No Sleep Till Blackbird

Cleveland People: This evening, Thursday, July 28th, 2011, there is an Opening Reception for the first exhibit at Blackbird Baking Company (1391 Sloane, at the corner of Sloane and Detroit in Lakewood). "No Sleep Till Blackbird" is an exhibition of the process and craft of award winning bicycle framebuilder Dan Polito, of Cicli Polito fame and notoriety.

Here's the Press Release:

“NO SLEEP TILL BLACKBIRD”

An exhibition of the process and craft of award winning bicycle framebuilder, Dan Polito.

An opening reception will be held Thursday, July 28 from 7-9:30 at Blackbird Baking Company. The exhibition will run through August 19th during regular business hours. Complete custom built cycles will be on view the weekend of the Criterium bike race (July 28th-31st).

Winner of the Best in Show at the 2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show, Dan Polito is the man behind Cicli Polito. Working out of his shop in Cleveland, Polito creates custom built bikes that have earned him international recognition and place him among the top steel frame makers in the world. Working at such a level means a lot of all nighters for Polito. In the middle of a seemingly endless night of work, his motto is often, “No sleep till Blackbird”, working until the early morning when the bakery opens its doors and he is one of the first customers.

This exhibition will highlight the process that goes into each custom frame he builds. It will include photos of the process, original drawings, and bike frames. Polito’s most recently completed projects will be on loan for the weekend of the Criterium as it passes by Blackbird’s doorstep Saturday, July 30th.

Blackbird Baking Company is flattered to provide the food for this process and is pleased to present this intimate look at Polito’s craft. After several years in the bakery business in Portland, Oregon, Tom Clark returned to his hometown to open Blackbird with his wife, Adria, a Portland native. Open in July 2009, it is an artisan bakery specializing in European bread and rustic pastries. More information can be found at blackbirdbaking.com

Blackbird is one of the sponsor’s of Lakewood’s Criterium bike race. A Criterium is a form of high speed bike racing covering less than a mile and reaching speeds up to 30 miles per hour. The Lakewood Criterium will take place on Saturday, July 30th in the west end of Lakewood. There are several racing categories with the first race beginning at 1:00. More information can be found at lakewoodcriterium.com.

I've known Dan a long time, worked with him in the past, and been able to observe from arm's length as he worked, built, and developed, while at the same time I've been working and building on my own path, which has often seemed somewhat parallel. It's pretty inspiring to see him, and Blackbird's Danielle Schroeder (also: my Ladybird), put together this exhibit, which I think comes at the perfect time in both his development and the life of the Bakery.

It's going to be a great show, and this opening party is going to be a really great time. If you aren't familiar with Dan's bicycles or Blackbird's amazing bakery, this is the perfect opportunity to get familiar and see what they're doing.