This featured audio clip is from a 2008 interview with long time Hessler Rd. resident and activist, Pat Holland.  Holland has lived on Hessler Rd. since 1968, first as a student, and later as a homeowner.   Holland has come to value the unique character of the Hessler Neighborhood, expressed annually in the Hessler Street Fair. Holland now works with University Circle Inc. to promote development in University Circle that includes a mix of residential, cultural and commercial properties.

In this clip Pat Holland, describes the early Hessler Street fairs, and the informal neighborhood parties held in the 1960’s and 70’s. As part of the Euclid Corridor Kiosk project, this clip includes added music at the beginning and end of the clip, along with an introduction by Dr. Mark Souther, history professor at CSU.

Listen as Holland fondly remembers the atmosphere of the neighborhood, enhanced by the number of musicians and artists in residence, including WMMS disk jockey, Len Goldberg.  The Hessler Street Fair continues to capture the spirit of the early years when spontaneous parties were popular.

Pat Holland on the Culture of the Hessler Street Fair [MP3]

Look for more oral history interviews in the Cleveland Regional Oral History collection or on the Euclid Corridor Oral History kiosks placed along Euclid Avenue.