We follow up one of our biggest rides of the season with hopes for another ideal evening for being outside on a bike by heading southward to JoAnn Park in the city's Lee-Harvard neighborhood.
This will be the third year with JoAnn Park on the schedule and it was an immediate hit, a pleasant roll through neighborhoods that frankly don't get a lot of attention from most people who live in the rest of the city.
Bounded by Miles Avenue, Scottsdale Boulevard, and East 154th and 190th Streets, Lee-Harvard was originally called the "suburb in the city". Much of it was built and developed in the years immediately following World War II, where it created a strong legacy of African-American home ownership following years where members Cleveland's Black community contributed mightily to the war effort. It remains to this day a cohesive and complete neighborhood, with cul-de-sacs and streets tucked away from the main drags, residential streets with modest but well-kept homes that defy outmoded stereotypes regarding a "crumbling" city surrounding them. In many ways it's representative of Cleveland as a whole, a community that has seen ups and downs but never went away and has emerged through lean years ready to face the future.
We will set up just off the main parking lot at JoAnn Park (named for JoAnn Drive, which borders the east side of the park) at 6 PM, and will have our merch/reg tent up until ten minutes before the ride departs at 7 PM. IF YOU WANT TO BUY A T-SHIRT, PLEASE ARRIVE BEFORE 6:50.
We note that the parking lot at JoAnn Park is on the small side, and that parking will be difficult there for most participants, especially if you're arriving on the late side. If you're not there soon after six PM, please plan on parking along either Wendy or JoAnn drives, which border the park on either side. There is plenty of open parking along either side of the park.
