From The Editors

Since the beginning of the Erie Reader, we've made it part of our mission to dispel the rumor heard far too often throughout our region: There's nothing to do in Erie. The backbone of our publication — the content always found "on the fold" and set at the core of each issue — has been the If We Were You section, a portion of the paper dedicated to debunking the myth perpetuated by some that Erie's event listings are paltry at best and worthy of bemoaning as we cast eyes out away from our shores longing for a city with, well, more.

So onward we embarked, setting out to serve as ambassadors of Erie to her own naysayers, highlighting the active arts and culture scene in the Gem City, and rather than struggling to find content to populate that section — yes, in fact, there are things happening in Erie on Mondays — we found ourselves tasked with a more arduous process: Picking and choosing what to feature and what would unfortunately be omitted due to space constraints.

As we continue to grow, we recognize that our city and region is continuing to grow. Just as we've only been a small dot on Erie's long and populated timeline, we've seen the emergence of new restaurants, new live music venues, new ideas, and new growth — all within just the last few years.

But that's not to say such growth hasn't come without loss, as we have also witnessed withering and decay. But Erie's growth — the blossoming versus the pruning — exceeds its decline, and the roots of that vibrant arts scene are growing stronger each day.

Which breeds change.

You'll see that growth and change actualized in this current issue when you visit the overhauled calendar section, which now features a categorized, comprehensive listing of Erie Events, as well as more than twice as many articles about the things in Erie that give us cause to celebrate the artistic and intellectual development in our region. That is, there are plenty of things to do in Erie, and these new pages will better serve as your guide to those cool things happening here.

And largely, the cool things happening here are because of the remarkable people who choose to make Erie their home. In this issue you'll find two stellar examples of that: Howie Glover and Cees Smit.

The latter — a gifted and legendary athlete from the Netherlands — came to America and lived in bigger cities, but saw the opportunities on the shores of Lake Erie. So here he settled and here he made a great impact on lives in our community — which you can read in a refreshing installment of our You Ought to Know series.

The former grew up in Brooklyn, and from the first few lines of the feature — one involving guns, drugs, fights, and jail time — it becomes clear that this didn't begin as a feel-good story. But Howie Glover chose change, turning from a course bent toward destruction to one of creation and inspiration.

Like Smit, Glover chose to live here in Erie, even though his skillset may fit more comfortably in larger markets. And given the accolades others are quick to give him in Cory Vaillancourt's feature, it's not hard to see the impact Glover's having on Erie's arts scene.

This is an exciting and invigorating time for Erie; even as she withers and decays like all things, she also grows and expands. And if we were you, we'd drink it all in.