Who Got Put on Leave? The Shocking Akron Superintendent Drama Unfolds!
The big news in Akron this week is the sudden leave of Akron Superintendent Dr. Michael Robinson from Akron Public Schools, which has everyone buzzing. Meanwhile, Mary Outley steps in as the interim superintendent (again), and the Mayor is optimistic about the future of the school district.
Also on the agenda, we'll discuss the city’s quest for a new logo—because apparently, the last one didn't quite cut it. And if you thought the city was done with all the logo drama, think again; we’re forming subcommittees now!
Plus, we’ll touch on some exciting developments at the Akron Zoo, including a new animal hospital set to open in 2026.
Takeaways:
- The Akron Public Schools Board of Education voted to place Superintendent Dr. Michael Robinson on immediate leave.
- A new City of Akron logo is being developed, likely to be revealed in 2025, because why not have an endless logo redesign cycle?
- Akron has been ranked as one of the most affordable cities for retirement in the U.S., so forget Florida, right?
- There's a new animal hospital being built at the Akron Zoo, which will be awesome for the animals, but let's hope they don't hire the designers from the last logo.
- The city and Akron Public Schools are still negotiating the contract for police in schools, which is a total joy to be dealing with, isn't it?
- A new orchestral piece titled 'Festive Fanfare for Akron's Bicentennial' is premiering soon, because what's more festive than a fanfare?
Links referenced in this episode:
- State of City Address June 3.
- Akron Inexpensive Retirement
- Child Support Service
- Akron Gets It's Own Song
- City of Akron Logo Survey
- akronpodcast.com/events
Mentioned in this episode:
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00:00 - None
00:18 - None
00:29 - State of the City at Lock 3
00:51 - APS Superintenant On Leave
02:06 - New Akron Logo
03:24 - Akron Zoo News
04:49 - Retire in Akron
06:06 - Cops in Schools
08:48 - Acorns Online Banking
09:32 - Coming Events
11:00 - Child Support Services
13:54 - Akron Gets It's Own Song
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Who got fired?
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Well, stay tuned.
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It's time for another episode of the Akron podcast.
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Our website, akronpodcast.com hey.
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You are invited to the State of the city address on June 3rd.
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This is from 5 to 6:30 at the newly renovated Lock 3 Park.
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Tickets are free, they're open to the public and I'll have links to where you can buy those tickets and hear from the mayor.
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Oh.
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Tuesday evening, during a special meeting, the Akron Board of Education voted to immediately place Akron Public School Superintendent Dr.
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Michael Robinson on leave.
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Executive Director of Elementary Schools Mary Outley will serve as interim superintendent.
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And the Mayor released the following statement.
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Akron Public Schools is essential is an essential institution in our community.
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And I know that Interim Superintendent Mary Outley and the outstanding staff and leadership at APS will help lead our city school district forward.
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I'm confident in their abilities and unwavering commitment to Akron students.
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And I look forward to working with the entire APS team as we continue building on a strong city slash school district partnership for the benefit of all Akron residents.
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In this moment, we all need to rally around Akron Public Schools and focus on how to best uplift and support the Akron public school staff, teachers and most importantly, Akron students.
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Okay, but how bad do you want to know what that guy did to just like, yeah, you're fired.
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I find this one a little odd.
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The City of Akron and the Bicentennial Committee are announcing the next steps in a process to create a new City of Akron logo.
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Didn't we just do this with the dude with the tire?
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Like that process will be guided by a subcommittee.
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Of course.
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Why have one committee when you can have two under the Akron Bicentennial Commission and will last throughout the year with the goal of unveiling the next city loco at the Bicentennial's closing ceremony on December 6, 2025.
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Bring your coats, kids.
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The committee issued a request for proposal to seek an individual or firm who will be responsible for the creation of the next logo.
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Does this mean we get the money back from the people who designed the guy with the tire?
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I don't.
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Wait.
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There's also launching a survey to gather input from residents on what they would like to see incorporated in the new city logo.
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I have links in the show notes for that.
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So if you want your input on the logo.
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Oh, I can only imagine.
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Go out again website akron podcast.com and put in your input on what you'd like to see in the new city logo.
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Hey, you know, I will put the Akron Zoo up against Cleveland's any day.
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I was really surprised.
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The last time I went to the Cleveland Zoo there's no monkeys.
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Like how can you have a zoo with no like monkey island?
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Yeah, nothing.
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I couldn't believe it.
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But this week they broke ground on a new animal hospital and the president, Doug pykars, along with U.S.
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congresswoman Amelia Sykes, State Representative Bill Romer, Veronica Sims and Derek hall and other elected officials took place in the ceremonial groundbreaking the Tom and Shelley Courtneck Animal Hospital.
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So if you're wondering like where's the money coming from this, I'm thinking the Kortnik family.
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This is going to open in 2026 and it's an 11.9 million project.
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And the Akron Zoo provides in house care for thousands of animals on a daily basis, including regular checkups, management of diseases and chronic conditions, surgeries and end of life care.
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This 11,949 square foot building will include a state of the art surgery suite, intensive care unit, and specialized spaces for different species including birds, hoofstock primates and large carnivores.
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So that's really cool that we're going to have this right at our own Akron Zoo.
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Hey, I know the price of eggs is through the roof and all that, but when it comes to retirement, many people often picture warmer climates such as Florida or Arizona.
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But what about Ohio?
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Well, the Buckeye state, it boasts three of the top five best cities for affordable retirement in the U.S.
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according to a report from GoBankingRates.com Akron.
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That's right, the most affordable cities for retirees in the U.S.
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according to the report, which was called 50 Cheap, Cheapest Places to retire across America.
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Monthly expenditures in Akron average about 1600.
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Well, basically $1700.
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And 15.7% of the city's population is age 65 or older.
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Go.
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Bankingrates.com Overall, Akron is has a livability score of 81 according to the report.
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And while Akron tops the list of affordable retirement cities, Cleveland and Toledo aren't far behind.
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Yeah, but they're behind.
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So suck it.
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Toledo and Cleveland.
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Yeah.
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So there you go.
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Way to go Akron for being one of the cheapest places to retire.
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So if you're thinking of going to Florida, maybe not.
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I remember when school was about reading, writing and arithmetic, maybe passing a couple notes.
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But after months of negotiations, the city of Akron and the Akron Public Schools, we talked about them at the beginning of the show.
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They have voted down a new contract that would have taken away its veto power over which Akron police officers are placed in its schools.
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The is this why we are Because Akron Public, the Police department is always looking for new police, and maybe that's why, because now we have to police the schools.
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But anyway, the contract would have guaranteed that officers continued working inside Akron schools through the end of June.
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If you remember back at, well, I always call it Firestone High School, the community Learning Center, Zachary McCormick punched the student three times in the head after he attempted to bypass the school's metal detector.
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And as McCormick was trying to arrest him.
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That sounds fun.
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That's one of those where you're like, okay, before we go, jump into conclusions, like, what'd the kid do?
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But the cop was reassigned out of the school in a contentious aftermath, as allowed under the contract between the schools and the city at the time, which is what they want.
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They're like, hey, we want that veto power.
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And of course, the police union then said, hey, we got to give this guy's due process, which is also true.
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True.
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So can't we all just get along?
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So they're trying to find a compromise at this point.
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The contract between the APS and the City of Akron expired on January 1st.
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That was a while ago.
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Kids like, yeah, a while.
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And officers have been working in the schools without an updated agreement.
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The grievance filed by the FOP against the city is still ongoing as the two sides also negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
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In the meantime, the city and school district's attorneys have for months been getting paid.
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Oh, that's not in the story.
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But they have been.
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Have been negotiating a new agreement for the school resource officers.
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And Akron schools superintendent, you know, Michael Robinson, who was the guy we just talked about that's on administrative leave, agreed to a proposal that placates the city's relationship with.
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With the police union and keeps the officers in the Akron schools.
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But, yeah, that's kind of sad that, A, we have to have cops in our schools, and B, you know, there's some kid maybe doing some shenanigans that got himself punched in the head, or maybe we just got a bad cop.
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You never know.
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But as the old book from Stephen Covey, always understand before trying to be understood.
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If you go out to the Akron podcast events calendar, you will see where this weekend, the Fix with Jill Sobel is at the Kent Stage, Peter Noon.
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And if you're like, who is Peter Noon?
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He is the lead singer of back in the Day, Herman's Hermits.
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He will be at the Civic.
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Speaking of the Civic Peter's on April 25th.
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Next day, Saturday, comedian Brian Regan will be at the Civic after that.
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When we get into May, you got the Gene Simmons Band, former bass player of Kiss.
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He's going to be at mgm, Northfield, Breaking Benjamin and Stained.
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That's going to be at Blossom.
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Blossom.
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How cool is it that we're talking blossom?
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May 19th is when that happens.
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Also at Blossom on, let's see, May 23rd, that is Jason Aldean.
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That's a country guy.
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So that's coming.
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And then the 25th primus, I guess it's called Pucifer And A Perfect Circle.
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Also at Blossom.
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That's May 25th.
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May 30th, Dave Matthews Band, all Dave.
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Yeah, that's May 30th.
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So those are some things.
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There are more out there if you go out to akronpodcast.com events.
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At a Ward 7 meeting, Travis Johnson from the Summit County Child Services Enforcement Agency spoke about the organization's current programs and services.
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So what is a child support program?
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What offers various services that work with both of a child's parents to establish and enforce child support orders?
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Now, child support orders are payments or medical coverage that one parent, typically the non custodial parent, makes to the child's other parent or legal guardian, typically the custodial parent or guardian, meaning, you know, they have sole or primary custody of the child to support the cost of raising the child.
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Yeah, so pay up, deadbeat.
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The child support program is overseen by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and it's located in each of Ohio's 88 counties.
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So who can request child support program services?
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Anyone can request child support services, both custodial and non custodial parents.
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Some grandparents or other caretakers may also apply.
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And what services are available?
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Well, they include locating an absent parent.
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Could be genetic testing to determine paternity.
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Who knew Maury Povich worked at, you know, CSEA establishing and modifying a child support medical support order and enforcing child existing child support orders.
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And last but not least, case management services pertaining to child support, including connecting parents to employment opportunities.
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Which is good because sometimes you can't pay because you know you don't have a job.
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That's no fun.
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And so how can a CSEA carry out child support orders?
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They have several ways to administer child support orders when a payment is one month or more in default.
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Basically, you can withhold child support payments from their wages.
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You can intercept state and federal tax refunds.
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You can report the delinquent parent to credit bureaus.
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You can suspend recreational and professional licenses.
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That's a bummer.
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Which is good.
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You're supposed to take care of your kids.
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I think it was Chris Rock.
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People go, I take care of my kids.
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And he's like, you're supposed to.
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It's your job.
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You can basically have them put on wanted posters, you can freeze their assets held in financial institutions, you can place liens on certain properties and issuing an order to require the payer to seek work.
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Yeah, get off your butt.
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So I'll have a link to that out in the show Notes.
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If you unfortunately, are in that situation where you have to have somebody, you know, like, take care of your kid, how crazy is that?
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Hey, Akron has its own song.
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And you, if you haven't heard, we turned 200 this year.
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So Peter Boyer has composed an orchestral piece for among many things including he did something for President Biden.
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He did something for King Charles III on the 90th anniversary.
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But a city for a song, well, that's a new one, he says.
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I have, I guess, developed a kind of reputation as someone that people can turn to for what are generally called celebratory pieces.
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So I've written pieces for anniversaries of various kinds, specifically for a city that's his first time.
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So.
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On Tuesday, the Cleveland Orchestra's brass and percussion sections will perform the world premiere of Boyer's piece that he wrote for Akron.
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It's called Festive Fanfare for Akron's Bicentennial.
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That guy is creative.
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If you want to check this out, it's going to be at the E.J.
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thomas Performing Arts Hall.
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The fanfare were open to Tuesday's Musicals Bicentennial concert.
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The performance will also feature Modest Mussorskis.
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That's a fun name to say.
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Pictures at an exhibition I've heard.
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It's got a great beat and it's easy to dance to.
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There's a bunch of other songs that you've never heard of that I'm not going to read.
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And the idea for the song came from Elaine Grugian, a Tuesday musical volunteer, spent 18 years as a classical music and dance critic for the Akron Beacon Journal.
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Elaine said, I read that a bicentennial commission had been set up.
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It just came to me.
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I just thought Akron needs a fanfare.
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So we got one.
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Our own tune.
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How cool is that?
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And you can hear it Tuesday at EJThomas.
