Aside from the great performances this weekend by Rachel Wearsch on Friday and Yonder Blue on Saturday, the festival is coming to town!

Do not miss the biggest festival of the year! Saturday, July 3 from 10 am to 5 pm, celebrate your Independent Spirit with dozens of local merchants and indie vendors of kitsch and collectibles. This is a street fair with flair!

ANTIQUES FAIR

The dozen or so antique dealers on Larchmere will be open for business. Plus, the Shaker Heights parking lot (12737 Larchmere) will be dedicated to antiques. Vendors include KLM Antiques, Swope Antiques, Ann Douglas Antiques, Lakewood Antiques Mall, Maria Antiques, Jaxdec

o and BoomModern and more.

GALLERIES GALORE

Nothing says summer festival quite like a collection of artists. Galleries Galore will be in the parking lot at the far east end (formerly American Crafts Gallery) at 13010 Larchmere.

FLEA MARKET

Everyone loves a flea market. Scads of used but useful stuff will be available for sale by friends, neighbors, and residents.

BAZAAR BIZARRE

After a successful debut at last year’s Holiday Stroll, The Bazaar Bizarre – “NOT your granny’s craft show” returns to Larchmere. Organizer Shannon Okey, owner of  fiber arts/craft paradise Knitgrrl Studio, and her crew of 50 irreverent and indie artists and crafters will be back in the former Sedlak’s headquarters at the intersection of Larchmere and East 127th Street. www.bazaarbizarre.org

AUTHOR ALLEY

45… count ‘em… 45 local authors from the famous and mainstream to grassroots to self-published will be in Loganberry Book’s driveway at 13015 Larchmere. Authors include J.T. Dutton, Sharon Gregor, Charles Mintz, Carolyn Nilson, Susan Petrone, James Renner, Les Roberts, Sarah Willis, Loung Ung and Carlo Wolff. The Lit, the non-profit center that supports writers and sponsors workshops, will also be on hand with their list of upcoming events. www.loganberrybooks.com

LARCHMERE UNCORKED

Larchmere Merchants Association and Summit Charitable Events Foundation present the first annual Larchmere Uncorked, a benefit for the Larchmere Beautification Fund. Larchmere Uncorcked kicks off at 12 noon in the courtyard in front of Shaker Quality Auto Body (12916 Larchmere).

A “Festival-within-the-Festival,” guests will be able to sip and sample over 100 wines from local, national and international producers. Delectable food will be featured, prepared by local restaurants. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door, and include 10 wine tastings and a souvenir wine glass. Designated Driver tickets and additional drink tickets are also available. www.LarchmereUncorked.com

FOOD COURT
In addition to the nine eateries on the street, there will be several sidewalk vendors, plentiful food at Larchmere Uncorked, and a Food Court at Community Housing Solutions at 12114 Larchmere. This is festival food: fudge puppies, PizzaBogo, Just Like Mom’s soul cooking, Belgian hot dogs, tacos, ice cream, gyros and fried dough.

CHALK DRAWING

Artists Robin VanLear and Jesse Rhinehart will create a three-dimensional chalk drawing on the sidewalk of the LifeSkills building (12201 Larchmere). Check back throughout the day to see their progress! Robin is a sculptor, costume designer and performance artist who has served as the Artistic Director of The Cleveland Museum of Art‘s Parade the Circle throughout its 20 year history. Jesse is a painter, muralist and educator.

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Quinn Sands will provide warmth and song 2/5.

This is the most challenging part of the winter.  The holidays are over. The snow looks old. Everything outside (and sometimes inside) has that eerie salt dust on it, giving everything a kind of Mad Max somberness. Things are slippery. Things are chapped.

Luckily, we are all in this together and we can count on each other to keep our spirits up and focus on the good things in life. Here at Vine and Bean Cafe, we are working hard to keep our cozy going – fire in the fireplace, candles lit, warm soup, nice wine, winter warmer beers, hot tea, and amazing food worthy of slowing down for the full taste experience.

This week includes a great wine tasting event, and two amazing musicians.

Friday, February 5, 6:30PM: Wine Tasting for Lovers and Wine Lovers

Tenuta Il Corno Minna e Moro

Tracey English returns with a list of fantastic wine finds that inspire amorous thoughts for others… and for wine. We use these event to showcase unique wines and to help us find the wines we should add to our list. Come give us a hand determining the next stars of our wine list.  We will also be highlighting some new items on our menu paired with each of the wines. Five new wines and menu items will be presented. I don’t want to give all the surprises away but I’m particularly excited about:

• Sediento Red (Malbec/Bonadra) from Argentina
• Tenuta Il Corno Minna e Moro from Italty
• Curried Yukon Gold potato samosas with tamarind chutney (all housemade)
• Our new winter triple cream cheese board

Reservations are filling up. Please let us know if you plan to attend. Come early and stay late, because after the wine tasting we have….

Friday, February 5, 8PM: Quinn Sands plays songs for lovers or lovers of songs

Quinn Sands returns for another evening of delectable songcraft and performance. This is a duo show with bassist Adam Rich. It should be a beautiful night.

Saturday, February 6, 8PM:Mitch Reed

Mitch Reed is not a blues man, folk-singer, or the often over-used and meaningless term “singer/songwriter”. He’s just a guitar player, and particularly enjoys finger-picking in the styles of Leo Kottke, Bob Brozman, Merle Travis, and countless others. Come by and hear some ragtime, country blues, 12-string, and whatever else he is in the mood for.

Please join us for a wine tasting hosted by noted wine expert, Tracey English of Private Reserve, Friday, February 5^th from 6:30p until 8pm. Ms. English will be presenting a selection of wines and liquors that are particularly suited to celebrating love and romance. Chef Heather Haviland and Chef Ky-Wai Wong will be presenting a series Hors D’oeuvres paired with each of the wines.

Unlimited sampling and noshing is only $25. Wines will be available at the event at state minimums and with the 10% case discount.

Reservations, suggested but not mandatory, by calling Vine and Bean Cafe at 216-707-3333, by sending an email to parties@sweetmosaic.com, by completing the form on this page or in person.

Troubadours of Divine Bliss - Yes, they are this colorful!

This is a big week for us at Vine and Bean. We’re all decked out for the Solstice, with lights and greenery; we’ve added a full slate of items to the food, beer, and wine menus to help us all get through the cold winter; and we’ve got some of our favorite musicians passing through the parlor to help us gather near and share some merry moments.

Thursday, December 17: Troubadours of Divine Bliss

We ecstatically welcome back our favorite wayward sisters to the Vine and Bean musical womb. With guitar, accordion and harmonies smooth as Kentucky bourbon, the Troubadours will dazzle and charm.

Audiences and the press around the world have lauded these two as the best new folk act in a long time, with deft musicality and the performance chops of witty sprite-vixens, this is a show not to be missed!

http://troubadoursofdivinebliss.com/

Angels we have heard on...well something. We love the Troubadors

Friday, December 18: Wine Tasting & Ryann Guitar Anderson

Start the evening early by coming to our winter celebratory wine tasting event that will present a number of wines and liquors selected to be excellent gifts for friends, hosts, or anyone on your list with a a taste for fine spirits. Then, at 8PM, Ryann Anderson will begin an evening of guitar beauty. Ryann, an instrumental guitarist, has developed his playing style by combining several musical styles & genres, but yet he stands apart as a original musician. His live performances may consist of soothing folk influenced pieces that remind you of Nick Drake & Leo Kottke, romantic classical inspired interludes, & even blues & reggae improvisations. Many have considered his music to be like ice cream to your ears!

http://www.myspace.com/ryannguitaranderson

Saturday, December 19: Angie Haze

With her passionate lyrics and capturing hooks, singer/songwriter, Angie Haze (a.k.a. Angela Cevasco), delivers a satisfying taste for soulful tunes. Her music career began at the age of 17 when she released her first Independent album entitled, F.L.Y. by Angela, consisting of 12 of her original songs. Angie has performed many shows such as First Night and Lock 3 Downtown Akron, Breastfest (a benefit concert for breast cancer) in Cleveland, and many other charity and benefit concerts.

Angie Haze

http://www.myspace.com/angelacevasco

http://angiehazeproject.com/

Anita Keys

Friday night, join us for a performance from Anita Keys and Matt Harmon

Saturday is the Brunch, Larchmere PorchFest and Pride. Seriously, you could spend the whole day doing things that are very cool and fun and not in your house.

We are very happy to start adding local produce into the menu. We have fresh local strawberries and spinach. Yum!

Vine and Bean is the central hub for info for Porch Fest and we’re excited to host Ryann Guitar Anderson on our porch. Ryann developed his playing style by combining several musical styles & genres. His live performances may consist of soothing folk influenced pieces that remind you of Nick Drake & Leo Kottke, romantic classical inspired interludes, & even blues & reggae improvisations.

Get a Map!

Come in Saturday morning for brunch and enjoy the first of the local produce then stick around for PorchFest!

PorchFest (2pm-6pm) extends all over the neighborhood and includes performances on Shaker Square in the evening.  Grab some dinner and wine here and then head over for the fun.

Pride goes on all day and into the evening. Please stop by afterward for a quiet afterglow on the patio.

Sunday is Father’s Day. Bring Dad out for a great brunch on Sunday and we’ll offer him a free Dream Cream – Heather’s summer cooler that fills a chilled glass with a concoction reminiscent of a creamsicle.  Feed Dad and let us clean up afterward!

Thanks to David Farkas and the Plain Dealer for the lovely article.

Love you, Mom!