CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio -- Today we "unzip" the 44146 zip code by finding the coolest things in Bedford, Oakwood Village, Walton Hills and Bedford Heights.
BEDFORD
In Bedford it's all about the festivals. With carnival games, food, music and even a summer car show, downtown events like the Strawberry Festival and Wednesday night Parties in the Park bring people together creating that good old home town family feel.
“Everybody knows everybody and they're very welcoming,” says Sandy Spinks, who has called Bedford home for the past 12 years. “It’s just events like this (the Strawberry Festival) that make it a great place to live.”
“I love this area,” says Carmen Carter who owns Tribute’s Spiritual Gift Shop in downtown Bedford. “I love that the city keeps up the streets.”
Speaking of streets, the shops that line Broadway Avenue in historic downtown Bedford helped land the area on Architectural Digest’s 2017 list of the 15 Most Beautiful Main Streets Across America.
OAKWOOD VILLAGE
Move a few miles southeast on Broadway Avenue and you’ll run into a parking lot in the Village of Oakwood that turns into a concert venue during the summer.
Mayor Gary Gottschalk proudly describes the transformation of the parking lot -- which typically holds the vehicles of those shopping at nearby stores -- as “the hottest summer concert series put on by a municipality in Ohio.”
Performers lined up for this year’s Marshall Sewell Summer Concert Series include the Legends of Soul and tribute performances for the Bee Gees and Elvis.
The free concerts are held every Thursday night from July 12 through August.
WALTON HILLS
Enjoy bike trails, nature and golf in Walton Hills. Miles of Cleveland Metroparks' Bedford Reservation are within the boundary lines of the village. Plus, Shawnee Hills Golf Course also sits on the border of Walton Hills and Bedford.
BEDFORD HEIGHTS
With two indoor pools, a gym, and a weight room, the community center is the envy of the neighborhood in Bedford Heights.
The center also hosts the Bedford Heights Summer Food Service Program. The city contracts with the State Board of Education to feed approximately 250 children at multiple sites throughout the community during the summer months. There is no cost to participants for the program.
JULY 4 PARADE
The communities within the 44146 unite each year for the big Fourth of July parade that travels on Columbus Rd through Bedford and Bedford Heights. This year’s parade kicks off Wednesday, July 4 at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Columbus Road and Washington Street in Bedford. It ends at the Bedford Heights Community Center on Perkins Road.
Organizers say more than 90 groups are registered to march in the parade, which features entertainment, unique cars and lots of candy. The community is expecting more than 1,000 people to line this year’s parade route.
