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GIVEAWAY: 2013 Parma Run/Walk for Pierogies

Let the Summer of Giveaways continue to roll on, and as a Parma girl, I’m pretty excietd about this one! Next up, the 2013 Parma Run/Walk for Pierogies.

The Third Annual Run/Walk for Pierogies will take place at Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus on Saturday, July 6, 2013. The event benefits the American Cancer Society (Parma Area Relay for Life) and All Faiths Pantry.

I run this 5K in 2011 and in 2012.  In its short existence, we’ve had a blast and the race organizers have taken feedback each year to make the runners experiences better, leaving us with smiling faces and pierogies to eat post run/walk. I even just discovered the race photo gallery from 2012, which includes some awesome shots – including the best race photo I’ve ever taken.

For 2013, Race Director and Parma City Council President Sean Brennan (center in picture) included the creation of a Facebook page for the event (click over and “like” it today!), and if you are super speedy, one of the race medals:

Yes, those are golden pierogies. Do not eat these. Eat the ones from Little Polish Diner.

You know you want to eat some of Parma’s finest cuisine after covering 3.1 miles on your feet, so register over at the hermes.com site today.  Online race registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children before Friday, July 5 at 9:00 a.m.

On a side note: You can be really styling by buying a PIP “Will Run For Pierogies” t-shirt from my Spreadshirt T-Shirt shop(Buy a shirt between now and race day and I’ll donate $2.50 per shirt sold to the race’s charities.)

…or how about you run this 5K by WINNING AN ENTRY FOR THE RACE HERE ON POISE IN PARMA?! Enter to win today…

  1. Mandatory first entry: Leave a comment telling me why you want to win. It’s that easy!
  2. Subscribe to PIP via a RSS feed service or Feedburner email (see box on the right side of the screen). Please let me know if you do by commenting on this post.
  3. Follow @poiseinparma on TwitterPlease let me know if you do by commenting on this post.
  4. Twitter users can get an extra entry each day by tweeting “I am ready to #RunForPierogies thanks to @poiseinparma! http://wp.me/p1303r-2s4 #MovingParmaForward″. Please let me know each day you tweet this by commenting on this post.

You have until Sunday, June 23rd at 11:59PM EST to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday the 24th. Make sure to leave a separate entry for each one of these tasks that you accomplish. Since these tickets are for a local event on a specific date in Parma, I suggest that only those that can use the race entry enter to win!

Stay up to date with all the happenings on the Parma Run/Walk for Pierogies by visiting the race’s Facebook page.  So enter the race entry giveaway today!

Disclosure: All photos are care of the race’s Facebook page. In exchange for running this giveaway, one lucky PIP reader will receive one race entry in return. As always, my thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

event recap: 40th annual ZippityZooDoo at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Congrats to Karin B. (comment #6 care of random.org draw) for winning the Running for Hope 5K race entry giveaway! Please email me at poiseinparma (at) gmail (dot) come to claim your prize.  Didn’t win?? Sign up today at the event website or enter to win over at Jess’ blog.

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Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye, My oh my what a wonderful day…

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…and evening!

Putting ZippityZooDoo, the Cleveland Zoological Society’s (and CLE’s longest running) benefit, on my calendar at the turn of 2013 seemed like over-planning. But my how it snuck up on me and there I was on Friday, June 7, walking and talking with the animals under the overcast skies. It was crisp out for a June evening, but that didn’t keep us from having a great time.

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During the cocktail hour, guests strolled the grounds of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, sipping on beverages and trying hors d’oeuvres such as Herb Pistou Crostinis, Chive Tied Rare Roast Beef Tenderloin bundles, Horseradish Shrimp Cocktail Shooters and Fresh Crudité Shooters.

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While this benefit promised the some of the usual fundraiser fare including cocktails, a gourmet dinner and dancing, guests also explored one-of-a kind Zoo experiences. It’s extremely cool to check in at the registration table to be greeted by an owl.

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One very special event feature was the live carving of the “animals” that would Circle of Wildlife Carousel. According to the zoo website: “the carousel will feature 64 beautiful hand-carved wildlife figures and 2 chariots representing animals and biomes from around the world.” The Cleveland Zoological Society is now raising funds to be able to provide this to its patrons: there’s more information on the zoo’s website on how you can donate here. Scheduled to open in 2014, it’s going to be quite the addition to the zoo!

When it was time to sit down for dinner, our second course of a Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad with marinated cucumbers, tomatoes, and a fresh oregano vinaigrette awaited us. It was a nice light option for a summer’s evening.

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For the main course, most guests enjoyed a Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon with a Madeira wine mushroom glace, chive sea salt roast fingerling potatoes, heirloom petite carrots and beets.  I, on the other hand, was happy to see the gluten-free option: a Herb-Roasted Vegetable-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with chive oil scented lentils and quinoa.

zippity food

Don’t let the veggie friendly option fool you: it was quite hearty and flavorful while being quite substantial.

I had to pass on the Lemon Almond Terrine dessert, but opted for another beverage as my friends and I planned to see what silent auction prizes we could take home. Alas, we did not win the overnight for 24 people at the Zoo. Maybe next year. We opted to dance away our sorrows…

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…while only moderately making a scene. All in good fun while supporting a great cause!!

SAVE-THE-DATE(S): The Cleveland Zoological Society will be hosting Twilight at the Zoo on Friday, August 2 and Date Night at the ZOOvies on Friday, August 23. Both are “must attend” events for different reasons… but you’ll just have to stay tuned to the blog to learn why! (And maybe even win tickets to one of these upcoming events…)

Keep tabs on what’s happening with the Cleveland Zoological Society by liking their Facebook page or by following @clevezoosociety on Twitter.

Disclosure: In exchange for sharing this recap and additional event information on the blog, I received a media pass to attend this event and other 2013 Cleveland Zoological Society events. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Ohio Blogging Association June Meetup at Whole Foods Market Cedar Center with Goose Island

Don’t forget – you have until Sunday night to enter the Running for Hope 5K giveaway. Race is on Saturday, June 29 in Avon Lake and benefits Love Without Borders.

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Another Ohio Blogging Association meet up is history!

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The blogroll for the evening included:

I’ve been slow to get more Ohio Blogging Association meetings on the rest of the 2013 calendar. So when our friends from Whole Foods Market Cedar Center had a unique opportunity available during Goose Island Migration Week, I knew our bloggers would have a blast learning about this Chicago-based beer company. The allure of drinking beer and eating chocolate didn’t hurt either.

As in the past, we gathered at Whole Foods Market Cedar Center‘s cafe area where the store’s team took such care to provide a wonderful classroom set up all ready for the OBA members to taste and learn. The Goose Island beer list for the evening included options from their Vintage Ales line (descriptions from Goose Island’s website):

  • Sofie: “Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel, Sofie is a tart, dry, sparkling ale.”
  • Matilda: “Wild in character, with a slightly fruity aroma and a spicy yeast flavor… Dry and quenching”
  • Pepe Nero: “Pepe Nero is a farmhouse ale brewed with black peppercorns. His roasty sweetness melds into a lingering, earthy, black pepper finish”
  • Pere Jacques: “Brewed with loads of malt and Belgian yeast, Pere Jacques is a wonderfully fruity, malty ale.” 

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…and the part I definitely indulged in – the chocolates sampling from WILD OPHELIA, the spirited younger sister of Vosges Haut-Chocolat (descriptions from their website):

Dave drank my beer and I ate his chocolate. We made an excellent tasting pair.  If I remember correctly, he enjoyed the Matilda. I remember really loving the peanut butter and banana chocolate. I heard feedback that the bloggers enjoyed learning the basics on how to “taste” something: learning to look for notes of different flavors, different variations of certain types of food, how they work with the pairing. The 45 minute presentation was a fun activity that allowed us to take something home - other than chocolate bars!

Post-tasting, I encouraged everyone to go spend their money on the bulk flash sale (20% off bulk nuts, popcorn, oats – huzzah!) and then perhaps giving their wooden nickel (for bringing their own reusable shopper) to a good cause (*cough*cough*choose the one on the right!!*):

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Many of us took advantage of the Whole Foods hot bar post-tasting. Hello, I’m a healthy living blogger – you should have seen that one coming! I was freezing, so I grabbed some chipotle veggie turkey soup (light yet hearty, with a hint of smokiness) and a bunch of mixed greens (surprise, surprise). Other bloggers snagged options from the BBQ smoked meats hot bar, sushi and one really good looking burger. Good stuff and happy bellies all around.

LONG STORY SHORT: We ate. We drank. We ate again. We talked each others’ ears off.  It made my heart smile when Stuart shared the following feedback: “You can always tell a good meeting by the fact that people hang around long after the official ending time.”  While sometimes things get crazy, pulling together some of Cleveland’s bloggers makes it worthwhile every single time. Thank you all for attending, and thanks again to Whole Foods Market Cedar Center and Goose Island for the opportunity!

I’m always taking suggestions for Ohio Blogging Association events: leave them in the comments below. Information on the next meeting will be posted very soon – per suggestions from last night, I foresee another blogging roundtable in the horizon…

Make sure to “like” OBA on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @OHBlogging.

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