Ohio Gov. DeWine’s proposed budget hitting right notes with music clubs

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - There’s been no singing at the Beachland Ballroom on Waterloo Road on the Cleveland East side North Collinwood neighborhood since March 15, 2020 due to the coronavirus.

Now, owner Cindy Barber is singing the praises of Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget.

“It’s awesome,” she says. “It’s a visionary budget.”

Gov. DeWine knows the pandemic hit bars, restaurants, museums, and clubs hard. His budget calls for up to $30,000 to places like the Beachland.

“The more we get into a normal situation in regard to this virus, the better off any entertainment place is going to be,” he says.

The Beachland opened for a few small shows in the fall with a capacity of 64, down from 500, but shut down again as COVID numbers surged.

“A lot of people say don’t expect to get back to normal shows until the fall of 2022,” Barber says. “We want to keep our staff engaged. We want to be able to keep people employed.”

The Beachland is the anchor of the arts district, bringing in 80,000 people to the neighborhood, and Barber says if the Beachland goes, so goes the neighborhood, which is why the help is so important.

“There’s hope,” Barber says.

The Beachland has planned a small show Feb. 25.

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