Mayor's Corner: Lakewood Is Ready For Summer
With Memorial Day coming this weekend, we are once again on the cusp of the summer season in Lakewood, a wonderful time to be active and enjoy everything our city has to offer. I encourage everyone to visit our parks, hop in our pools, participate in local outdoor events, stroll our walkable streets, and patronize our local businesses.
One of the first big events is always Meet the Trucks, which will be held this year on Saturday June 7th at 10am in Lakewood Park. The City of Lakewood appreciates the leadership of the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA, which is once again sponsoring this wonderful opportunity for Lakewood kids and their families to get close to and inside of Lakewood’s police, fire, construction, and maintenance vehicles. Several vendors should also be on site offering a chance to purchase local food and refreshments.
Lakewood Park will also continue its summer tradition of films and music in 2025 as Friday Night Flicks and Concerts in the Park both kick off in June. The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival will also be performing two shows in Lakewood Park (June 20th and August 1st). Please check out the calendar of events on the City of Lakewood’s website for ongoing information about these and other events happening around our town: www.lakewoodoh.gov/calendar.
Summer’s biggest day is always the Fourth of July, and Lakewood always does a great job celebrating our nation’s birthday. As always, we will enjoy the Fourth of July parade and a concert in Lakewood Park and cap the day off with a fantastic fireworks display. Last year, we completed work on the parking lot at Lakewood Park to increase capacity, but parking is still in demand, so consider walking or biking if you are looking for ways to stay active and visit the park for the big day.
Our community partners over at LakewoodAlive will once again have their own calendar of fun, family-friendly summer events. That includes the Lakewood Summer Meltdown event on Saturday July 19th held in Downtown Lakewood along Detroit Avenue and the 11th annual Birdtown Picnic in Madison Park on Saturday June 14th at noon. LakewoodAlive also hosts their own outdoor concerts through the Front Porch Concert Series weekly in front of Lakewood Public Library beginning June 6th. The final concerts (July 18th and 25th) will take place at Madison Park Pavilion. Also consider checking out the 48th annual Lakewood Arts Festival, which will take place in our downtown on Saturday, August 2nd and offers a chance to support local artists.
As we enter June and the weather warms up, our two outdoor pools – Foster Pool at Lakewood Park and Becks Pool at Madison Park – offer some of the best ways to spend a summer day and beat the heat. Both pools are very popular options, so it’s a good idea to explore a season pass for you or your family.
As you can see, Lakewood is full of opportunities to get out and make the most of your summer. I hope to see all of you in our parks, splashing in our pools, and strolling our streets to take it all in this summer season.