Entertainment Editor Andy Gray

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:

• Olney Magazine has been a labor of love for Brandon Noel and Tony Wade.

Now they want to pay the writers for their labor, so the publication is having a fundraiser Nov. 12 at Havana House in Niles.

The quarterly publication grew out of the writers’ circle and writers open mic that Noel hosted for about six years at Havana House until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We could not longer meet in person during the pandemic,” Noel said. “A friend I went to Kent State with in December 2020 said, ‘What would you think about starting a magazine?’ I wanted to do it, but I wanted to do it in print. I didn’t want to just do it online.”

It launched in February 2021 as a poetry magazine and expanded to include fiction its first year. The magazine is a nonprofit publication and has been able to cover its costs and break even so far, Noel said. However, earlier this year they decided they want to include journalistic pieces and also start paying writers for their submissions, something they couldn’t do with its current revenue streams.

“The goal is just to raise $5,000,” Noel said. “We can pay for all the pieces we have lined up for 2023 with just five grand, which I think is a very reasonable goal for the night.”

The event is free to attend, but the magazine is selling a VIP ticket through Eventbrite for $50, which includes a cigar sample pack, a pound of Youngstown Coffee Co.’s special “TYPEFACE” blend created especially for the event, two cans of Modern Methods Brewing Company beer, and a draft beer at the event. Modern Methods is creating a special beer, Twist the Axe, that only will be available at the event. Donations also can be made through the Eventbrite link.

The event runs from 4 to 9 p.m. Nov. 12 and will include live music and an art show featuring work donated by local artists and curated by David Wheeler.

The magazine stopped print publications after two issues this year as it makes the transition to paying writers, but the print edition will return in early 2023, Noel said. Past issues are available online at olneymagazine.com.

• The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame now is more accessible to lower income visitors.

The Cleveland museum has joined Museums for All, a program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services that is designed to encourage all people to visit museum regularly.

Under the program, those who receive food assistance (SNAP) benefits can use their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card to purchase up to four admission tickets for $1 per person (regular admission is $35 for adults and $35 for children ages 6 to 12).

More than 850 institutions across the country offer free or reduced admission through the Museums for All program. Other participating venues in northeast Ohio include Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor and OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology in Youngstown, National Packard Museum and the Trumbull County Historical Society’s John Stark Edwards House in Warren, Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Hale Farm & Village in Bath and the Kent State University Museum.

There also is Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Cleveland History Center, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Shaker Historical Society and Museum, all in greater Cleveland; and Akron Zoo, Summit County Historical Society, Akron Children’s Museum, Akron Art Museum, Institute of Human Science and Culture, National Museum of Psychology, Hower House, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Canton Museum of Art and McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, all in the Akron-Canton area.

A complete list can be found at museums4all.org.

• Elevation Group announced the dates for its summer music festivals on Wednesday. WonderStruck in Kirtland will be July 8 and 9 and WonderBus in Columbus is set for Aug. 25 to 27. The promoter also is bringing back WonderRoad in Indianapolis for a second year on June 17 and 18.

Early bird tickets are on sale now, but the lineups won’t be announced until a later date.