CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — After the previous city administration sidelined volunteers for more than a year, the Friends of Cain Park are back in action this summer season — and beyond.

City Council authorized a two-year formal agreement Monday (June 1) with the grassroots organization that had otherwise assisted with events and activities at the historic venue for more than 30 years.

Since incorporating in 1993, Friends Board President Gary Lustic said the nonprofit contributed over $300,000 to programming at the park.

Those funds paid acts to play shows that were free to the public and provided prize money for the annual juried Cain Park Arts Festival, among other causes.

Aside from raising money, members also volunteer their time for cleanups and other beautification efforts, such as gardening that re-introduces native plants, Councilman Joe DeWitt-Foy noted.

This new contract came almost a year after the city sent a letter advising Lustic that more strategic planning was needed after “transformational” improvements to Cain Park and its amphitheater.

Under former Mayor Kahlil Seren, the Friends group was told that “it would be prudent to put our relationship on hold for the duration of the 2025 season and use this year to complete the transition.”

As it turned out, the Seren administration was over before those renovations to Cain Park, following a recall election last September.

The Friends organization had basically been stymied since the conclusion of the 2024 Cain Park season, when it sold 201 memberships.

Along with other activities like raffles, the Friends were able to donate $17,000 to the city and park.

“All of our fundraising goes to the city for performers and artists,” Lustic said.

“But after last year, when people wanted to buy memberships, we couldn’t sell any.”

Things started to change as incoming Mayor Jim Petras filled some key vacancies during his first 100 days in office this year.

These included Suzanne Conway as Cain Park general manager and Michael Reese as city administrator.

“We worked as a team to get an agreement in place that provides certainty to the FOCP (Friends of Cain Park) and satisfies the city,” Reese told council prior to Monday’s unanimous vote.

About two months ago, he met with Lustic and Friends Board Secretary Andrea Turner at a local coffee shop.

“They educated me on the importance and history of Cain Park,” Reese said.

The terms

Conway said the “memorandum of understanding (MOU)” extends through the 2027 Cain Park season.

“It’s a good agreement and a good blueprint for all of our future seasons,” she told council.

Because they missed a year of fundraising, the Friends will give the city $1,050 for the arts festival prizes this season, going up to $1,950 in 2027, Conway said.

In return, the city offers members a first option on buying up to 50 pavilion tickets, with $2 discounts per ticket, for any regularly scheduled show at Cain Park.

“That is for all their members, so it’s a good way to sell memberships,” Conway said.

The MOU also calls for continued stipends from the Friends for some free performances like Yoda Shakeup, New Long Road and the Local 4 Summer Series.

“The city gives them a table to sell memberships at each performance,” Conway said. “They can also solicit donations with a raffle.”

Aside from memorializing the agreement in writing, Councilman Craig Cobb asked if there were any significant changes from prior years.

“It’s pretty similar to what we’ve done in the past with them,” Conway said, adding, “this at least codifies the terms and the relationship.”

Cobb said it was great to see the resumption, “because of so many severed relationships over the last few years with organizations like these.”

He gave Petras credit for making it a priority, “because we can’t do it alone.”

“And this is a valuable partnership for Cain Park.”

After passage, Turner echoed those sentiments.

“We’re happy to be serving Heights residents and all of Cain Park’s patrons again after a 1 1/2 year hiatus,” she said.

“We encourage folks to come out to the park and experience all it has to offer.”

Righting a wrong

Councilman Jim Posch said that many felt very disappointed in how the Friends organization was treated.

“And now it’s wonderful to see a wrong turned into a right with administrative support and a layer of transparency that I think someone was trying to sweep under a rug in a prior administration,” Posch said.

Councilwoman Jessica Cohen thanked Petras and his staff for going the extra mile.

“The fate of the Friends of Cain Park under the last administration was one of the motivators for me to campaign on this idea of having MOUs with our ‘friends’ organizations,” Cohen said.

“Because I was so dismayed that we were losing the support of that nonprofit and others.”

Cohen added that “handshake agreements are not always ironclad” and that the MOU will ensure that the work and the partnership will continue.

Thanking everyone involved for their hard work, patience and persistence in “getting this across the line,” DeWitt-Foy said he went to the Cain Park box office the previous weekend to pick up some tickets.

“And this was the one thing that was kind of hanging over my excitement,” DeWitt-Foy said of the previous stalemate.

“So I’m glad we were able to get this done and FOCP can move forward with this.”

Turner said that the Friends of Cain Park need to get their own website up and running again.

“We are working on getting our ducks in a row again in terms of signing folks up for memberships,” Turner said.

For now, folks can follow Friends of Cain Park on Facebook or Instagram.