Evelyn,  I agree with you about iNGENUITY not feeling like most Cleveland fests, like the rip-burn-off or the taste-of-cleveland under a tent in a parking lot.  yuck!

In addition to it not feeling like those other fests, it is incredibly more diverse, by skin color, by age, by lifestyle, etc.  maybe not by income though i agree with you on either a free day or all afternoons are free. 

perhaps the biggest impact is the can do attitude that it creates.  We are Cleveland and we can make change in our city.  the unfortunate result of 50+ years of decline is low self esteem and low expectations.  However, i think iNGENUITY, among other grass roots movements (like this board) are beginning to change how cleveland thinks about itself, which is critical to our long term success.

Im already excited for next year's planning.....

And don't forget about another great fledgling festival, Burning River Fest on 08.12 down at Wendy Park (thanks Ed Hauser) for the first time of what will be many.... There will be free bike valet parking provided by the Bike Co-op, so Ride your bike down! Changing the way we think about Cleveland....

and when you are ready to open an organic juice bar/coffeeshop/videostore on e.4th or e. 6th, let me know.  i'll make the black bean burgers.......

I went to Harborfest/Tall Ships Challenge this past Sunday (I plan to post some pictures and my thoughts soon). I stopped by the both for Burning River Fest and entered the raffle for free tickets and other prizes. The location alone should make it great. I like the Great Lakes Brewing Company support too. They are one of my favoite local businesses. Great beer and food and they support a lot of local causes. A few years back they bottled special Steam Ship William G. Mather  beer -- part of the proceeds benefited the museum. I hope Burning River Fest is a huge success. I'm promoting it to everyonbe I know.

Thank you Evelyn and John for your positive comments regarding Ingenuity. As one from the inside, I can only say that it was a tremendous effort and I have nothing but the most sincere gratitude to not only those who came to check it out but to those who lended their time and energy to making it happen. John McGovern, your help on Thursday in the Merchandise booth was tremendous as we were in the thick of getting things organized and prepared. Moreso, a great thank you to Sudhir Raghupathy, John Hanson, and Stephen Tomkins (I hope that's right) for putting together the Green Energy tent and bringing in the GM Hybrid bus.  I honestly cannot express my gratitude for all that was done to make that happen and the exposure brought to such a great cause.

Now, some comments . . . .

I agree that the Grassroots nature of the festival was a plus. But something I discussed with both Sudhir and John Hanson was the notion of "selling out." Yes, most corporate events are too formulaic, but what about the concept of selling out for a great cause. The MTV of McDonalds of Green, as I like to think of it. How do you bring such an important issue to the masses of people who are simply uneducated to green potential, sustainability, etc.? I say you sell-out hardcore and entertain them with cheap thrills and entertainment -- all the while sending the subliminal message of the importance of protecting, saving and restoring Mother Earth.

The GM Hybrid Bus had nothing inside of it. Not sure what GM is trying to pull, but aside being dressed in a nice marketing blanket, it lacked any literature or information. All I'm saying is make it into a party bus that goes from one green location to the next -- booze, food, and head-banging music all to promote green initiatives. I am not one who lacks integrity, but I do believe in spreading communication through the vanities of humans. The information/education gap is far too large, so I say let's hit all where it counts!

Thanks again.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060710/FREE/...
Eaton went green last week. Maybe they would like to be the sponsor of the green initiatives at next year's ingenuity? It's worth an ask...

the fest was slammin!!! I was there for some time all 4 days. Way to take it to the house Jim, et al!

I wonder, if Peter Holmes were successful to steal REALNEO, and all this content was owned by him, would you want to add to his wealth? What if Jones Day paid him $500,000 a year to provide the service... would that matter to you? If INGENUITY had a big name sponsor and was even slicker than it is (and it is very slick), would 100s of people volunteer? There are some things that have much of their value because they belong to everyone and are so real you just want to be real with them, and if that is lost then so is the reason we want to connect. The best local examples are Hessler Street Fair, which I helped relaunch years ago, which is still pretty much hippie run, many other great street fairs around town, and Parade the Circle. As soon as the Hooters Float comes down Wade Oval, that baby is history. The sellout has killed many a social network, and could kill INGENUITY - not that it shouldn't have many sponsors and a big budget, but what if it was the Pepsi Ingenuity Fest, and James Levin showed up in a Rolls... ?!?!?!

Perhaps we could just take CPAC's budget and split it between smoe impactful arts engines like Parade, Ingenuity, Hessler, and CoolCleveland, and rain a few 10K among dozens of galleries and art walks and such... that would give each a big kick and make a big difference growing arts and culture in the region

Disrupt IT