Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding Is Here: CLE Daily

Plus, things to do this weekend in and around Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

by Ron Ledgard | Oct. 21, 2026 | 5:00 AM

Photographed by Christina Rufo

🎃 Ohio's Biggest Pumpkin Party Starts Today: The Circleville Pumpkin Show, running since 1903, fills nine blocks of Downtown Circleville through Saturday with rides, crafts, baked goods and a giant-pumpkin weigh-in. Last year's winner tipped the scales at 1,972 pounds.

🥯 PopUp Bagels Lands in Woodmere Friday: The Connecticut-born chain, known for its "grip, rip and dip" bagels sold by the pack with schmears on the side, opens its first Ohio shop Friday at Eton Chagrin Boulevard.

🛸 Halloween Season Hits the DOME: Great Lakes Science Center's DOME Movies After Dark series screens Jordan Peele's UFO thriller Nope on the giant screen Thursday. Tickets are $10.95 for adults and $8.95 for kids 2-12, and the Science Center stays open late on Thursdays for anyone who wants to explore the exhibits first.

ICYMI: Remember our roundup of kid-approved essentials made in Northeast Ohio? Picks include a crocheted avocado stress ball with a removable pit from The Stitch Party and Becco Bags lunchboxes kids can customize with Velcro patches.

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Today's Trivia

What Cleveland-based steel company, one of several involved in the Little Steel Strike of 1937, was at one point the third-largest steel company in the country?

Food & Drink: Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding has arrived in Northeast Ohio.

By Christina Rufo

The New York bakery made famous by Sex and the City is now open at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, the brand’s first Ohio location. Owners Joe and Jess Leonard, Northeast Ohio natives who live in Ohio City, left two decades in finance to bring it home. “It brings joy and sweetness to people’s lives,” Jess says.

What To Order: Banana pudding is the star, and a new build-your-own bar lets you top it with Nutella, brownie bites or red velvet cake pieces. The cases also hold cupcakes, decorated cakes and cheesecakes, along with coffee drinks.
More on the Way: The Leonards plan five Magnolia locations across Northeast Ohio within three years. They’re negotiating a second shop, possibly in Ohio City, and hope to open two more in 2027.

Worth Noting: The shop sits on Legacy Village’s central lawn between EVOO and Saffron Patch and is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Read the full story.

Talk of the Town

A Mt. Pleasant farm that feeds its neighbors gets to stay, for now. After the city ordered Revolutionary Love Farm off its land bank lots, in a move emails show was made "at the direction of" Councilwoman Deborah Gray, the farm got a new license agreement that runs through next October. Gray says she had "no idea" what was happening at the farm.

The empty land next to RTA's Ohio City station is back on the market. The new Cuyahoga TOD partnership is seeking a developer for about 2.4 acres at Abbey Avenue and Columbus Road, next to the West 25th Street Red Line station, after two earlier plans fell through.

MidTown is getting a five-story apartment building. The 70th Apartments, 64 units on East 70th Street just south of Euclid Avenue, are under construction on the site of a demolished industrial building, one of several projects reshaping the neighborhood, including the Cleveland Clinic's $1.1 billion Neurological Institute.

Ohio animal shelters are stretched thin. Rising vet bills, falling donations and fewer adoptions have shelters like Mahoning County's Animal Charity of Ohio, which has suspended new intakes after a 28% jump this year, looking for help. "We have way too many dogs and not enough homes," one Ohio shelter leader says.

You can tour one of Cleveland's oldest cemeteries by tiki torch on Saturday. The 1859 East Cleveland Township Cemetery on East 118th Street, near Lake View Cemetery, hosts free night tours at 7 and 8:30 p.m., sharing stories of some of the city's earliest pioneers.

Things To Do: Cavs home opener, comedy shows and other fun this weekend.

By Jeff Niesel

Michael Yo at Funny Bone Comedy Club | Comedy | Oct. 23

Comedian and actor Michael Yo brings his I Love You national stand-up tour to the Funny Bone this weekend. Yo just released his third comedy special, Snack Daddy, last year. He also hosts the nationally syndicated game show Scrambled Up. An America’s Got Talent finalist, he came up in radio. He performs at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 6:30 and 9 p.m. on Saturday night. 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland, 216-696-4677, cleveland.funnybone.com

Neil Zaza's One Dark Night at the Goodyear Theater | Music | Oct. 23

The local guitar hero brings his annual Halloween show to the Goodyear Theater in Akron. The concert begins at 7 p.m. 1201 E. Market St., Akron, 330-659-7118, goodyeartheater.com

Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets at Rocket Arena | Sports | Oct. 24

The Cavs kick off the 2026-2027 season with this game against the Brooklyn Nets. The game marks the home opener for the Cavs, who'll be looking to at least return to the Eastern Conference Finals. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. One Center Court, Cleveland, 216-420-2000, rocketarena.com

Pop Punk Halloween III at the Grog Shop | Music | Oct. 24

The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights celebrates Halloween with this special show featuring local acts Truss, Girl Cologne and Tall Grass, all of whom will play sets of covers. The concert begins at 8 p.m. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs

Boo-tanical Bash at Cleveland Botanical Garden | Family Fun | Oct. 24

This event, which takes place from noon to 3 p.m. at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, will feature a DJ dance party, games and story time. It's free, but a $15 activity wristband includes an enhanced experience. 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland, 216-721-1600, cbgarden.org

For our full list of things to do, visit clevelandmagazine.com/things-to-do.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer

What now-defunct museum could be found in various locations on Euclid Avenue during its 70-year history before closing in 2007 and merging with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History? The Cleveland Health Museum

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question.

From the Editor

Last week, we were cheering on the Guardians. (Sadly, we didn't make it to the World Series, but still, what an impressive postseason run!) Now, I'm shifting my focus to the Cavs and Monsters' new seasons, both inside Rocket Arena. Go teams!

Also, shout-out to the behind-the-scenes team that transforms the arena's floor from court to rink, back and forth, throughout the season. Read more about that often-unseen work in Julia Lombardo's 2024 story.

— Annie Nickoloff, Senior Editor

Let us know what is on your mind at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com.

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Ron Ledgard

Ron Ledgard is Cleveland Magazine's managing editor and a Pittsburgh native who has made his peace with Cleveland (except on Sundays). He's a University of Pittsburgh graduate, a veteran of The Athletic and the Akron Beacon Journal, and was there for every chapter of LeBron's Cleveland story. After two decades of chasing deadlines and box scores, he's happily landed in magazines. He's a sucker for a long story done right, the kind you save for a Sunday morning (before kickoff, of course). When he isn't editing, he's out on a trail, trying a new restaurant or hunting for the next great thing to do. Sports is his subject of choice, and coffee is his fuel. Most Starbucks baristas in the area greet him like the Cheers crowd greeted Norm.