Staycations are all the rage as many buckle down on excessive spending by forgoing the big, expensive out-of-town summer get-away. But does staying close to home mean the next three months will be boring. Not a chance. For music lovers, there’s no place like home in the Mahoning Valley. The number of free concerts taking place will keep many a toe tapping.

The W.D. Packard Concert Band, the Pride of Warren since 1955, will be busy through August keeping big band buffs happy. All concerts are free and open to the public courtesy of the W.D. Packard Trust. The following is the schedule for the W.D. Packard Concert Band with all concerts taking place at the South Lawn band shell unless noted.

Sunday, June 14 Summer Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
(A Salute to Flag Day – Flags and Music Around the World)

Sunday, June 28 Summer Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
(Music for a Summer Evening)

Saturday, July 4 Concert & Fireworks 8:00 p.m. – Music Hall
(Fireworks display by Zambelli Fireworks)

Friday, July 24 Packard Dixieland Band 3:00 p.m. – Music Hall
Saturday, July 25 Big Band Sound of Packard Noon – Music Hall
Saturday, July 25 Dancing Under the Stars 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 26 Summer Band Concert 7:00 p.m. (TBA)

Sunday, August 9 Summer Band Concert 7:00 p.m. (TBA)

Sunday, August 23 Summer Band Concert 7:00 p.m(TBA).

The 42-acre Packard Park is home to the W.D. Packard Music Hall. When stage events take place, the Hall can seat more than 2,400. When the Hall is used for banquets, it can seat at least 500 people.

Those who frequent the Packard Music Hall know how hard the staffs, Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board and the numerous volunteers work to make this Warren, Ohio facility such a landmark in the community, which in turn would make founder and industrialist William Doud Packard (1861-1923) very proud.

Packard was known to love a good military march; so much so he specifically included a provision in his will stating his desire that music be a part of Warren’s culture long after his death. William’s wealth from the Packard Automotive Company and the Packard Motor Car Company, businesses he founded in the 1890s along with his brother James Ward Packard, helped make this a reality. Through a trust fund established for this purpose, the Music Hall was built with the remaining money to be used to maintain a band to perform there. World War II slowed the plan a bit, but in October of 1955 the Music Hall was finished and ready to go.

The W.D. Packard Music Hall is located at

1703 Mahoning Ave Nw
Warren, OH 44483-2008

For more information, visit their website at www.packardmusichall.com or call 330-841-2619.

Free Music in Y-Town Abundant this Summer is a post from: Youngstown Blog

June 24 Youngstown Area Community Concert Band
July 1 Colin Dussault’s Blues Project
July 8 Rudy and the Professionals (a taste of the Caribbean)
July 15 Del Sinchak/Eddie Vallus II (Polka)
July 19 Bid Bad Voodoo Daddy
July 22 The Eldorado Band (Country)
July 26 Aftermath (Experience the 60s) at both 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
July 29 Teddy Pantelas Quartet (Jazz)
August 5 Jones For Revival (Youngtown’s jam band)
August 12 Don Burns Orchestra (Big Band)
August 19 Conjunto Riquena (Latin)
August 26 Youngtown’s Total Package Band (high energy R&B)
Sept. 2 No Xcuse (Rock, 80s, 90s, and today)
Sept 9 Easy Street Productions (favorites)

For more information concerning the Mill Creek MetroParks Summerfest Spectacular for 2009 call 330-702-3000.
With the free concert line-up offered by Packard Music Hall and Mill Creek MetroParks, (note – no dates conflict), it is a sure bet the people of the Mahoning Valley will be humming a happy tune all summer long.

Mill Creek MetroParks Summerfest Spectacular is a post from: Youngstown Blog

If it needs done, these kids are willing to take on the task be it cleaning, painting, weeding, and everything in between including stuffing envelopes in an office setting to making and serving meals to the needy at area shelters. The registration form is written so groups can volunteer for areas they feel most comfortable with including – Fix-Up (indoor or outdoor cleaning or painting, landscaping, moving and window washing); Administrative (bulk mailings, computer help or assembly of printed material); Food/Clothing (meal prep and serving, food packaging and storing or clothing sorting and organizing) and Person-to-Person (arts and crafts or activities for children, teens or the elderly). The non-profit agencies these groups help get their services from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. meaning much can be accomplished.

The United Way established this program in an effort to expose the youth of the Mahoning Valley to the importance of volunteering. In doing so, these teens help the area United Way agencies complete needed projects. In the process, not only do the students gain a respect for what the United Way tries to accomplish, but by working within their own groups and with others, the children get to experience the fact that working together they indeed can make a difference in their community. And though the tasks taken on can be labor-intensive, the students also realize hard work can be satisfying, especially when one steps back and sees what’s been accomplished.

Though the deadline to register your group in order to participate this year was April 1, visit the Youth Day of Caring website at www.ymvunitedway.org and find out how your group can participate next year. And come Saturday, April 25, if you happen to see a group of kids doing some good, give a shout-out and let them know it’s appreciated!

Contact information:

Debbie Oliver

United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley

255 Watt Street

Youngstown, OH 44505

Phone: 330-746-8494 Fax: 330-746-4525

E-mail: doliver@ymvunitedway.org

Website: www.ymvunitedway.org

Caring for Our Community is a post from: Youngstown Blog

Our nations’ first federally funded highway is celebrating its bicentennial, and you’re invited to the party. The National Road: Helping Build America is a traveling exhibit whose next stop is the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor & Industry where it sill be on display April 7 through June 28, 2009.

Put together by the Ohio Historical Society and partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, this exhibit honors Congress’ authorizing the construction of the National Road also known as the Cumberland Road, the National Pike, “The Main Street of America” and U.S. 40. The National Road was the first compact gravel road to cross the Appalachian Mountains making it so travel through this area was more doable. With the construction of The National Road, settling the frontier became a reality.

Though Congress gave the okay to begin the construction of the road in 1806, and contracts with private builders were in place by 1811, the War of 1812 held the project in limbo until 1815. At this time, work on the road began in Cumberland, Maryland with the first portion to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) being completed in 1817. The road eventually extended to St. Louis, Missouri. It is interesting to note that the Ohio portion of the 620-mile National Road is more than 225 miles long and traverses through 10 different Ohio counties.

The history of The National Road shows Ohio was to become a state in 1803 and congress promised in 1802 to build a road connecting areas east of the Appalachian Mountains to the land that was to become Ohio. Up until this time, the Nemacolin’s Path, a Native American trail named after the Delaware Indian chief, Neamcolin was the “road” used to help people in the Northwest Territory to cross the Appalachian Mountains. With the National Road in place, the ability to settle this Ohio frontier was made easier, as was communication between this area and those on the East Coast.

The National Road: Helping Build America relies on wonderful graphics to tell the story of this landmark road through the eyes of a traveler of this era. Those visiting the exhibit will not only learn how this road came to be, but how it helped with westward expansion, and how it continues today as a travel destination. Such is its importance to the development of the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries; in 2002 the United States Department of Transportation designated this byway an “All-American Road” in the “National Scenic Byway System.”

The exhibit has been on display appearing at venues along Route 40 since 2007 and is now making its way to other Ohio Historical Society stops in 2009 so more may learn about this important Ohio landmark.

The Youngstown Historical Center of Labor & Industry is open Wednesday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday (as well as Memorial Day and Labor Day)- noon to 4:00 p.m.  Admission is $7 for adults; $3 for children 6-12 and children under 5 are free. Call 1-800-262-6137 for more information.

The Youngstown Historical Center is located at 151 W. Wood Street in Youngstown, Mahoning County. Wood Street is located between Wick Avenue and Fifth Avenue. It is one block north of downtown and two blocks south of Youngstown State University.

On the Road Again is a post from: Youngstown Blog

Youngstown Korean United Methodist Church, Pastor In Wha Shon, will hold a special music concert with Dr. In Hong Cha, from Dayton, Ohio who is well known in the world as a “wheel chair conductor and singing violinist”.

At the tender age of two, he was paralyzed with lower extremities with devastating poliomyelitis. Despite of his illness, poverty and hardship, he strived with enduring efforts and faith in God, his life story was broadcasted on Korean National TV(KBS) and Seoul TV Station (SBC). He is inspiring many people all over the world. He is performing 100 events a year all over the world. He is currently a professor and full time conductor of Orchestra at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

If anyone interested in attending this event, please contact Pastor Shon.
Seats are limited, reservations only.

New Year Violin Concert is a post from: Youngstown Blog

Lanterman’s Mill is considered one of Mahoning County’s most historic landmarks. The present mill (and all mills that came before it) built in 1845-1846 by German Lanterman and Samuel Kimberly is located at Lanterman’s Falls.  The Mill was restored from 1982 to 1985 through a gift from the Ward and Florence Beecher Foundation. However, there were a few mills at this location prior to the one standing today.

John Young, the founder of Youngstown, once owned the land surrounding Lanterman’s Falls. He sold 300 acres that included the falls to Phineas Hill at the end of the 18th century with the stipulation a saw and grist mill be built at the site of the Falls within 18 months of purchase. This mill which operated from 1799 to 1822 was built from logs found on-site and millstones were cut from granite in the area.

In 1823, Eli Baldwin built a mill to replace this original, with this gristmill operating up until 1843 when a flood destroyed the structure. It is interesting to note a grinding stone from this 1823 mill can still be seen in the creek bed 500 feet down stream from the Falls.

The current mill was built two years after the flood and though quite success for many years, it closed in 1888. The Mill then stood dormant and deteriorating until 1892 when Mill Creek Park bought the structure.
The Park used Lanterman’s Mill as a ballroom and bath house for those who came to swim in the Pool of Shadows by the Mill. Then in 1933 the lower floor of the Mill was turned into a nature museum and later in 1972 it became the Park’s historical museum. Lanterman’s Mill earned it place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Once funding was secure and the research was done, the work began to restore Lanterman’s Mill to its present state – a fantastic reminder of our area’s pioneer ingenuity. The Mill operates today as it did in the 1800s – grinding corn, wheat and buckwheat.

With so much history and such a loyal following of those who appreciate what Lanterman’s Mill represents, during the last weekend in November, the Mill welcomes all to come for a visit and take a walk back in time. Whether one has a hankering for real roasted chestnuts or simply wants to witness the majesty of this working mill, Lanterman’s Mill is the place to be Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30.
Come take a trip back in time and witness what Mill Creek Park has to offer and why so many in the Mahoning Valley love to call the area “home.”

For more information about Olde Fashioned Christmas at the Mill contact the Ford Nature Center of Mill Creek Park at 330-740-7107. Lanterman’s Mill is located at 980 Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH 44511-2368

Saturday, November 29,  2008

• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.–Victorian Christmas Display
• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.–Tytely Wounde Stryng Band, Folk Music
• 11 a.m. -12:30 p.m.–Kirk Kupensky, Harpist
• Noon – 2 p.m.–Bob Spisak, Juggler
• 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.–Mark Pringle, Bagpiper
• 1 – 3:30 p.m.–Jon Mosey, Folk Music
• 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.–Joe Sullivan, Balloon Art

Sunday, November 30, 2008

• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.–Victorian Christmas Display
• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.–Tytely Wounde Stryng Band, Folk Music
• 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.–Crossties Duo, Folk Music
• Noon – 2 p.m.–Bob Spisak, Juggler
• 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.–Mark Pringle, Bagpiper
• 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.–Joe Sullivan, Balloon Art
• 3 – 4:30 p.m.–Kirk Kupensky, Harpist

Olde Fashioned Christmas at The Mill is a post from: Youngstown Blog