Hoolihan Has Died

It's the Akron Podcast for october 23, 2026.

Our website is akronpodcast.com. I know I mentioned this earlier,

but trick or treat in Akron will be from five to seven. That's

october 31, and it's basically five to seven in a lot of

different areas around summer six to eight. I will put a link

in the show notes to a list from the Akron Beacon Journal. For

instance, like Lakemore is four to six, Hudson is six to eight,

Fairlawn is five to seven, and Fairlawn's going early, october

25. So it's a long list, and it would be very boring to read, so

I will put a link in the show notes, the episode description,

and you can check it out for yourself. Akron is upgrading its

Cuyahoga River safety system with a $110,000 grant. The

Cuyahoga River conditions tool, known as Kayak, provides near

real time information about river conditions, weather, water

flow, and potential hazards. The upgrade will add LED indicators

at the river's access points, allowing visitors to see safety

conditions before entering the water. The online map uses a

color-coded system. Teal indicates lower risk, yellow

signals a high risk, and orange means extreme danger. Launched

in June, Kayak also identifies rapids, low water conditions,

and areas where paddlers should exit the river. The project is a

partnership involving the city of Akron, the Cuyahoga Valley

National Park, Summit Metro Parks, and the Cuyahoga River

Water Trail. Officials say the tool is especially important.

Good, because I'm trying to figure this out. As river

restoration brings more people back to enjoy the water.

However, visitors are reminded that conditions can change, and

everyone that enters should enter at their own risk and wear

a personal flotation device, that is strongly recommended. So

that's going to get upgraded with a $110,000 grant. Do we

have a lot of people drowning in the river or something? I'm

missing something here. One of the things that sucks about

getting older is a lot of your heroes are dying, and we lost

one this week. If you remember, before there was a Big Chuck and

Little John, there was Big Chuck and Houlihan, and Bob Houlahan

Wells left the show in 1979 to move to Clearwater, Florida, and

he died on October 21st at the age of 93. So now Big Chuck and

Little John are both gone, and Little John is still around. But

I was sad to hear that the Akron Zoo has opened a new hospital,

but that's not really for the public, and the Cleveland Metro

Park Zoo has officially opened its new primate forest, and it's

really just a major renovation of the rainforest building. And

the first phase of the project is 120 million dollars. It cost

about 70 million so far and features new animal habitats,

interactive exhibits, and spaces designed to help visitors learn

about wildlife and conservation. The improvements already

benefiting the animals. Cinnamon, the zoo's 16-foot

Burmese python, can now move between two habitats, and

keepers have noticed increased activity and appetite, so we

saved the Burmese python for 70 million bucks. Great. Meanwhile,

Puerto Rican crested toads began breeding within days of moving

into their new environment. They played some soft music, lit some

candles, and then more than 200 tadpoles were recently

reintroduced to Puerto Rico to help restore the endangered

species population. Then that's really what the zoo is all

conservation, making sure we don't lose these animals. The

two-story primate forest also includes an indoor play area.

That's always interesting. Like, look, it's a bunch of like a

what is it like a big you know plastic ball pool. I'm like,

don't you go to the zoo to look at animals? Okay, a science and

conservation studio, a force-themed theater, and an

interactive exhibit where visitors can explore sustainable

designs for Cleveland's future, the zoo officials say the goal

is to connect animal welfare, conservation, and the visitor

experience. Now, the next phase will be the construction of a

25,000 square foot gorilla forest featuring a new gorilla

habitat. The zoo hopes to complete the larger

transformation. As it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2032,

admission to the Primate Forest is included with a regular zoo

admission, and zoo members enter free. The Bowens Road Bridge

over the Cuyahoga River between Riverview Road and Akron

Peninsula Road has been closed for inspection as of october 20.

The closure was made out of an abundance of caution, according

to a news release from the Summit County Engineer's Office.

So what happened was there was a pothole on the bridge, and after

responding, the county's maintenance team determined the

bridge needed to be inspected before traffic can safely

resume, the outcome of the inspection is not yet known. And

according to the press release, engineers will determine whether

there's further action is needed after they get done inspecting

it. The closure may be temporary or may need to stay in place

while the next steps are decided. So, for northbound

traffic, the detour will be to use Ira Road to Riverview Road

to State Route 303. For southbound traffic, it will stay

open to Northampton Road. Well, we haven't done one of these in

a while, but you know, one man is dead and another is

recovering after a shooting at the Absolute Lounge on East

South Street in Akron, police responded at 10:30 Tuesday night

and found a 36-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to the

chest in the parking lot. A 26-year-old man was also found

shot inside the bar, and investigators believe a fight

inside the bar may have spilled into the parking lot, but

they're still working to establish what the heck

happened. A 33-year-old man has been taken into custody in

connection with the shooting, and police say they have

received conflicting accounts about whether the shooting was

an act of self-defense. Investigators also say there is

no known surveillance video capturing the shooting, making

witness statements especially important, a nearby community

mental health recovery center director expressed concern about

the violation and the danger of stray bullets that pose, you

know, when you're in that neighborhood, like, okay, I

guess I could go get some milk, cover me. My family goes out to

the family of the the person that's dead. As it's Friday,

let's take a look at the entertainment calendar. october

24. That's this Saturday. Puppy Pals live, the action packed

comedic stunt dog show will be at the Goodyear Theater, and

then this one I'm like, really? This this is happening at the

Northfield Reg Cino, William Shatner. Yep, live on stage,

also with Star Trek Two: The Wrath of Khan. So if you've ever

wanted to meet Bill, he will be at the Northfield Racino, and

then boy, this might get chilly. Sting is going to be at Blossom

Music Center. The they're calling it Sting 3.0, and that

is november 1, november 2, and november 3. That's kind of wild.

Three nights at Blossom. If you're into the Three Stooges,

drive down to Canton. Check out the Canton Palace. They are

doing a Three Stooges fest. That's november 6, november 9.

Little Feet will be doing a farewell tour at the Goodyear

Theater. That's a great place to see a gig. And then this is if

you're a musician, you probably know these names: Eric Gales,

great blues guitar player; Dennis Chambers on drums; and

bassist Billy Sheehan, better known as GCS, will be at the

Kent Stage. And then Little Big Town will be at the Civic

Theater, and Andy Grammer will be at the Goodyear Theater. Kev

Mo will be at the Goodyear Theater. That's november 17, and

that's enough of November. I'll tell you more as we get closer.

I did add some dates. Dates are already coming in for 2027, and

so if we look at that, Arrested Development is coming to EJ

Thomas in February. Anthony Jesselnik will be coming to the

Civic. Kenny Wayne Shepherd will be at the Goodyear Theater.

Stephen Bishop will be doing a farewell tour at the Kent Stage,

and Steve Hackett, the Best of Genesis and Solo, will be at the

Goodyear Theater. Those are all coming in 2027. So Akron and

Cleveland still pulling them in. And again, you can always check

the schedule by going to akronpodcast.com/events.