Mark Price

2 weeks ago | beaconjournal.com | Mark Price

Do you remember the Smash Group? The Akron artists were the darlings of the creative world in the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Hans Fellsheimer, the avant-garde collective produced a stunning amount of work ranging from sculptures to paintings to fiber art to intellectual critiques. Its eclectic roster included visionaries such as Carla Idiberry, Reese Bulgar, Ack Ack Hux, LaLane Watson, Jeff Gille, Tierney Swan, Mircola Gaithre and, of course, the Zollo Twins.

2 weeks ago | beaconjournal.com | Mark Price

If your grandparents ever told you they saw a Hollywood icon eating raw meat inside an Akron department store, they weren’t lying. Leo the Lion, the mascot of MGM Studios, roared into town in April 1933. “He’s the world-famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion,” the M. O’Neil Co. advertised. “You’ve heard him roar over the radio. You’ve seen him in the movies. Now you have the chance of a lifetime to see Leo in person. Be sure to bring the children.”The 500-pound beast arrived in a motorized caravan.

2 weeks ago | beaconjournal.com | Mark Price

As Akron celebrates its bicentennial in 2025, we’re looking back at two centuries of headlines. Visit BeaconJournal.com every Sunday morning throughout the bicentennial year for a look back at the week in Akron history. Here’s what happened this week in local history:1825: Throughout the Western Reserve, sales agent James Patrick advertised three tracts of public land for sale in Tuscarawas County.

2 weeks ago | beaconjournal.com | Mark Price

Our former Beacon Journal colleague Edna Jakubowski, an award-winning journalist and graphic designer, shared a mysterious picture that turned up in her grandmother’s belongings. “Years ago, I mentioned this photo,” she wrote. “Totally forgot about it, but found it again and snapped a photo.”The black-and-white image shows hundreds of people, mostly women in buttoned-up Victorian attire (although there are a few men), seated in a decorated hall around the late 19th century.

3 weeks ago | beaconjournal.com | Mark Price

How stupid do they think we are? Don’t answer that. Thousands of emails arrive each day at the Beacon Journal. While most of the messages appear to be legitimate forms of online communication, a few senders seem to have ulterior motives. Or maybe we really do have unknown relatives who’ve bequeathed vast fortunes to us. Or maybe we really are irresistibly attractive to anonymous suitors. Or maybe we really like doormats.