Author Sharon Moreland Myers looks back at State Road, Akron buildings | Book Talk
Late in 2023, Cuyahoga Falls announced a project to study the future of State Road from Portage Trail to the High Level Bridge. Akron writer Sharon Moreland Myers has researched the history of the busy thoroughfare in “South State Road – Cuyahoga Falls, 1960 vs. 2023.”
Beginning with the east side of the road at the High Level Bridge, the former Rick Case Honda was a vacant lot in 1960 and now is Prestige Auto Mall. Readers may be surprised at just how many spots were vacant back then. Of course, some are vacant now.
Reaching Portage Crossing, Myers starts again for the left side, to pass the Acme grocery and the now-gone Ladd’s Drive-In. Those with long memories may recall Honadle’s Candy, now a bakery. The 2023 photos are in color, while most of the 1960 views are black and white.
Myers covers more area in “Akron Area Buildings,” with pictures of the terminal at Akron Fulton Airport and the Guggenheim Institute, both art deco, the Victorian Gothic Castle Hall on East Market Street; repurposed buildings like Polsky’s department store, now University of Akron classrooms; and some gone entirely.
In a preface, Myers says that “Blazing Trails – Akron Neighborhood Pioneers” is a companion to 2021’s “Akron Neighborhoods: Old and New.” Unlike her other new books, which are pictorials, this is a text-heavy history of founders, inventors and entrepreneurs, from the establishment of the town called Cascade in 1831 to modern-day developers. It’s a great reference but maps would have been a nice inclusion.
“South State Road” (119 pages), “Akron Area Buildings” (145 pages) and “Blazing Trails” (141 pages) cost $24.99 each in softcover from online retailers. Sharon Moreland Myers is an alumna of Cuyahoga Falls High School.
‘I Run on Beach Glass’
The title of “I Run on Beach Glass: Romantic & Relaxing Coloring Book” by Cleveland resident Amanda Uhl is somewhat misleading; though it’s half coloring book, it’s also half excerpts from her Mind Hackers paranormal thriller series and standalone “Healing Kiss,” and romance “Charmed by Charlie.”
The illustrations vary widely in complexity, from a simple sketch to mandala-type art.
“I Run on Beach Glass” (104 pages, softcover) costs $8.99 from online retailers.
Awards
“A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe” by Cuyahoga Falls author Mark Dawidziak has been nominated by Mystery Readers International in the Best Mystery-related Nonfiction/Critical category.
“A Mystery of Mysteries” also has been nominated for an Ohioana Award in the Nonfiction category. Also nominated in nonfiction is “Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods” by Hinckley native Sarah Lohman; in Fiction, “The Museum of Failures” by Thrity Umrigar and “On the Savage Side” by Circleville native Tiffany McDaniel; in About Ohio/An Ohioan, “Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity” by Laura Meckler and “How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee” by Carole Boston Weatherford, about the 13-year-old Akron girl who faced discrimination in 1936 when she became a local celebrity and went to compete in Washington, D.C.; and in poetry, “Ghost Variations” by retired University of Akron professor Elton Glaser. The awards will be presented in Columbus in October.
Events
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Jake Maynard talks to Mary Quade (“Zoo World”) about his satire “Slime Line,” 1 p.m. Sunday. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, a Literary Cleveland “pay what you can” event features poet Philip Metres (“Fugitive/Refuge”) and authors Helen Achanzar, Asha Thanki and Jess Yuan. Register at loganberry books.com.
Fireside Books (29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): Susan Wojnar signs “White Darkness: Poetic Tales of the Schizophrenic Experience,” 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): New York Botanical Garden horticulturalist Marta McDowell talks about “Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers,” 6:30 p.m. Monday. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 5071 Wallings Road): Vince Guerrieri discusses “Ten-Cent Beer Night: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy,” 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Morley Library (184 Phelps St., Painesville): Todd Anthonsen 999 signs “Numerology Revealed” and “Behind the Numbers,” 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Marvin Memorial Library (29 W. Whitney Ave., Shelby): Mark Strecker talks about “Lost Ohio Treasure,” 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Medina County District Library (Brunswick branch, 3649 Center Road): Anna Kopp, author of the young adult fantasy graphic novel “The Marble Queen,” visits Pride Time for LGBTQIA+ teens and allies in a virtual visit from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; an activity will precede at 6 p.m. Register at mcdl.info for a Zoom link.
Medina County District Library (Medina branch, 210 S. Broadway St.): Anna Kopp joins Pride Time in a virtual visit from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Register at mdcl.info.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Brooklyn branch, 4480 Ridge Road): Mike Alfarah talks about his cookbook “How to Cook a Steak (and Other Life-Changing Recipes to Elevate the Food You Already Cook,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.): Garth Risk Hallberg discusses his novel “The Second Coming,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Tuscarawas County Public Library (121 Fair Ave. NW, New Philadelphia): Amy Hayes, author of “Graceful Parenting: Parenting from the Tree of Life” and “Graceful Parenting: Simple Advice for Raising a Gentle and Loving Child,” appears from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Cardington author Mindy McGinnis talks about “Under This Red Rock,” her psychological thriller for young adults, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jen Hoffman signs “Out of the Garden: Breaking Free from Sin and Shame.”
Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library (Willoughby branch, 30 Public Square): Jim Sweeney signs “What’s the Deal with Dead Man’s Curve? And Other Really Good Questions About Cleveland,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at we247.org.
Cleveland Public Library (Jefferson branch, 850 Jefferson Ave.): Mark Sullivan joins the Writers Unplugged series to talk about “Thrive: When Trouble Visits! Being Your Best in Tough Times,” 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at cpl.org.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Freida McFadden, author of the three-book “Housemaid” psychological thriller series, joins the Online Author Talk series with her newest release “The Housemaid is Watching,” 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at smfpl.org.
North Canton Public Library (185 N. Main St.): Mindy McGinnis talks about “Under This Red Rock,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Register at ncantonlibrary.com.
Barnes & Noble (22801 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere): Youngstown novelist Nancy Christie signs “Finding Fran,” second in her Midlife Moxie series, 2 p.m. Saturday.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to gmail.com and [email protected]. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Sharon Moreland Myers offers three new books on local history
