactive flashlights to capture “ghost notes” across 26 scenes. Fan-favorite characters return alongside new additions in the five-minute, family-friendly attraction.

Tired of endless swiping? Date Unscripted is bringing romance back to the real world with its “Dirty Thirties” live dating game show at Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Tasting Room. Contestants chat behind a curtain, the crowd plays wingman and winners score sponsored dates. A pop-up market and after-party keep the night going.

Holden Forests & Gardens is marking Arbor Day with free admission at the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Holden Arboretum on April 24-25. Visitors can explore the sites and enjoy activities including a seedling giveaway while supplies last, drop-in crafts for all ages and guided tours. No tickets or reservations are required.

Mentor officials will unveil a new, slightly larger-than-life bronze statue of President James A. Garfield at the Mentor Municipal Center on July 3. The work by sculptor Alan Cottrill will be revealed during a public ceremony followed by a free community picnic at the Mentor Civic Amphitheater, part of the city’s Independence Day weekend schedule.

Euclid and Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood are gearing up for The Big Clean, a friendly Earth Day competition to clear litter from streets and waterways. With Euclid defending its bag-count title, volunteers will pick zones, clean up the border area and then head to an eco fair at C.E. Orr Ice Arena, where the city will launch a new food-waste recycling program.

Mentor’s Natural Resources Division is gearing up for its annual Earth Day celebration April 19 at Springbrook Gardens Park. The free event runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features guided wildlife and plant walks, trivia and bingo, a tree planting dedication, a kids scavenger hunt, vendor booths, live steel drum music and food for purchase.

The display, located in a residential yard in Euclid, is rebuilt from scratch each year with a completely new design. Kaselak begins planning shortly after Christmas, sketching layouts, purchasing new inflatables, and carefully color-coordinating thousands of eggs. He spends the winter months assembling and stringing the decorations before installing everything roughly two weeks ahead of Easter.

NASA is launching Artemis II today, sending astronauts back to the moon’s vicinity for the first time in more than 50 years. Behind the headline moment are deep Northeast Ohio ties, with NASA Glenn in Cleveland and the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky playing key roles in testing Orion and its European Service Module. Here is what to watch as the mission unfolds.

Cleveland leaders are considering a “Pothole Sponsorship Program” that would let residents and businesses fund specific road repairs in exchange for public recognition and temporary naming rights. The plan is still conceptual, with details not finalized, but it is already sparking debate over fairness, priorities and how repairs would be tracked as the city battles recurring damage from freeze-thaw cycles.

Redfin has listed Rocket Arena on its website, calling it the largest property ever featured on the platform. The unusual listing spotlights the Cavaliers’ home and promotes a public open house and garage sale with rare memorabilia, plus a sweepstakes offering experiences including dinner on the main court.

A night of new klezmer arrives in Cleveland as the Case Western Reserve University Klezmer Music Ensemble performs original instrumental and vocal works by director Steven Greenman. The program spans compositions from 1997 to 2025, drawing on Eastern European Jewish cultural traditions and the evolving sounds of klezmer and Yiddish music.

A free presentation in Mentor will offer a rare, up-close look at life during the American Revolution. Historian and collector Todd Brighton will showcase original artifacts from his private collection, sharing the personal stories of seven Patriot soldiers. The event is May 20, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Springbrook Gardenhouse.

Dirty Dancing is headed to Severance Music Center with a concert-style twist. A digitally remastered screening will play on a massive screen as a live band and vocalists perform every song from the original soundtrack in sync with the film. An encore party follows, inviting fans to sing and dance along.

Cedar Point is launching Barrels & Bites, a new summer festival running June 5-28, 2026, along the park’s Frontier Trail. The event will feature tasting stations for beer, bourbon and wine paired with dishes created by the park’s culinary team, plus local artisans, limited-edition items and rotating live music. Tastings cost extra, and the festival is closed Tuesdays.

Nearly 90,000 bottles of Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension are being recalled after consumers reported finding a gel-like mass and small black particles inside. The FDA has upgraded the action to a Class II recall, citing possible temporary or medically reversible health effects. Parents are urged to check lot numbers and stop using affected bottles.

BlueWater Chamber Orchestra continues its 16th season with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a Prague-themed program at the Church of the Covenant in University Circle. World-renowned pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi will perform Kabalevsky’s “Prague Concerto,” alongside works by Janacek and Mozart. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish, with multiple parking options nearby.

Emergency sirens will sound across Northeast Ohio at 9:50 a.m. March 18 as the state conducts its annual Statewide Tornado Drill. Officials urge residents to treat it like the real thing, review tornado watch vs. warning guidance, and identify safe shelter options at home, work and school before severe weather strikes.

More than 1,500 students are heading to downtown Cleveland as the 27th annual FIRST Buckeye Regional brings 42 robotics teams to the Wolstein Center. With alliances, rankings and a shot at the FIRST Championship in Houston on the line, the three-day competition highlights the region’s next generation of STEM talent.

For three days in last week, downtown Cleveland transformed into a living, breathing celebration of pop culture as FAN EXPO Cleveland returned to the Huntington Convention Center. Thousands of fans filled the convention halls March 13 through March 15, creating a weekend packed with celebrity appearances, elaborate cosplay, charity outreach, and the kind of spontaneous moments that only happen when comic books, movies, television, gaming and fantasy all collide in one place.

Pi Day is back, and Northeast Ohio shoppers can score $3.14 deals on circular favorites. Giant Eagle is discounting 8-inch apple and apple crumble pies, plus rotisserie chicken pot pies, as part of its March 14 promotions. Some deals run through the weekend, but popular items can sell out fast at high-volume stores.