CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns intend to leave the city of Cleveland for a new dome in Brook Park. But they haven’t released their plan when it comes to public financing.
We’re talking about the lack of concrete details on Today in Ohio.
Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editorial board member Lisa Garvin, impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.
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Here’s what else we’re asking about today:
The saga about the future of a home for the Cleveland Browns had another tiny turn of the screw Thursday that had the appearance of being a big deal. What was it?
For anyone who had doubts that JD Vance is completely lacking in integrity and character, he finally removed them. He is the lowlife that many think he is. What astounding statement did he make that undermines so much of what this country is based upon?
How many absentee ballots have been turned in so far in Ohio, how many were requested, and how to do the numbers compare to past elections?
Returning to JD Vance for a minute, what ridiculous statement came out of his mouth recently regarding his master, Donald Trump?
The drought report each week has been somewhat surprising, in that drought continues despite rain. But with many of our yards in Cuyahoga County being mud puddles after days of intense rain earlier this week, can we finally say our drought here is over?
We talk about the big issues on the ballot every year, but often voters go into the polls and see a question about alcohol. Why is that, and how can people get more information about it before they go to vote?
It’s not the Great Pumpkin of Charlie Brown fame, but it is a pumpkin mystery. What is going on with carved pumpkins at one of the best places on the planet, Patterson’s Fruit Farm?
Why might Saturday night’s Rock Hall induction be the biggest ever?
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Read the automated transcript below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings.
Chris Quinn (00:00.768)
Can you believe how exciting that Guardians game was last night? What an ending. This team could still pull this series out. It’s going to be a fun weekend in Cleveland. We got the Guardians and we have the Rockall induction. It’s Today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from cleveland.com and the Plane Dealer. Here to wrap up a week of news. I’m Chris Quinn with Lisa Garvin, Laura Johnston, and Leila Tassi.
And Layla, the saga about the future of the home for the Cleveland Browns had really what was another tiny turn of the screw Thursday that had the appearance of being a big, big deal. And lots of people were all breathless about it. What was it?
Leila (00:44.274)
Yeah, so Cleveland Mayor Justin Bivb gathered media yesterday at City Hall to announce that the Cleveland Browns plan to move out of the city and into a new stadium that they want to build in Brook Park. Of course, let’s just say this upfront, they want public money to build that stadium and there is none. Also, they haven’t even bought the land in Brook Park yet, nor have they even begun
Lisa (01:08.668)
they even been done to invest in.
Leila (01:10.096)
to what it would take to build out the roads and the infrastructure to support that stadium project and the entertainment complex that they’re proposing. So I’m not sure that we’re buying this, that this isn’t just another chess move in the game. But that said, Justin Bibb certainly delivered this news very earnestly to members of the press yesterday. The Haslam’s decision follows more than a year of
unsuccessful negotiations between them and Bibb over renovating the current downtown stadium or building a new facility. Bibb expressed deep disappointment. He called the move frustrating and profoundly disheartening because it could weaken downtown Cleveland by diverting entertainment to a new suburban area if they build out this entertainment complex down in Brook Park. mean, obviously that would take away from all of our venues up in Cleveland.
Bibb emphasized that his priority was always the city’s residents and ensuring any deal would be responsible for taxpayers. And he said that they presented the most fiscally responsible package that they could and the Haslams rejected it. The Haslams released a statement explaining their desire for this $2.4 billion dome stadium in Brook Park, which they claim would boost the region’s economy. However, they did not provide specifics on financing.
Chris Quinn (02:28.63)
That never will. That’s just, that’s such garbage. All those stupid promises sports team owners make that never come true. Nobody’s buying it this time. Look, I think this is a chess move because they have not bought Perk Park or if they bought it, it hasn’t been publicly announced that they bought it. Until they buy that, I’m not buying this. I still think they’re playing a big game here, trying to jack the public for as much money as they can get.
Leila (02:39.097)
Yeah.
Chris Quinn (02:58.206)
And thanks to Justin Bibb, they’re not getting it. They shouldn’t get it. They got more money than they need. They could build their own stadium. Maybe that’s what they’re going to announce. Let’s remind everybody too. The Hasims went to Frank Jackson well before the pandemic and said, hey, we want to develop the lakefront around Brown Stadium and turn it into a jewel. They spent a million dollars on a plan. Jackson got behind it. Then when Bibb came in, Bibb got behind it.
Leila (03:01.947)
Right.
Chris Quinn (03:26.964)
This city moved heaven and earth to get that vision into reality. And this week, the city got $60 million from the feds to do road work that would make that vision reality. And then they say, you know what? We think we might build in Brook Park. Then as they negotiate with Justin Bibb, halfway through, say, you know what? We don’t want to update that stadium. We want a dome. Their statement makes it sound like they’ve been all transparent and in good faith.
Leila (03:43.258)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Leila (03:51.984)
Dome.
Chris Quinn (03:56.288)
They haven’t been good faith for a second on this thing. They haven’t been transparent. They’ve never laid it out for the public. They just want to jack the public for $1.2 billion, which they’re not going to get. They shouldn’t get it.
Leila (03:58.863)
Right.
Leila (04:08.826)
Right. That was a big part of the messaging that came through yesterday when Justin Bibb was talking to the media. He said when the negotiations started off, the concerns that the Browns had were basically centered around fan experience and traffic concerns around the stadium. And they said, how quickly can the lakefront development be expedited? And Justin Bibb pointed out that they moved very quickly to get to meet every single
Lisa (04:24.726)
Mm.
And they said how quickly can the lakefront development be expedited? And Justin bit pointed out that they moved very quickly to get to meet every single point along the way. hit all of their marks on that lakefront development. there was recently, as what you said, getting that fed on the park there. And all the public’s for buckets pulled out. But he suggested also that he was really blindsided by a give-sudden pivot.
Leila (04:38.374)
point along the way. They hit all of their marks on that lakefront development. was recently, like you said, getting that federal funding. All of a sudden, the rug gets pulled out for him. He suggested also that he was very blindsided by their sudden pivot toward wanting a dome. Even then, he said, tried to work the problem for them. They offered …
Lisa (04:55.908)
for money don’t. And then even then, he said, tried to work the problem for them. They offered, you know, 367 million for standing renovations, and then they bloated the idea of building a part of the Berkeley Front Airport land. And if you remember, like that thing about it in the last year.
Leila (05:04.966)
367 million for stadium renovations. And then they even floated the idea of building on part of the Burke Lakefront Airport land. And if you remember, like that came about in the last month or so. And it really correlates with the timing of the city’s release of that report that says that Burke could be developed. didn’t specifically mention the stadium, but clearly they were trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to make the Haslums happy with staying in Cleveland.
Lisa (05:15.634)
or so and it really correlates with the timing of the city’s work piece of that report that says that work could be developed. didn’t specifically mention the stadium, but clearly they were trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to make the Hazel’s camp the limit with stadium.
Chris Quinn (05:24.105)
Although…
Chris Quinn (05:34.102)
Yeah, although why on earth would you waste prime lake frontland again for another football stadium? I never got that. The the other thing that is going on here is I think Justin Bibb has tried. He tried to do this privately and then he finally went public with it and he’s laying it all out because the Hasms are not being public at all. They haven’t given us anything. Their statement said they now have two billion dollars in private investment. But what does that mean? You know, is that
Leila (06:01.893)
Right.
Chris Quinn (06:03.23)
Do they now have two billion of their projected $2.4 billion cost? Hallelujah. The public’s not paying for it. But I don’t think that’s it. I think they’ve been duplicitous throughout this thing. That’s probably for their hotels or something that they’re talking about. And they’re still looking to jack the public. They also had a cryptic line that said, we are not planning to tap into any existing public funds. But that means they still want the public to pay half. The public should not pay half.
Leila (06:17.497)
Right.
Leila (06:31.558)
course.
Chris Quinn (06:33.002)
for a stadium out in Brook Park. It’s the dopiest location I can think of right next to the airport. Roads will get jammed up. The infrastructure that would be needed to serve that will cost a fortune and that will be the public. They’re not gonna pay for highways. It’s terrible idea. And let’s remind everybody again, they don’t own it. So what’s real here? Is this just, did we go two months without anybody talking about the stadium? So they leak.
Leila (06:55.663)
Right, right.
Chris Quinn (07:02.09)
their little stuff to their shills out there to say, when announcements come in Friday, then go tell Justin Bibb, we’re not going to build in the city and create this foo for all so that people talk about it. Is it a diversion so people don’t look at how bad their football team is? mean, they, the Hasm’s have run the worst football organization in the NFL since they bought the team. They arguably have the worst team this year. They went to the playoffs last year. They had a quarterback the public loved.
Leila (07:13.275)
Right.
Leila (07:27.152)
Right, and actually.
Lisa (07:27.749)
actually.
Chris Quinn (07:30.922)
They got rid of them. tore apart their offense and they stink. So do they do this to divert people’s attention from the fact that they’re one in five?
Leila (07:40.302)
And did you notice they included in their statement a little apology for being so crappy on the field. But you know what? think, like I said, they haven’t even taken a step in the direction of exploring what it takes to build out that site and to make it work. And Justin Bibb, think, knows this. And he said, the door is still open. If it turns out that that site is not viable, we stand ready to resume negotiations in good faith.
Lisa (07:40.39)
Thank you.
Chris Quinn (07:46.57)
Yeah.
Lisa (07:48.434)
But you know what, I think, like I said, they have not, they haven’t even taken a step in the direction of exploring what it takes to build out that site and to make it work. And Justin Bibb, I think, knows this, and he said, the door is still open. If it turns out that that site is not viable, we stand ready to resume negotiations and good things. But, I wouldn’t just throw this on record. This turns out.
Leila (08:08.42)
You know what? I want to just throw this on the record. If this turns out that the Browns build that stadium in Brook Park and end up paying for most of it themselves, that would be Justin Bibb’s legacy. He did the thing that other mayors have been unwilling to do. He stood his ground. He stood up to the obnoxious self entitlement and greed of these billionaire sports owners who have held the city hostage for decades. mean, Justin Bibb has had some missteps in his term as mayor, no doubt, but
Chris Quinn (08:16.918)
It’d be great. It’d be great. Right?
Lisa (08:20.918)
I
Leila (08:36.804)
The way he has handled this negotiation with the Browns has been a beautiful thing to behold. And I am excited to see if it stands.
Chris Quinn (08:38.778)
it’s right. Yeah, I salute him. And we’re like, the question there was a questionable thing, though, Chris Ronane, who has publicly said previously, no county money will go to this when he was asked if he reiterated that waffled. He’s a he’s a Waffler. mean, he’s on the record saying no county money will go to this. So if he changes that, everybody will be looking at him saying, What do you stand for?
Lisa (08:58.866)
mean, he’s another record saying, no, it won’t be good. So if he changes that, every
Chris Quinn (09:07.178)
But he didn’t reiterate it. had a chance to say, I’m very disappointed. They’re doing this. They’re not getting any of our money. And he didn’t. He said, I’m watching the guardians. It was one of those idiotic statements. we’re watching. He may, he may take his eye off the ball. We’re not, there is no way the public will pay $1.2 billion for their party house, for their stinky team. It’s not going to happen. We’re going to be all over it through the end of this. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
Lisa (09:16.844)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (09:36.63)
For anyone who had doubts about that JD Vance is completely lacking in integrity and character, he has finally removed them. He is the lowlife that many think he is. Laura, what astounding statement did he finally make that undermines so much of what this country is based upon?
Laura (09:53.614)
Well, he dodged this question for months. You’ve watched him dodge this question. But JD Vance on Wednesday said Trump did not lose the 2020 election. So it is official. He is an election denier. Not a surprise. He has said before that unlike Mike Pence, he wouldn’t certify the ballots in 2020 for Biden. So we knew that he felt that way and we knew that he’s a Trump bootlicker.
Lisa (09:53.634)
Well, dodged this question for months. watched him dodge this question. But J.D. Vance on Wednesday said Trump did not lose the 2020 election. So it is official he is an election denier. Not a surprise. He has said before that unlike Mike Pence, he wouldn’t certify the ballot in 2020 for Biden. So we knew that he
felt that way, and he’s a Trump boot licker, but he has not come out and said it so much. It’s like he’s trying to toe the line without having to stand up, raise his hand and say, I don’t believe in the truth. But he said he’d answered this question a million times, which he hadn’t. But he said, no, I think there are serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words I would use. And that was at a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Laura (10:18.306)
But he has not come out and said it so much. It’s like he’s trying to toe the line without having to stand up, raise his hand and saying, I don’t believe in the truth. But he said he’d answered this question a million times, which he hadn’t. But he said, no, I think there are serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words I would use. And that was at a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Chris Quinn (10:40.234)
He’s just a detestable human being. No leader in America, nobody in the Senate should say this. It’s clear Biden won that election. We all know Biden won the election. And by sowing that doubt, he’s a despicable human being. He should not be in office. I cannot believe he’s gonna be a heartbeat away from the presidency. This was a sad day for this country.
Lisa (10:45.434)
in this Senate should say this, that it’s clear Biden won that election. We all know Biden won the election. And by sowing that doubt, he’s a suspect. are you doing? This should not be an office. I cannot believe it’s going to be.
This was a sad day for these people. And it is scary, right? obviously, what happened in the Capitol was horrible.
Laura (11:06.69)
And it is scary, right? Like, obviously what happened in the Capitol was horrifying. And this was a huge contribution, this idea that like Trump really won the election. So we should fight to make sure he stays president because all of these people were completely misguided and led astray by the president, by Fox News, by everybody parroting this lie, the big lie that Trump really won the election. So if he’s still saying this, then what happens
Lisa (11:12.434)
And this was a huge contribution, this idea that Trump really won the election. So we should fight to make sure he stays president because all of these people were completely misguided and led astray by the president, by Fox News, by everybody parroting this lie, the big lie that Trump really won the election. So if he’s still saying this, then what happens in the election for 2024? I know you said Trump’s not in power.
Laura (11:34.144)
in the election for 2024. know you said, you know, Trump’s not in power right now, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t believe this and that they could threaten violence at the polls or right afterward if the result is not what they think it should be. To me, this is a really scary road that we keep going down.
Lisa (11:38.886)
But that doesn’t mean that people don’t believe this and that they could threaten violence at the polls or right afterward if the result is not what they think it should be. To me this is a really scary road that we keep going down.
Chris Quinn (11:56.534)
Well, it’s amazing that people are not remembering what they saw with their own eyes on January 6. There’s no doubt about what happened on January 6. Donald Trump tried to overthrow government and maintain power. Thank heavens it didn’t work. But JD Vance, running for vice president, saying that Trump didn’t lose, undermines everything. mean, that means that he would cheat to put his guy in power, that he wouldn’t care
Laura (12:01.378)
Yes.
Lisa (12:01.408)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Laura (12:22.669)
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (12:23.548)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (12:25.972)
what the voters said. wouldn’t care what the Constitution says. He’ll violate any law to get his king into power. That’s a really bad sign. He’s a really bad guy. Nobody should vote for this team come November 4th.
Laura (12:40.546)
Yeah, doesn’t it and it’s not just Vance is doing this, right? Like we see everywhere politicians trying to mislead voters and it is a really scary situation when you are lying to people and then watching them do the dirty work, right? Like I just keep thinking of the Rose and the ballot language for issue one because these people in power are lying and even though you’ve been called out on a lie, there’s a lot of people that believe them and they’re going to be the foot soldiers.
Lisa (12:45.749)
And it is a really scary situation when you are lying to people and then watching them do the dirty work, right? Like I just keep thinking of the rose and the ballot language for issue one because these people in power are lying. even though we have been called out on a lie, there’s a lot of people that believe them and they’re going to be the foot soldiers.
Chris Quinn (13:09.864)
No integrity. I mean, it’s just zero on the integrity scale. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Lisa, how many absentee ballots have been turned in so far in Ohio for this election and how many were requested and how did the numbers compare to past elections?
Lisa (13:26.034)
Well, so far 169,000 of the 1.1 million absentee ballots mailed have already been returned. 382,000 people have voted early in person so far since early voting began on October 8th. In Cuyahoga County, we sent out the most absentee ballots in Ohio at 161,000, but we only have about a 6 % return rate. I mean, there’s time before the election, but only about 27,000 have been returned.
In Franklin County, 124,000 ballots were sent out, 6 % return rate there as well. But they’re finding that early people are voting early in person or doing absentee ballots. About 1 million of them are 55 and over. So this is a trend I think we saw before that older people do tend to vote earlier, more, this is interesting, more Republicans.
370,000 of them have either requested ballots or voted in person compared to only 280,000 of Democrats. So that’s a little bit of a switch. But when we compare it to 2020, they had a lot more absentee ballots because of the pandemic, almost twice as many.
Chris Quinn (14:40.34)
Yeah, that’s a bad comparison. But compared to 2016, we’re actually behind. Which, which is sad, because I think Harris, if she would have put a few minutes into Ohio, could have generated excitement and boosted turnout. But you’ve seen nothing. There’s just no get out the vote effort going on in Ohio, because they just believe it’s going to go red. It’s a shame, because this is an election that could have energized people to be active and
Lisa (14:46.106)
Yes, mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (15:09.674)
We just don’t see it. I’m shocked that there has not been that effort.
Lisa (15:14.438)
Well, think, you know, ballots are still being mailed in. you know, there’s going to be a lot of it. There was a big crowd, think, you know, the first day of voting, in-person voting. So I’m going to, you know, wait to see what the next couple of weeks bring.
Chris Quinn (15:29.686)
All right. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Returning to JD Vance for a minute. What ridiculous statement came out of his mouth recently regarding his master Donald Trump? Layla.
Leila (15:39.558)
Vance claimed that during Trump’s time as president, he did not target his political opponents for investigations or prosecutions. Vance made this claim during an interview on ABC with Martha Raddatz where he emphasized the need for public trust in a fair justice system. But fact checkers quickly debunked Vance’s statement. CNN, The Washington Post, and MSNBC all found Vance’s claim to be false.
pointing out that Trump repeatedly called for the Justice Department to investigate numerous political figures. Trump’s list included Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and John Bolton and even former President Obama, among other people. And reports from CNN and the New York Times further detailed instances where Trump publicly and privately pressured officials to pursue legal actions against his critics. When Attorney General Jeff Sessions hesitated, Trump openly criticized him, calling him disloyal.
Chris Quinn (16:11.186)
Right.
Lisa (16:32.722)
When Attorney General Jeff Sessions hesitated, Trump openly criticized him, calling him disloyal. Ironically, fans made these comments on the same day that Trump’s beard on Fox News suggested that if he’s reelected, he might use the National Guard or military to address what he described as the enemy within, referring to his political adversaries.
Leila (16:38.84)
Ironically, Vance made these comments on the same day that Trump appeared on Fox News, suggesting that if he’s reelected, he might use the National Guard or military to address what he described as the enemy within, referring to his political adversaries.
Chris Quinn (16:56.022)
Right. We just got done pointing out how Vance has no integrity. So I guess it’s perfectly appropriate then to just lie. mean, that’s an outright lie that he makes in a national way. And yet the people who support that team don’t seem to care. okay, he lies. Okay. He has no integrity. I’ll vote for him anyway.
Leila (17:04.379)
Yes.
Leila (17:13.69)
Right. This is bonkers, but it’s not surprising. I JD Vance has learned from the very best. He says whatever he wants, truth be damned. And he’s pretty sure that it doesn’t matter. And guess what? The polls are showing that for at least part half of the American public is concerned. He’s right. He’s right. It doesn’t matter. I think we are living in a post-truth era. I facts mean nothing to half of America.
Lisa (17:23.13)
huh
Chris Quinn (17:38.815)
Well, I think it’s because of Fox News. Fox News has a massive audience. They just broke another record in a month ago, and they lie. They tell people a bunch of stuff that’s not true. Those people trust Fox News. They think it’s a legitimate news outlet, even though it’s been proven not to be. So you’re dealing with false facts. They just they tell people stuff that’s not true. If we had any kind of rigor across journalism, this wouldn’t be happening.
But you’re right. It’s a, go ahead, Lisa.
Lisa (18:07.676)
But you know, no, go ahead. No, I was just gonna say, I read though, you know, because Kamala Harris went on Fox News and kind of took down Brett Baier while she was being questioned. But from what I read is that the viewership for her interview on Fox was higher than the viewership for Trump’s interview on Fox, which I found interesting.
Chris Quinn (18:27.338)
Look, she’s a brilliant woman. She’s a great debater. She knows how to speak in the moment. So it was perfectly predictable that she would go in and trash that guy because she’s good at this. And I’m glad Fox viewers got to see it. But I’ll bet at the end of it, if I don’t, I didn’t watch but Fox News people probably said Brett Baier got the better of her. And the people who are watching would buy that. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
The drought report each week has been somewhat surprising in that the drought continues despite we’re getting rain. But with many of our yards in Cuyahoga County being mud puddles after days of intense rain earlier this week, can we finally say our drought here is over, Lisa?
Lisa (19:10.394)
Yes, in Northeast Ohio, at least that is true. So the US Drought Monitor weekly report released every Thursday found that Cuyahoga County is back to normal conditions after these recent rains, along with other Northeast Ohio counties and a small portion of Southern Ohio. There’s been no change in some other areas, most notably the Southern and Central counties. Exceptional drought exists in parts of 16 counties. That affects 8 % of the state. There’s been no change there for better or worse.
Extreme drought, there are four Northwest counties among the 11.8 % that have affected overall. There’s about 24 counties involved, no change there as well. Now we did see a little bit of change in severe drought. It did spread in Northwest Ohio. So it went from 12.9 % of, 12.5 % of people affected to almost 17%. Moderate drought did improve in three Southern Ohio counties.
About 28 % of the state is in moderate drought and that’s down nearly five points, but Ohio is still the only Midwest state with exceptional drought conditions.
Chris Quinn (20:19.092)
We did get a lot of rain in Northeast Ohio during that rainy period and it came down hard at times. So I was, I would have been surprised again if it came back and said, no, we’re still dealing with drought conditions. Cause in my neck of the woods, the ground was completely saturated. You’re listening to today in Ohio.
Lisa (20:20.604)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (20:37.332)
We talk about the big issues on the ballot every year, but often voters go into the polls and see a question about alcohol. Or a why is that and how can people get more information about it before they go to vote.
Laura (20:49.454)
Yeah, this seems like such an old fashioned weird system that voters get to decide directly whether a store in their area can sell alcohol or sell it on Sundays. And this goes back to the repeal of prohibition in 1933 because the states decided how they wanted to regulate alcohol. You if you go to somewhere else in different state, how you buy it is different. You know, could you buy wine at a gas station? That’s always what I want to know. Is it at a grocery store? So one of the ways that
Ohio regulates alcohol is through the local option election and wet and dry laws. So voters get to decide where they want spirits to be sold. And this happens basically every election. I got a flyer a few weeks ago urging us to approve alcohol at a gas station down the street. That’s issue 40 in Rocky River. So because these are not big campaigns, they don’t have a big budget, you might be confused. So you can find out more information through the Ohio Department of
They’ve created this website where you can check what exactly the issue is that you are voting on. You can find that at com.ohio.gov slash local option guide.
Chris Quinn (21:59.528)
Okay. That helps because I think people go in and are often confused by it because there’s no talk about it ahead of time. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. It’s not the great pumpkin of Charlie Brown fame, but it is a pumpkin mystery. What is going on with carved pumpkins at one of my very favorite places on this planet, Patterson’s Fruit Farm, Leila?
Leila (22:21.179)
This is such a cute one. So yeah, out in Chesterland at Patterson’s, there’s this playful Halloween mystery that’s been unfolding now for a second year. Last year, an anonymous artist left this beautifully carved pumpkin outside the market with no explanation. It’s just the spooky face, very detailed piece of art. And it delighted the owners and customers, but no one knew where it came from. So this year,
The unknown pumpkin artists struck again. They left another pumpkin, though this time it’s a simpler design, still beautiful. Kristin Patterson, who’s part of the family running the farm, speculates that the artist carved it on site and left quickly because of the rainy weather, and that’s why they think that the design was simpler. But the tradition has really added this touch of mystery and fun to the farm’s holiday season. Kristin shared her gratitude on Instagram and encouraged visitors to find the pumpkin, snap a photo, and then tag the farm.
And she hopes to someday discover the identity of the mysterious carver, but for now she’s just enjoying the annual surprise.
Chris Quinn (23:25.934)
It’s how many people go out there every weekend this time of the year. It’s just mobbed and they’ve built it up and built it out in the field of pumpkins there. It goes on forever. And whenever I’m there, I feel like I’m an outlier because we go to buy apples. Almost nobody else standing in line. Apples. Everybody else is getting fritters and…
Leila (23:41.478)
You’re just there shopping for apples. Everyone’s on the hay ride.
Lisa (23:41.618)
You’re just shopping for it.
Laura (23:49.407)
And all the fritters and all the pies and all the donuts and Chris is like, wait, this apple has more sugar than I consume on a regular basis.
Lisa (23:50.672)
Mm-hmm
Leila (23:52.911)
Right.
Chris Quinn (23:57.238)
I love their apples. I love that place. I’m out there almost every weekend.
Leila (23:57.296)
They
Leila (24:02.338)
It is one of the awesome things about living in Ohio is this agritourism that happens in the fall. And there so many places to go, Patterson’s being one. And I was just thinking about that the other day, like, wow, this is cool that we have these.
Lisa (24:09.457)
Mm-hmm.
Laura (24:19.138)
that too like people who go to North New England to look at the leaves and I’m like no we I can just look in my backyard or drive to the National Park like we don’t have to leave to appreciate fall.
Chris Quinn (24:19.188)
Whip.
Lisa (24:20.242)
people who go to New England.
Lisa (24:26.086)
National Park. We don’t have to leave too.
Leila (24:27.032)
Right.
I know.
Chris Quinn (24:30.046)
Well, everybody has the one they gravitate to. For me, it’s Patterson’s. For other people, it’s Dave’s. And on the West Side, I think there are others.
Leila (24:38.01)
We just went to Ramseyer Farms down in Worcester the other last, you know, and it’s, yeah, it’s great.
Lisa (24:42.066)
Yeah, it’s a great place.
Laura (24:44.012)
We’re going to Quarry Hill on Saturday with the Girl Scouts. I know they were so cute.
Chris Quinn (24:46.898)
You should have gone last week when all the golden retrievers were there.
Leila (24:47.078)
Aww.
aww
Chris Quinn (24:52.5)
You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Why might Saturday night’s Rockhall induction be the biggest ever, Lisa?
Lisa (24:59.366)
My God, it seems like everybody’s coming here. So it’s tomorrow, tomorrow night, seven o’clock at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, possibly the largest attendance of inductees, presenters, and performers ever for the Rock Hall of Fame, and the biggest for Cleveland definitely since 2009. So among the long list of announced guests, Queen Latifah, Jack Black, Jelly Roll, Demi Lovato, James Taylor, Roger Daltry of The Who, Sammy Hagar, Billy Idol,
Method Man, mean, everybody seems to be coming, Zendaya, Keith Urban. And then the inductees of this certain class, of this class are scheduled to perform. Among them, Cher, Mary J. Blige, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Cool in the Gang, the Dave Matthews Band and Dionne Warwick have been announced by the Hall of Fame that they will be performing. The event is sold out. It will be streamed live on Disney Plus.
An edited version will run on ABC on New Year’s Day and it’s available to stream on Hulu after that. So yeah, this is really exciting. I want to go downtown in stargaze.
Chris Quinn (26:02.198)
Our arts and culture editor, Mike Norman, used to be our rock critic and he was around from the beginning of the rock hall. He knows more than almost anybody’s got a ton of institutional memory. And he’s the guy that designs our coverage every time it’s in Cleveland. And he’s got a monster plan now with the whole army doing it. And I think it’s kind of special to him because he’s talking about retiring before the next induction comes to Cleveland.
Lisa (26:28.914)
Mmm.
Chris Quinn (26:31.434)
So it’s his last big show. I think the content that we’ll have rolling across our site will be loaded with good perspective. In the past, when it wasn’t broadcast live, people followed our in real time coverage to see what was going on, to get the big moments. Now we’re more like the second screen, if you watch on Disney Plus, but we got a team of people. It’s going to be fascinating. There’s so many big moments that could happen. There’s so many big names that are going to be here.
Lisa (26:50.468)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (27:00.854)
It’s going to be a powerful night. And meanwhile, the Guardians have a game that day. So downtown is going to be packed. I hope people can find parking. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. That’s it for the week of news. Thanks, Lisa. Thanks, Laura. Thanks, Leila. Thank you for listening. We’ll be back Monday talking about what happened to the Guardians.
Lisa (27:05.061)
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (27:11.184)
and speak.
