Find out more about concerts and picnics at:
Fourth of July weekend
Pack the sandwiches, the napkins and the lemonade, but don’t forget the world-famous orchestra.
Picnics seem like mere meals-on-a-blanket until we enter the season at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra.
The same could be said for the free Music in the Meadow series in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with its jazz, bluegrass and African drumming. Or the ticketed Cain Park shows in Cleveland Heights, or any one of the sunset band concerts at public gazebos across Northeast Ohio.
Good food, good music and good weather make beautiful harmony.
Don’t let these good times melt away. Make the most of your portable hot-weather feast with a little planning for easy transport, comfort and food safety. Also, take a look at our slide show of nifty picnic gadgets to help you out.
• First, check the rules of the concert venue. For popular music shows, Blossom doesn’t let you take in alcohol or more than a clear, 1-gallon bag of food. It’s another matter at Cleveland Orchestra performances.
“Everything goes except tiki torches,” says Ana Papakhian, Blossom’s communications director.
That means you can take in the food and drink of your choice in coolers, plus blankets, lawn chairs and whatever other picnic accoutrements you can lift onto the trams that run frequently from the parking lots to the front gates. While many picnic on the amphitheater’s sloped lawn, others dine at picnic tables on the grass near the parking lots.
• Don’t take anything that will melt (except for ice) or spoil on a hot night. Avoid foods with raw fish and dairy items, or anything else that could spoil quickly. Ice cubes and sealed packs work well, but they’re not as powerful as a fridge. So chill meal items before you put them in the cooler.
Use the two-hour rule — two hours at room temperature marks the start of bacterial growth for many foods.
• Stay neat. Don’t bring messy items that need to be sliced, such as whole watermelons or roasts. Best to serve what can be held in the hand.
• Open-flame grilling is not allowed at Blossom or Cain Park, but Music in the Meadow at Howe Meadow in Peninsula will let you bring in table-top grills (and your little dog, too, if you keep Toto on a leash no longer than 6 feet).
• Alcohol policies vary. Blossom permits alcohol for orchestra concerts and sells it then, too.
“We have a list of bottles that we sell at grocery store prices,” said Papakhian. “You buy it right there and pop it open.”
Music in the Meadow, held on a national park property, does not allow alcohol to be brought in. Neither does Cain Park. But Cain Park sells wine and beer and stages occasional pre-concert wine tastings.
• Don’t worry if you’re sweltering too much to pack. Blossom Grille sells food on site and offers meals that can be pre-ordered. Cain Park takes advance orders, too, including poached salmon with a dill creme fraiche and tenderloin baguette. On Wednesday, the Music in the Meadow Concert will be preceded by a meal of salads, desserts and grilled meats from valley farms. See accompanying box for information.
Should you forget a chair, Blossom rents them for $5 per event.
• Don’t forget a blanket. After a good meal, and during a stretch of dreamy music, a view of the sky makes a great dessert for the senses.
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