Cleveland's large Slovenian community comes together for festival to welcome spring

Cleveland Kurentovanje Northeast Ohio is home to the largest population of Slovenians outside of Slovenia, roughly 47,000 people. It's no surprise that it's also home to the largest winter festival celebrating Slovenian arts and culture outside of that European country. Cleveland Kurentovanje, also known as the Slovenian Mardi Gras, begins this weekend. Its a multi-day festival that celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The festival has been volunteer-run for 14 years, and is a program of the Slovenian Museum and Archives, which has a new exhibit part of the festival celebrating the life and legacy of one famous Clevelander of Slovenian and Serbian heritage — George Voinovich, who was a Republican mayor of Cleveland, governor of Ohio and U.S. senator. The exhibit is called "Together We Can Do It!" and honors Voinovich's passion for public service and global cooperation. On Thursday's "Sound of Ideas," we'll learn more about the festival and exhibit by hearing from some of the organizers joining me in studio. Guests: - Suzana Češarek, Consul General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland - Greg Nosan, President, Slovenian Museum & Archives - Kathy Walters, Member, Cleveland Kurentavanje Executive Committee Terry Pluto's new book on the Browns Sports commentator Terry Pluto has a new book out that builds on previous releases "False Start" and "Browns Blues" and arrives at another turning point for the Browns. With a new head coach, a reshuffled team, and a new stadium on the way, Pluto explores the questions fans never stop asking, such as "Why can't the Browns find their quarterback?," "When will there be a Super Bowl run," and "Why does this team still inspire such fierce loyalty?" People may know Terry Pluto from his weekly "View from Pluto" segment with Ideastream "All Things Considered" host Amanda Rabinowitz. He's also a longtime columnist for The Plain Dealer, and formerly for the Akron Beacon Journal. Pluto will talk about his new book, and the moment Browns fans find themselves in. Guest: - Terry Pluto, Sports Commentator & Author, "Why Can’t This Team Just Find a Quarterback?” The Menu: Sports Bars Later in the show, regardless of how they're playing, many folks still tune in to watch the Browns each week. And that's good news for Cleveland's bars and restaurants. Whether it's to watch that team win or lose, or watch a Guardians game in the summer, a Major League Soccer game or even just get a basket of chicken wings, the sports bar remains a reliable fixture in Northeast Ohio. But is the sports bar still just cheap Budweiser's and guys yelling at a TV, or is it morphing into something else? On this week's installment of "The Menu," our food series in collaboration with Cleveland Magazine, we'll discuss a new sports bar in Lakewood, just ahead of the Olympics kicking off this Friday, and the Superbowl taking place on Sunday. Guests: - Will Hollingsworth, Owner, Buildings and Food