Happy Birthday to the City of Cleveland! Today is the anniversary of the 1796 date when Moses Cleaveland and his boat of surveyors landed at the confluence of the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, establishing a capital city of the Connecticut Western Reserve. Seven years later, Ohio became our nation's 17th state.

It's no accident our Blazing Paddles Paddlefest is held on the weekend closest to this important anniversary. Mark your calendars (Facebook event link) for the 8th annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on July 17-18, 2026! We will be an #America250 event for #America250Ohio

Thank you to our vendors, partners, and amazing volunteers who made yesterday’s brilliant day possible for our guests!

This is an interative blog post as it will be updated with new images, video, and text. But images of a large-scale outdoor event are like fish and news - both are best enjoyed when served fresh!