Ignite: A Celebration of the Burning River
Jim Ridge
2017 Presenter
Transformative Arts & Culture category
January 2019
Blazing Paddles will be one of the signature events of the 50th anniversary celebrations (under the Cuyahoga 50 umbrella) the City of Cleveland/Sustainable Cleveland is organizing. Learn more at: https://www.cuyahoga50.org
June 2018
On June 22 (the same day the river caught fire), the 2nd Annual Share the River Ramble took place in expanded format and included a music and beer event at the Ramble’s start/end point – Rivergate Park. Jim also teamed up with Nalu Standup Paddle & Surf to host Blazing Paddles, a stand-up paddleboard race the following day.
See the recap of Blazing Paddles.
June 2017
Jim Ridge pitched his idea for an arts and music festival along the Cuyahoga River so people can experience, appreciate and enjoy how far it has come since the 1969 fire.
Jim’s pitch for Ignite, an arts and music festival to celebrate Cleveland’s waterfront recovery, manifested in a “stripped down version” as the Burning River Ramble on June 22. The free, pop-up running/walking tour of Cleveland’s evolving riverfront started at the south end of the Columbus Road Bridge, traversed the Scranton Flats towpath, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link rail, the Red Line Greenway/RTA Viaduct, Irishtown Bend and finished between Cleveland Rowing Foundation and Cleveland Metroparks Merwin’s Wharf. Jim intends to bring the full Ignite event vision to fruition in 2018.
Check out Jim’s blog post and the Burning River Ramble website to learn more about the event. Follow the project on Facebook and Twitter to get updates about the event.