LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The 30th annual Lakewood Community Festival will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9 at Madison Park, 13029 Madison Ave. - rain or shine.

The festival celebrates the diversity of Lakewood, including its community, cultural heritage and families. It is a day of fun and activities for everyone.

There will be craft and game booths, bounce houses and children's games, as well as a variety of foods including stuffed cabbage, pierogis, potato cakes, cabbage and noodles, kielbasa and sauerkraut, pizza and more. Those with a sweet tooth can purchase an assortment of traditional ethnic baked goods and other desserts.

Sponsored by the Lakewood Community Festival, Inc. and the city of Lakewood, it traditionally is the last event of the summer.

Festival proceeds will be donated to various local organizations.

Dog swim: Friends of the Lakewood Dog Park will have their 13th annual Dog Swim 5-7 p.m. Sept. 5 at Foster Pool in Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Ave. The event is collaboration among the city, FLDP and the Lakewood City Schools Community Recreation and Education Department.

Admission to the fundraiser is $8 for one dog and $7 for each additional dog. Proceeds will benefit FLDP, the all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that works with the city of Lakewood to care for the Lakewood Dog Park and raises funds for dog park improvements.

Dogs must be at least 4 months old, vaccinated and licensed.

A waiver is required for all human guests. The waiver can be accessed online at lakewoodrecreation.com/user/files/dog_swim_waiver_2017.pdf . It can be printed, completed and brought to the pool that night in order to save time.

Sunday afternoon traffic was light on West 130th Street in the construction area.

Construction frustration: Drivers trying to maneuver in the West 130th Street area in West Park continue to be frustrated as roadwork drags on. Cleveland Ward 16 Councilman Brian Kazy is staying in touch with city officials and working to keep residents and merchants in the impacted area up to date on the project, which has caused some nightmarish traffic jams and has made accessing Interstate 480 tricky at times.

Also, work continues on a sewer project that has a section of Rocky River Drive torn up near Puritas Avenue. That project has irritated motorists heading to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Fairview Dems meet: The next meeting of the Fairview Park Democratic Club is at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 in the Dunson Room of Fairview Park City Hall, 20777 Lorain Road. The entrance and parking are in the rear of the building.

Traffic is funneled into the curb lanes only in the Rocky River Drive construction zone.

This will be the first meeting following summer break. Club officials said the meeting will focus on shaping the organization's next action steps geared toward making a positive difference in the community.

Democratic and open-minded members of the community are welcome. For further information, including how to join, visit fairviewparkdems.org, call 440-716-9923, or visit the Fairview Park Democratic Club Facebook page.

Market time: With all the fruit and vegetables nearing the end of the growing season, this is a great time to visit local farmers markets. Here's a quick look at some local market options:

Lakewood Farmers Market

Frostville Farmers Market

Kamm's Corners Farmers Market

Friday Night Flick: All are invited to a free movie in the park at 8 p.m. Sept. 1 at Lakewood Park.

"The Secret Life of Pets" will be shown at the bandstand at dusk.

Some seating is available, but attendees might want to bring a blanket or lawn chairs.

The park is at 14532 Lake Ave.

Tea and Trumpets: North Olmsted City Schools Education Foundation invites the community to "Be Our Guest" 2-4 p.m. Sept. 10 at the St. Clarence Church Pavilion to celebrate the arts and education in North Olmsted.

NOCSEF and the North Olmsted Arts Commission will collaborate on the event, which will include live chamber music from local student musicians, tea and a cupcake, kid-friendly activities and visits beautiful and beastly characters. Attendees are invited bring their cameras.

Register for the free event at eventbrite.com/e/be-our-guest-at-tea-trumpets-tickets-36456971784?aff=NOCSWebsite.

Jazzin' it up: LakewoodAlive's next free Front Porch Concert will feature popular jazz musician Ernie Krivda and the Organ Quartet 7-9 p.m. Sept. 1 on the front porch of Lakewood Public Library, 15425 Detroit Ave.

The 11-week free, outdoor concert series wraps up on Sept. 15.

Krivda, in his fifth decade as a jazz performer, is considered one of the great tenor saxophone players of his time. He has composed, recorded and performed extensively throughout his career. In 2009, he received the Cleveland Arts Prize for his lifetime achievement in music.

The front porch concerts, now in their seventh year, draw several thousand attendees each year to the heart of Lakewood.

Attendees should plan to bring a blanket or lawn chair and snacks.

Visit LakewoodAlive.org/FrontPorchConcerts for more information.

Property maintenance resources: Qualifying North Olmsted homeowners are eligible for a new property maintenance resource now through the end of the year.

Residents whose homes are 50 years old or older can participate in the Heritage Home Program. It offers free home repair and maintenance advice, personalized site visits and access to as low as 2 percent, fixed-interest financing over a five- to 10-year term.

Contact HHP staff at 216-426-3116 or HHP@heritagehomeprogram.org for more information.

Family history help: Are you interested in tracing our family's roots? The Cuyahoga West Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will meet 1-2:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road, Westlake for a free family history research help session in the computer lab.

Members of Cuyahoga West Chapter, OGS will offer free family history research assistance to the public. Attendees should bring pedigree and/or family group sheets to aid the volunteers in helping you.

For more information, email cuyahogawest@gmailo.com or visit

rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohcwogs.

Community relations meeting: The Cleveland Police Department First District Community Relations Committee will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, 10205 Lorain Ave., Cleveland.

Those attending are asked to bring canned goods or household products, including toilet paper or peroxide, to donate to the church.

For more information, contact Tammy Hanna, 216-664-6634.

At the library: The Fairview Park Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library will present "We Made History - Ulysses S. Grant" 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in the lower meeting room at the library, 21255 Lorain Road.

Donald Miller of We Made History will re-enact Grant and take the audience back to the summer of 1865, when the former president was writing his memoirs from his home in Mt. McGregor, New York. There will be reflections from Grant on the pre-Civil War years, the Civil War and a brief introduction to his early presidency.

The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Fairview Park Branch Library and registration is required. Visit cuyahogalibrary.org, or call the Fairview Branch, 440-333-4700.

Opa!: Don't forget about the seventh annual Kamm's Corners Greek Festival 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 1-3 and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 4 on West 168th Street off Lorain Avenue in West Park.

The event is sponsored by the George Varouh Cretan Center and will include outdoor seating as well as indoor seating in the Cretan Center. West 168th Street will be blocked off to traffic so huge tents can be set up for seating and dancing.

A variety of Greek foods will be sold, including lamb shank, lamb roasted on a spit, Greet roasted chicken dinners, gyros, Greek-style green beans, spanakopita, pastries and more.

There will be demonstrations by Cretan dance groups in costume, 50/50 raffles and live music by Stigma.

Know your home: Registration is ongoing for the next program in LakewoodAlive's free Knowing Your Home series, "Plumbing 101." It will be offered 7-9 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Turkish Cultural Center, 13303 Madison Ave., Lakewood and it is the first plumbing workshop to be offered.

Led by Fred Cortright, the workshop is designed to equip homeowners with a basic understanding of their home's plumbing system. LakewoodAlive officials said the goal is to empower homeowners to feel more confident addressing common plumbing problems and repairs.

Topics to be covered during this workshop include:

Plumbing as a system

How the system works

What types of materials plumbing is made from

Common problems and repairs

Updating and what that means

Water-saving options

To reserve a spot, call 216-521-0655 or visit LakewoodAlive.org for more information.

This is the fourth year for the programs. In lieu of charging for the events, LakewoodAlive asks participants to consider either making a donation to LakewoodAlive or bringing canned foods or other nonperishable items for donation to the Lakewood Community Services Center.

Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. in Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted and West Park for the A Place in the Sun column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.