Propped Productions

06/15/2026

April 2021 to June 2026 at Irishtown Bend.

Before the hillside could become part of a future park, it had to be stabilized. This stretch above the Cuyahoga River had been a long-standing concern because of slope movement toward the working river below.

Now Phase 1 is complete. The river’s edge has been reinforced, the hillside has been regraded, and the site is being prepared for the next phases of Irishtown Bend Park.

It is still very much a project in progress, but from above, you can already see how much has changed along this piece of Cleveland’s riverfront.

06/15/2026

Here’s the 360 version of the Vibes 2026 group photo from Lake Erie Speedway. Take a spin around the track, count how many cars made it into the shot, and see if you can spot the rarest one in the lineup.

06/15/2026

This is quite the lineup of cars.

The quick pause for the group photo on track has become a Vibes tradition at this point, and seeing everyone packed into Lake Erie Speedway like this never gets old.

Shoutout to Joe, Damien, and everyone who helps put Vibes on. Another year in the books, another group photo.

06/14/2026

06/11/2026

Big Boy No. 4014 letting off steam as it rolls through Cleveland’s Flats near West 3rd.

Built for Union Pacific in 1941, No. 4014 is one of only 25 Big Boy locomotives ever made and the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. At more than 1.2 million pounds with its tender, it was built to move heavy freight over the mountains in the American West.

Seeing it release steam on Cleveland’s trestles is a rare look at the size, sound, and power that made these locomotives legendary.

06/11/2026

Throwback Thursday to Irishtown Bend in April 2021, before the hillside stabilization work reshaped this stretch of Cleveland’s riverfront.

In these views, the slope still looks overgrown and uneven. At the time, this hillside was still in the long planning and pre-construction stage of what would become one of the city’s most important riverfront infrastructure projects.

The goal was never just to clear land for a park. Irishtown Bend had been slowly shifting toward the Cuyahoga River for years, creating concern for the working shipping channel, nearby rail lines, roads, utilities, and the future public space planned for the site.

Since these photos were taken, the hillside has changed dramatically. Stabilization work has reinforced the river’s edge, regraded the slope, and prepared the land for the next phases of Irishtown Bend Park. The future park is planned to reconnect Ohio City, the Flats, downtown, the Cuyahoga River, and Lake Erie through trails, overlooks, green space, and public gathering areas.

This April 2021 view is a good reminder of how much groundwork happens before a place becomes accessible again.

Check our other post for a current view of Irishtown Bend and how far the project has come.

06/11/2026

We only had a few minutes to stop up at Parma Rib ’N Rock on Sunday night, but this view was worth grabbing.

Schnitz Ale Brewing had us out to capture a few images as the weekend wrapped up, and from above you can really see how much was packed into the grounds: the rib vendors, the main tent, the crowd, the music setup, and The Shoppes at Parma stretching out behind it all.

We’ve been traveling all over for projects lately, so it was nice to catch a quick local view like this between destinations.

Big thanks to Schnitz ALE Brewery for having us out, and thanks to Parma Rib ’N Rock for another busy weekend in Parma. Also, a sincere thank you to the City of Parma Police Department for helping provide clear launch and landing locations so images like this can be captured safely and responsibly.

06/11/2026

Irishtown Bend is in a very different place than it was just a few years ago.

These aerial views show the completed stabilization work along the Cuyahoga River, where the hillside has been reshaped, graded, seeded, and reinforced. You can see the fresh straw matting across the slope, the new riverfront edge, construction access roads, drainage areas, equipment still on site, and the bend itself wrapping below Ohio City toward downtown Cleveland.

This was the necessary first step before Irishtown Bend Park can move forward.

For decades, this hillside was a major concern because it had been slowly moving toward the river. That mattered far beyond the future park. The Cuyahoga is still a working river, with freighters, rail lines, bridges, industry, and recreation all sharing a tight corridor through the Flats. A large slope failure here could have affected the shipping channel, nearby infrastructure, and one of Cleveland’s most important riverfront connections.

Now that stabilization is complete, the project can move into its next phases. Future work is expected to include trail connections, Franklin Avenue improvements, green infrastructure, public spaces, and eventually the larger Irishtown Bend Park.

The history here runs deep. This hillside was once part of one of Cleveland’s early Irish immigrant neighborhoods, tied closely to the docks, railroads, warehouses, and river traffic that shaped the city’s industrial growth. Over time, the homes disappeared, the neighborhood faded, and the land sat mostly vacant. What we’re seeing now is the groundwork for bringing public access back to a place that has carried Cleveland history for generations.

Right now, the site still looks raw. That is the point. The grading, straw-covered slopes, new drainage areas, and reinforced river edge are the foundation for what comes next.

Irishtown Bend is moving from long-standing risk to future public riverfront, one phase at a time.

06/11/2026

Irishtown Bend, early June 2026

This interactive view captures a major turning point on Cleveland’s near west side. The first phase of work at Irishtown Bend is complete, and you can clearly see the newly graded hillside stretching between Ohio City, the Cuyahoga River, and the lakefront.

For years, this slope was one of Cleveland’s most important but unstable pieces of riverfront land. The hillside had been slowly shifting toward the Cuyahoga, creating a real concern for the shipping channel below. Stabilizing the bend was the necessary first step before the future park, trails, and public spaces could move forward.

Freighters, rail lines, industry, recreation, and neighborhood life all meet here. Irishtown Bend is not just a park project. It is infrastructure, preservation, public access, and Cleveland history layered into one hillside.

This area was once home to one of Cleveland’s early Irish immigrant neighborhoods. By the mid-1800s, workers and families lived along the steep west bank near the docks, rail lines, warehouses, coal yards, and river traffic that helped build the city’s industrial economy. Over time, the homes disappeared, the neighborhood faded, and by the late 20th century much of the land had become vacant. What remains today is a rare chance to reconnect Cleveland with a riverfront that was shaped by immigration, labor, transportation, and industry.

Now, with Phase 1 complete, the next chapters can begin. Upcoming work is expected to bring trail connections, Franklin Avenue improvements, green infrastructure, and eventually the larger Irishtown Bend Park. When finished, this hillside will connect Ohio City, the Flats, downtown, and the river in a way Cleveland has been planning toward for years.

This image is a good reminder of how much groundwork has to happen before a public space takes shape. Right now, the site still looks raw. That is part of the story. The grading, the open soil, the new lines across the hill, and the cleared riverfront are the foundation for what comes next.

Irishtown Bend is moving from a long-standing risk to a future public landmark, one phase at a time.

06/09/2026

Big Boy No. 4014 rolling through Cleveland yesterday, crossing the Nickel Plate Road High-Level Bridge over the Cuyahoga River.

You can hear the whistle echo through the valley before the locomotive fully comes into view. That sound fits this spot. This Norfolk Southern railroad bridge carries the old Nickel Plate line over the river, with a vertical lift span built in 1957 and approach spans tied to Cleveland’s earlier rail history.

Long before this reel, the crossing was part of a major rail route through the Flats, where trains, river traffic, steel, industry, and neighborhood edges all met in one tight stretch of Cleveland. For a few seconds, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive moved through that layered history, steel above the Cuyahoga, echo bouncing off the valley, and Big Boy leaving the whole bridge ringing behind it.