i will shout youngstown

renovations to begin next week for new market near YSU & Wick Park

2012-01-17T04:11:00.001+01:00

In 2011 Mr. Ali Adi opened the Downtown Circle, which brought to downtown Youngstown a clean market stocked with goods, also serving daily unique freshly-prepared ethnic foods.

Less than a year later in January 2012, the successful entrepreneur will expand this model to an additional location in the city, but with a larger footprint.

Beginning next week, renovations will begin at the former R&S Market near the corner of Elm and Madison, just north of the YSU Campus and adjacent to other new and established private businesses near Wick Park such as Edward's Flowers, Dorian Books, and The Flats at Wick.

The new location, to be named the "University Circle," will have both a full market and a cafe space with wi-fi and seating for 46 people.

The existing two entrances will be remodeled into a single central entrance, with a complete physical redesign to the visual appeal of the building.

Similar to the location downtown, specialties such as chicken shawarma, grape leaves, smoothies, veggie falafel sandwiches, slowly-roasted meats can be ordered for lunches and dinners. The architectural drawings for the new place even have a space/drawn component for "vertical rotisseries."

What can north side residents and YSU students expect inside the "University Circle"?

Here's some quick shots of the interior and food from the "Downtown Circle" on Federal Street:

long live pickles on your pita...

using YouTube to inspect a slice of comtemporary Youngstown - December 2011

2011-12-30T05:58:00.002+01:00

According to Google's FAQs about YouTube, in 2011 there were 48 hours of video uploaded every minute, or 8 years of content added each day.

And a little-bitty slice of that daily uploaded content is about Youngstown.

Youngstown music, Youngstown news, Youngstown sports, Youngstown quirks.

- - -

Let's play amateur historians for a moment...

If we looked only at the last two weeks of Youngstown-related uploads, and treated it as a time capsule of December 2011 and the things going on in our hyperlocal world, what is in that bundle?

Here then are 10 videos uploaded in the last two weeks, a snapshot of this corner of the earth at the end of the last month of the eleventh year of the current millennium....

#10 - Highlights of the 2011 Youngstown Men's Rugby Season, who practices at Harrison Commons in the Smoky Hollow. (here's an article about the Youngstown Women's Rugby Team)

#9 - An interview between a christian pastor and a sheep puppet, discussing the history of christmas...

#8 - A homemade rap music video, complete with historical settings in Oak Hill Cemetery and a decapitated human body...

#7 - On the other end of that spectrum, someone installing one of Yoko Ono's "Imagine Peace" billboards in downtown Youngstown...

#6 - From a demolition perspective, the 71-year old Westlake Terrace public housing project christened by good ol' Eleanor Roosevelt is coming down. One of, if not, the oldest publicly-funded housing projects in the United States. At its height, Westlake Terrace was over 600 units.

#5 - From the revitalization perspective, Iron and String Life Enhancement (ISLE) Inc will be constructing a bakery/diner named "Sugar Plum" in downtown youngstown, partially staffed by adults with disabilities...

#4 -YSU's STEM Dean, Dr. Martin Abraham, at the Youngstown Utica Shale Conference announcing the formation of The Natural Gas and Water Resources Institute...

#3 - Some dude's assessment of Youngstown's recent 2.5 magnitude earthquake using earthquake visualization software and Google Earth... (Some of his info is correct, some info not so correct)

#2 - From a diaspora perspective, Catullo's Prime Meats is getting ready to send Youngstown treats across the USA...

#1 - Finally, The Youngstown Club's Famous cheese recipe created by James McGoogan well over 70 years ago has a commercial...

The world-famous cheese is now available at amazon.com to ship around the country & world.

These 10 videos . . . a slice of Youngstown in December 2011.

thurs - fri - mon : do a YBI Tour as you are home visiting family

2011-12-21T08:01:00.000+01:00

Have you ever been inside the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI), whose portfolio companies are employing over 400 people in downtown youngstown?

Are you home for the holidays, looking for a place to explore in between your sacred duties like making pizzelles and eating kolachi?

Well, on an rsvp basis, the YBI will be offering tours to interested folks and those returning home for the holidays, both before and after Christmas.

the schedule:

Thursday, Dec 22
Tours from 9am to 5pm leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI Chief Evangelist Jim Cossler. RSVP needed.

Friday, Dec 23

Tours from 7am to 10am leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI Chief Evangelist Jim Cossler. RSVP needed.

Monday, Dec 26

Two tours at 11am and 1pm leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI staff.
Meet Dean Abraham of YSU's STEM College!
Check out the new OH WOW! Technology Museum!
Discounts for downtown eateries!

call 330-599-4583 to reserve a spot.
Thursday's slots are almost filled up.

need more info about the YBI before signing up. Read here about their 2011 efforts.

Parents, if you're reading this and feel your kids should go . . . tell them to stop by for a tour!

video of today's AMAZING downtown holiday parade and festival

2011-12-04T05:06:00.001+01:00

hot off the presses...

check out the fun the citizenry had in Youngstown today.

a TON of people downtown

The St. Pat's float with the moving arms was really great, and got some points for ingenuity.

Kudos go to the City's Director of Downtown Events, Youngstown CityScape, YSU, WFMJ, and First Night Youngstown for their organizational efforts...

tonight 's (friday) - Simply Slavic event is loaded with unique wintery goodness

2011-12-02T14:06:00.001+01:00

We're six months from the Second Simply Slavic Summerfest/Heritage Festival celebrating all things Central and Eastern European in Downtown Youngstown.

But once a year is not good enough to throw a party, especially a party with live music and kolachi tastings.

To celebrate the winter season as well, we've created an OUTSTANDING EVENT with MULTIPLE ARTISTS from as far way from Chicago.

please join us!

Doors open at 5pm
for that
post-work pivo

To the wee hours of the night
we'll be
slammin slivo.

here's the schedule for the evening:

5pm-6:30pm ~ after work European Beer Flights, with contemporary Euro Music by DJ Ken.

7pm-8:30pm ~ guitar and singing Croatian favorites by Youngstown's own Jamie Marich.

9pm-11pm ~ from Chicago, Baltic Fusion Group "Eastern Blok"

11pm-2am ~ Discotheque by DJ Richie

other items of interest:
* all wearing ethnic costume are eligible for a door prize. Come dressed!
* Kolachi tasting!
* Slivovica and Vodka specials!
* Central/Eastern European Beers!

Here's a sample of Eastern Blok's great & unique sound:

decorated downtown store windows set the stage for Saturday's holiday parade

2011-12-02T06:56:00.001+01:00

The windows of Youngstown are trimmed with tinsel.

Why?

This Saturday the winner of the first-ever downtown youngstown window decorating contest will be announced, and a whole lot more.

This year's holiday parade will be really ramped up compared to years past. Besides the parade, there will be a lot to do...

10am - Oh WoW opens up for the day, filled with science and family fun. (till 7pm)

1pm - "The Nutcracker" by Ballet Western Reserve will be at the Warner Theater

1pm - at 20 Federal Place (the ol Strouss') there will be free train rides, free hands-on activities by the SMARTS downtown pioneers, baked good vendors, Youngstown Club nippy cheese, more food, and fresh-cut wreaths and garlands for purchase.

3pm - the parade gets underway, with floats and floatsam down Federal Street.

4pm - the Central Square downtown christmas tree will be lit, with Santa making an appearance. Free pictures with Santa courtesy of YSU photography students.

7pm - another "The Nutcracker" performance by Ballet Western Reserve

Looking to be a nice day Saturday with 50 degrees and Sunny!

Many of the newest downtown lunch and coffee shops will be open as well...

Here's a few pictures of some other downtown windows:

well done!

I love how our architecture is captured in the reflections of the windows.

The handprint wreaths on the Oh Wow center are really imaginative...

And the YSU Student Art Association (SAA) deserves mad props for decorating many many windows downtown with high quality paintings.

Youngstown's new chicken & waffles restaurant is open from midnight to 6am

2011-11-27T04:31:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday evening, was heading south along Market Street then made the turn onto Southern Boulevard (toward St. Dom's and the Boulevard Tavern) and this sign was flashing, full of light:

Can this be?

A new restaurant in the city which OPENS at midnight?

Enter "Annie Mae's Chicken & Waffles"

Fast forward one week to tonight, and a trip to this oasis around 3am both confirmed their hours and provided to our crew a great & tasty meal.

Annie Mae's Chicken and Waffles is located on the site of the former restaurants over the decades such as "The Oven" and "Busy Bee" and a Jamaican establishment as well, and has a huge kitchen with ample seating . . . which was mostly full at 3am.

Here's a picture of my plate:
a delicious & fluffy, yet crisp, waffle with sweet butter and a fried chicken breast on top. with a smattering of additional syrup.
Sweet and savory!

Here's a friend's plate who ordered the grits, which sometimes are hard to find locally. (at least good grits)

The Uptown area was very vibrant at that time of night, with many folks walking over from nearby establishments or parking in their adjacent lot.

Even though the late-night hours were a nice bonus, looking at the front of their menu, Annie Mae's has daytime hours as well.

From the menu, their hours of operation:
Monday to Thursday - 7am to 8pm
Friday and Saturday - 7am to 6am
Sunday - 7am to 8pm

- - -

If you're looking to support small businesses in Youngstown, give this place a try.

I've been to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in LA, and lived next to Gladys Knight's Chicken & Waffles in Atlanta, and just taking the waffles, Annie Mae's waffles are better than both.

Seriously.

cover of The Economist is all about "diasporas" - Youngstown are you listening?

2011-11-23T23:38:00.001+01:00

Thousands of former citizens of the Youngstown & Mahoning Valley are returning to the nest this Thanksgiving, walking past airport newsstands seeing the image below on the cover of The Economist:

And there are networking penguins on the cover no less!

Perhaps this is the most graphically perfect representation of the Youngstown diaspora, due to our university's beloved mascot.

(images the property of The Economist)

As an exercise, everyone should read the story in the magazine and each time you see the word "diaspora" substitute it with "people from Youngstown but living elsewhere" and let the message sink in.

Heck, turn it into a drinking game, downing a shot of gravy or slivovica each time you read see "diaspora."

Let's open a bottle and read some examples:

point 1:
"People from Youngstown but living elsewhere" have always been a potent economic force, but the cheapness and ease of modern travel [and ease of communication] have made them larger and more numerous than ever before.

point 2:
These networks of kinship [think cookie table] and language [think brier hill pizza] make it easier to do business across distances.

point 3:
"People from Youngstown but living elsewhere" also help spread ideas. Many of the brightest minds are educated at universities. When they go home, they take with them both language and contacts.

point 4:
"People from Youngstown but living elsewhere" spread money too. They not only send cash to their families, they also help companies in their current location cooperate with local Ohio companies.

point 5:
Migration bring youth to aging areas and allows ideas to circulate in millions of mobile minds.

- - -

in short, developing an effort to engage the Youngstown diaspora can...
- improve Youngstown-based businesses, charities, and institutions
- support a pathway for those wishing to come home

So now that this diaspora concept is becoming more mainstream, can Youngstown do more NOW to engage its Diaspora?

check out what our friends to the north in Cleveland are doing this weekend:

"Potential boomerangs are the target of a talent attraction effort under the aegis of the Cleveland Leadership Center. This Saturday, the group is sponsoring a networking event aimed at college students and recent graduates at the Corner Alley downtown -- intersection of East 4th Street and Euclid Avenue -- from 3 to 5 p.m.

Those who attend can meet with corporate recruiters and civic leaders to learn more about opportunities in Cleveland -- and they'll be only a couple of blocks away from the Christmas lighting celebration on Public Square.

If that sounds like something for you -- or for your children who'll be home for the holiday -- go to cleveleads.org for more information or to buy tickets."

and Pittsburgh? (from the Cle PD)

"Civic, political and foundation leaders there are offering a $100,000 reward to someone who will move to Pittsburgh.

They're looking for a special someone, 45 or older, who's both ambitious and civic-minded. Half the money can be used to launch a new enterprise, but the other half goes into a charitable trust the recipient has to spend in Pittsburgh.

"We want to bring in people with wisdom, experience and leadership skills to build the civic capacity," says Shawn Bannon, spokesman for the Experienced Dreamers contest.

It's an essay contest, to be precise. Entrants have until Dec. 16 to detail their grand plans. The winner will be chosen in an online vote.

One middle-aged dreamer will not transform Pittsburgh, of course, but this is about marketing. Pittsburgh has spent decades reseeding its entrepreneurial culture and reclaiming industrial wastelands."

and Scranton?

"Rediscover Scranton volunteers promote and strengthen greater Scranton’s quality of life and business assets by identifying and contacting accomplished professionals with ties to greater Scranton, informing them of economic, quality of living and growth opportunities, and encouraging them to relocate their businesses and families to the area.

The program cultivates relationships between former and current residents of the area. Rediscover Scranton targets successful company executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, individuals who work in the creative industry and any other successful former residents.

Rediscover Scranton has formed partnerships with leaders from local and regional government and non-profit organizations, as well as local colleges and universities."

http://www.rediscoverscranton.com

and Youngstown?
(fill in the blank)

a look inside Joe Maxx Coffee - opens downtown at 7am on Monday

2011-11-20T18:33:00.000+01:00

Got the chance to step inside downtown's newest establishment over the weekend. Joe Max Coffee looks fantastic and was warmly welcomed by entrepreneur Mike Avery and the team.

Doors open at 7am Monday.

Great job of the interior design, especially with the red hues with black and white accents. The colors match the bridges and university at entry points to the downtown.

Roasted coffees, smoothies, and other drinks can be found now at the base of the Realty Building in the space occupied a few years ago by The Bean Counter Cafe.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

recap of first use of Youngstown's new community oven (and our blog's first video)

2011-11-18T07:06:00.001+01:00

"a harbinger of a fully-developed neighborhood"

For the first time in many many years, an outdoor neighborhood bread oven was used to prepare nourishing food in the Smoky Hollow Neighborhood of Youngstown.

It happened yesterday at the weekly lunch of the Rotary Club of Youngstown.

The leadership of Wick Neighbors Inc, a CDC advancing the development of the Wick Ave area and the adjacent neighborhood, joined the Rotarians at the MVR to literally "break bread" together - in the form of artisanal hand-crafted pizzas.

The outdoor community bread oven was installed in the Hollow earlier this year at the park now known as the Harrison Commons.

Besides the oven and an herb garden planted around its periphery, Harrison Commons is also home to cut stone benches, a decorative pergola which doubles as a stage, and the replication in granite of a very old Sandborn map highlighting the previous locations of multiple bread ovens throughout the Hollow.

(please see this post from SY in July 2011 for a full overview)

- - -

Another first-time events aligns with the first-time feast from the oven...

As seen below, it's the first ever topical neighborhood video produced by the New Media Team employed at Shout Youngstown.

Check it out:

You can learn more information about Wick Neighbors and their ongoing efforts here.

Next up?

Fixing up and construction along the Hollow's Walnut Street corridor.

more details coming soon . . .

kiwi fruit, community bread ovens, & other great people lead Youngstown CityScape's 5th Annual Beautification Awards

2011-11-16T06:34:00.001+01:00

Some of the homes, churches, business, and neighborhood improvements that are taking place in the city of Youngstown are simply amazing.

For example, check out this well maintained kiwi fruit trellis (with furniture underneath) that provides both shade and fruit during the year:

Here's another great project - the working community bread oven with herb garden in the Smoky Hollow at Harrison Commons:

What do these two projects have in common?

They are two of the many great projects from 2011 recognized during the 5th annual CityScape Beautification Awards in the City of Youngstown.

Here's a video recap of the event by our friends over at Defend Youngstown.

Congrats to all the award winners!

Go here to nominate your friends, churches, or any other effort that inspires you at this web site.

wednesday morning 8am update: at this link, you'll find a list of all the Beautification awardees, courtesy of The Business-Journal.

wednesday morning 8:30am update: at this link, you'll see a video from the event (which two videos later has a story on new downtown signs) courtesy of WKBN.

- - -

To all global readers interested in Youngstown happenings, if you're not signed up yet to receive Defend Youngstown's daily updates, SY highly recommends it.

For example, if your schedule is really busy, it's a great way to get important hyper-local information synthesized to your email box every weekday.

You can sign up for the daily news updates here.

casting call: looking to interview this Saturday those familiar with Paramount Theater

2011-11-15T05:39:00.001+01:00

Last weekend's recordings of personal stories tied to the Paramount Theater in downtown youngstown were an amazing success.

It's just stunning, when family history and city history and even world history come together.

for example, were you one of the moviegoers at the Paramount when they announced the U.S. had been attacked at Pearl Harbor?

Do you or does someone you know, a friend or a family member perhaps, have the ability to contribute stories to once-in-a-lifetime oral history project?

A few slots still exist this Saturday from 11am to 4pm for people to share their favorite stories about downtown youngstown and the Paramount Theater.

Please call the McDonough Museum at 330.941.1400 to discuss how you or your loved ones/friends can contribute to this outstanding project, such that generations in the future can listen to your perspective.

The content will be used for an upcoming gallery event from Jan 13 to Feb 3, as the Museum will be transformed into a celebration of all things Paramount. Very cool stuff.

Moment of Geek: Dr. Rachael Maddow mentions this blog and Youngstown's "cool" new bike racks on msnbc

2011-11-04T05:18:00.002+01:00

Lean Forward.

That's what I tried to do Thursday night while listening to Rachael Maddow's news show on msnbc amongst the cacophony in our living room.

"Did Dr. Maddow just give a shoutout to our new bike racks downtown?"
"What . . . did she just mention the SY blog on national cable television?"

While the segment was overwhelmingly about concentrated poverty, "Occupy Youngstown" and larger political forces at work across the country that was really worth listening to, there was a smaller snippet of airtime introducing Youngstown as "a place with an amazing determination to stick it out."

Clip here...

But the stories behind the content of that snippet are pretty cool themselves.

Just how did this picture pop-up on msnbc tonight?

The neat "story behind the story" is a great tale of the good things happening in Youngstown, which then flow together into a single moment and a single photo.

First, metal sculptor extraordinaire Tony Armeni had completed the basic structure of the three, 10 foot tall bike racks to be positioned downtown. With a professional and amazing attention to detail, he needed to figure out the exact position of the racks and went downtown on a Saturday morning. (Tony's website of sculptures)

Next, photographer extraordinaire Tony Nicholas came downtown to volunteer and shoot pictures of the positioning, which would then have the black ground stands photoshopped out in order to create mock-ups of what the racks would really look like upon installation. (Tony's website of photos)

Finally, YSU students that weekend voluntarily organized a bike tour of the urban gardens developing in various spots in our city, and coming from the NorthSide Farmer's Market, rode through downtown so see the other recently-installed artisan bike racks down Federal Street.

By sheer coincidence, the sculpture team was positioning the pieces as the bike tour rode by. The bike tour stopped to inspect, the artist was in his place, and the photographer captured that exact moment on film.

And that exact moment captured by Tony Nicholas made it onto nationwide television tonight.

And now you know the rest if the story.

rare event: studio space above Silver's Vogue open this Saturday

2011-11-03T04:20:00.005+01:00

I remember my first time.

It was cold outside, snow on the ground.

A friend of a friend had an invite one evening to the Pernotto Studio above Silver's Vogue Shop.

It's a rare place to visit.

I heard of the vast & colorful space, with super-high ceilings, art etched into the floor, and Youngstown memorabilia and history woven into the fabric of each room.

Had to jump at the opportunity.

Good decision.

Now you can have the opportunity to check out this unique downtown space as well.

Held at the Pernotto Studio, Youngstown's first "Night of Decadence" will take place this Saturday, November 5.

The party will be a fundraiser for the Next Best Art, formed to establish a new contemporary arts center downtown, independent of academic of institutional control, by artists for artists.

Lasting from 6pm to 10pm, the Night of Decadence will feature:

imported decadent chocolates
flowing gallons of wine
plates of handcrafted biscotti and desserts
inspired tastes from downtown caterers

jazz by Teddy Pantellas
dj'ed dance beats
silent art auction

Tickets to the fundraiser and entry to the Pernotto Studio are $20, half that if members of the YSU Student Art Association.

If you're interested in checking out the space, get a ticket.
It's a fundraiser after all,

to take the first steps
in building additional gallery
and art research space
in downtown youngstown.

Or, you can leave your name in the comment section below (which will not be posted, automatic comments disabled) telling SY that you are interested in a ticket.

lights in the trees installation on The West Side

2011-11-01T03:39:00.000+01:00

A thousand kudos to Casey Malone for posting on this Halloween night these wonderful photos and story behind the "lights in the trees" one often sees while driving on the West Side.

These lights have come up over and over and over again in the past few months in conversation, and the existing web content on these lights have been lacking. More and more installations going up all over the city...

is steampunk the ultimate rust best chic asthetic?

2011-10-28T08:14:00.000+02:00

When someone told me my personal fashion was "steampunk" six months ago, and I have to admit it was the first time I'd heard the term.

An insult, I know, for those heavily interested in the steampunk genre, but since the remark I've been researching various forms of the steampunk design movement from special exhibits at Maker Faires to DIY Victorian weaponry and gadgets on YouTube.

In a twist regarding the local steampunk movement, artist Rob Joki is adapting his yearly production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Youngstown's Rust Belt Theater Company to have more of a steampunk visual influence.

So thanks to Rob and The Rust Belt Theater Company,
Steampunk meets Rocky Horror in Youngstown.

Reprinted at "The Boiler Room News", but originally written for the Vindicator (in a really well written and explanatory article), Joki's costumes are hand-made and use recycled and repurposed materials.

Along with the Zombie Prom at the Calvin Center, this version of Rocky Horror should keep you in the Mahoning Commons this weekend. (link to both events)

So in looking at the various aspects of steampunk fine and performing arts, is steampunk the ideal or ultimate design in the aesthetic of rust belt chic?

- - -

btw, is it better to be gypsypunk or steampunk?

the artistry behind the newest world-class downtown bike racks

2011-10-28T06:08:00.000+02:00

3 racks in, 2 to go.

Here is a video of the craftsmanship and installation behind these soaring stainless steel beauties now installed in our central square:

Here are some other amazing photos by another super-talented Tony Nicholas, hands-down one of the best photographers in the Midwest.

All of the weld points are now entirely smoothed out, as the photo just above and below were before the final installation. (as indicated by all the green remaining on the leaves, instead of the shades of reds and yellows)

Kudos to Tony Armeni for a great effort on this particular rack, and more to come.

And thanks to all who made this possible, from the larger funders to the discothequers at the Rack and Roll bike party in 2010.

Here's some more of that sweet, sweet, local monome from The Realtime Digimob of Youngstown city, like granddaddy used to play it:

youngstown's new mayor has neat cameo in Zombie Crawl 2011 trailer

2011-10-03T05:43:00.002+02:00

The design and promotions behind the annual zombie crawl just keep getting better and better.

Check out the video for the 2011 version, created by local talent Dan Mizicko:

Also making a cameo appearance is Youngstown's new mayor, who in the video is wandering down the street, attacked by zombies, and becomes a zombie himself.

This continues the proud tradition of the chief executive of the city of being involved in the annual zombie crawl, set in 2011 for October 22.

Nice video!

video highlights of the first-ever Volney Rodgers Emerald Pierogi Award in the Rocky Ridge Neighborhood

2011-10-01T05:03:00.003+02:00

80 residents came out to watch the award ceremony for the first annual Volney Rodgers Emerald Pierogi Award!

Here are some highlights!

It's time for you or your friends to move into the Rocky Ridge, no?

Other fine west side houses are adjacent to Mill Creek Park in the Garden District.

Here is a video from that group's September meeting:

will you "jump the vatra" this Saturday?

2011-09-15T05:23:00.002+02:00

The Youngstown region maintains some "uniquely distinct" annual local ethnic traditions which go way beyond the norms found at standard food/music/entertainment festivals.

The gem events (in my book) are The Baby Doll Dance, Ostatki, The Gathering of the Clams, Pabstolutely Fest, and the wintery Kulig.

Now add one more keeper to this list:

THE VATRA

- - -

"Vatra" means bonfire in the Carpatho-Rusyn language, and this fine fire-jumping and folk-music festival continues to attract a wider audience beyond the region.

This year's Vatra will take place on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at the Shrine of Mariapoch (17486 Mumford Rd in Burton OH - just NW of Warren up route 422)

The events get underway at noon, when the kitchen open with:
- Vinegar cucumber and sweet onion / dill salad
- Slanina (bacon in the fire) with diced onions, tomatoes on bread
- Holubki (stuffed cabbage) and pirogies
- Haluski with dumplings
- Kolbasi with sauerkraut (kapusta)
- Kolachi for sale by pieces or whole rolls

From a music perspective, top-notch groups will be playing until the evening such as:
- The Slavjane Folk Ensemble of the Pittsburgh area, will dance and sing on a wooden - - Living Traditions Folk Ensemble from Cleveland
- The Lucinka Slovak Folklore Ensemble also from Cleveland
- The Byzantine Eparchial Choir from Munhall, PA.

AND

- the group Harmonia, master musicians with Eastern Sloviakian vocalist Beata Begeniova who will play authentic folk instruments throughout the evening and well into the night while people are jumping the Vatra.

Overnight tent and trailer camping sites are be available!

first Youngstown "Pecha Kucha" will be downtown thursday 25 August

2011-08-16T14:41:00.005+02:00

Pecha Kucha - coming to downtown youngstown

See the countdown per second, with Youngstown's #1 meeting here among those around the world.

All presentations will be in the Pecha Kucha "20 x 20" format...
- 20 slides, for 20 seconds each, which is 6 minutes and 40 seconds total
- short, impactful, creative/"what interests you" is key

Here are the FAQs:

1. What is Pecha Kucha Night?
“Pecha Kucha” is a Japanese term for the sound of conversation (“chit-chat”).

Pecha Kucha Night is a presentation format in which people from different professions can share ideas about their creative works in an enjoyable and entertaining ambiance, regardless of who they are: famous or obscure, professional or amateur, adult or child, teacher or student, veteran or novice, etc.

Pecha Kucha Night is, therefore, the night to “strut your good stuff” with freedom, equality, and creativity.

2. Who initiated it?
Pecha Kucha Night was originally devised by employees of Klein-Dytham Architecture (KDa) in Tokyo six years ago.

3. Who has already organized it?
The Pecha Kucha Night format has spread virally to nearly 450 cities across the world, and now it's in Youngstown.

4. Who will be there?
Anyone wanted to watch creative presentations, or who will be sharing their creative ideas through a powerpoint conversation.

Interested?

You can ask questions to
youngstown.pechakucha@gmail.com

the Rocky Ridge neighborhood-wide Garage Sale is saturday, August 6

2011-08-05T15:04:00.006+02:00

The section of the west side known as the Rocky Ridge Neighborhood is holding a neighborhood-wide garage sale, from 9am to close, on Saturday August 6.

Look for green balloons around the neighborhood, as those people have the $5 sale permits from the city, but also maps to distribute of all the other participating houses which are spread throughout the streets.

Can you create a managed cluster of commerce to bring people into the neighborhood?

Tours of the neighborhood and its amenities for homebuyers will be available...

The participating homes are located all throughout the Rocky Ridge, and you can find a map of the neighborhood on this link: (map)

Can the neighborhood-wide sale grow into a city-wide sale at some point?

In the Netherlands, it's a country-wide garage sale on Koninginnedag, April 30 of every year.

"Koninginnedag" means queen's day, and across Nederlands people (especially kids) sell stuff in the morning on blankets, and lots of parties go on throughout the day, usually ending up with debauchery on boats floating in canals in the evening.

Maybe we've found a new use for the Mahoning River...

the design elements of the Rocky Ridge Neighborhood logo

2011-08-04T05:33:00.008+02:00

Design excellence is a craft which is often appreciated, but not often pursued.

One example of recent thoughtful graphic design:

The logo of the Rocky Ridge Neighborhood designed by Sandra Cika, creative director of Youngstown's Insite Consulting.

To get to the final logo, Insite performed face-to-face and paper interviews with residents, toured the neighborhood, created and displayed multiple design options, and after a truly iterative process, this new neighborhood association chose the design and colors above.

The image really captures many of the distinctive elements of the neighborhood.

- First, the leaves represent the neighborhood's connection to Mill Creek MetroParks. Some people have to drive to a park, but for Rocky Ridge, Mill Creek Park is their backyard.

- Instead of one leaf, there are multiple leaves showing that the many people of a neighborhood group is better than one.

- The design of the leaves themselves are oak leaves, native to this section of Northeast Ohio.

- Notice the negative space between the stems of the leaves, which outlines the well-kept houses that are the norm in the rocky Ridge section of the west side of Youngstown.

- You'll also see the outline of the ridge itself between the words “rocky” and “ridge”. The physical ridge with its jagged rock forms, is visible along Bears' Den Drive at the neighborhood's southern edge within Mill Creek Park.

- Additionally, the outline of the ridge is a representation of the sled riding hill in the neighborhood which people from around the region enjoy during the winter.

- Having a clear, crisp logo with a single color (Rocky Ridge Green - pantone number 3298) will allow for easier use and replication on letterheads, t-shirts, tattoos, etc.

Design is important.

Thoughtful design creates a response.
Thoughtful design produces clarity.
Thoughtful design improves function.

Look around downtown youngstown and/or the output of local organizations.

Do they follow good design techniques which improve function and meaning?

is double-parking and impeding traffic around 20 Federal Place becoming a safety issue?

2011-07-21T14:11:00.006+02:00

Over the past few months, the particular practice of drivers picking up and dropping off call center employees on Federal Street is becoming slightly annoying, and potentially dangerous.

Here is how it works:

Cars normally park diagonally in various free spots surrounding 20 Federal Place, a building now home to various call centers.

Because employees prefer a pickup or drop-off immediately adjacent to the doors of the building, drivers looking to collect or deposit their human cargo double-park (and seen yesterday for the first time, triple-park) along the narrow street.

The result...
Parked cars taking up lanes of space, which other vehicles have to move around throughout the work day. Additionally, after picking up the employees the stopped cars have to re-merge into traffic, which have caused accidents.

check out these photos:

The black car in the above and below photos is actually parked left of the center line, and was observed impeding the flow of traffic in both directions. Also it was too hot for the gent driving the car to sit there, so he was leaning on his vehicle watching the traffic move around him.

One of the issues concerning the downtown is a lack of police presence in the downtown area.

While it is one of the safest parts of the city, normal everyday urban experiences like illegal parking, loitering and begging, littering, and drinking alcohol in public are definitely on the upswing.

Here's a question:
If a police officer was stationed downtown and issued tickets for littering cigarette butts and parking citations (in addition to other essential services), would it be a revenue neutral effort or even a money-maker for the police department?

first of the new artisan bike racks installed in downtown youngstown

2011-07-19T04:14:00.004+02:00

On Monday, downtown bike commuters and restaurant patrons were able to see the first of several hand-crafted bicycle racks that were installed over the weekend.

Future posts will go over the stylings of each artist involved in the overall project.

For the two installed over the weekend, the designs encompass a classical sleek bike design, as well as the black handlebars and wheels forming the graceful "YO" which is often a shorthand for the city's name.

Here is the smaller of the two pieces, which can accommodate at least two bikes.

Going downtown Monday morning, bikes were already attached to the artisan sculptures.

Wow.

Check em out!

They are there for all to use...take a ride downtown and hitch your bike to them when patronizing our downtown.