A Celebration to Remember

On Sunday, October 7, thousands of visitors gathered around Market Square in Ohio City, sending well wishes to one of Cleveland’s most beloved landmarks, the West Side Market.

A drastic departure from Ohio City’s typical Sunday sleepiness, the sidewalks and streets swelled with people. The inclement weather brought ponchos and umbrellas but failed to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm. Around five p.m. the sky cleared just in time for GE Lighting’s historic relighting of the market’s clock tower.

Undeterred by wet weather, Clevelanders came out in droves, sampling food from local vendors such as Souper Market, Kate’s Fish and SOHO Kitchen & Bar who set up in tents on the West 25th Street. They ran into old friends, made new ones, and gathered beneath the awnings at U.S. Bank and the soon-to-be Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream Headquarters to stay dry.

The parade harkened back to earlier times when processionals marking special occasions were more commonplace. It also celebrated the everyday men and women who make the West Side Market “the working man’s market.” Vendors and their families waved to clients and friends along the route and joked back and forth, displaying the conviviality that makes the market a gem.

The parade also celebrated the market shopper through the ages. The “100 Years and Still Cooking” brigade of period-specific market shoppers called attention to the past. With
the steady rain, this was a day for babushkas. Other parade participants showed an eclectic and creative side of Ohio City, with Saint Malachi Center’s interpretation of “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” and the larger than life Vinnie the Butcher.

At the end of the parade, the market opened its doors to the masses. This was the first Sunday in a decade that the market was open. Walkways throughout the markethouse and arcade were jam packed, making even the busiest Saturday appear light in comparison. Friends mingled about in the warm, dry hall, exchanging brief pleasantries before moving on to the next stall.

Outside, two stages had programming all day long including Ukranian, Polish, Greek and Russian dancers, music, an ice cream eating contest, and an Ohio City’s “best hotdog” contest between Steve’s Lunch, Old Fashion Hot Dog Inn and Johnny’s Hot Dog of the West Side
Market. Johnny’s won, leaving Steve’sand Old Fashion to keep the long standing neighborhood debate alive.

The Ohio City Farm was bustling with pumpkin painting, farm tours, and a homemade pie contest. The winning pie was a black and blue berry pie made with blackberries, blueberries and homemade apple sauce.

The chilly wet weather of the festival amplified the importance of
the West Side Market. One hundred years later, it is still opening its doors to all seeking warmth, sustenance and pleasant conversation.