Crowds enthusiastically celebrate the opening of downtown Youngstown | News, sports, jobs

Corresponding photos / Sean Barron. .. Dan Martini, co-owner of The Federal in downtown Youngstown, begins preparing hot dogs and sausages for those who wanted to take part in the evening’s entertainment, which was part of Saturday’s The Open event celebrating the city’s comeback celebrate.

YOUNGSTOWN – The 1989 Janet Jackson hit “Come Back to Me” begs for the return of a lost love to mend a broken heart, but if you flip the lyrics and their meaning, you might have something that Recent atmosphere in the city resembles downtown.

“It helped a lot. We’re seeing a difference in foot traffic,” said Eddie Moses, co-owner of V2 Wine and Trattoria on West Federal Street.

He was referring to the increase in customers visiting the popular downtown restaurant thanks to Saturday’s all-day event “The Open” across much of the corridor and beyond.

Major sponsors and contributors included 7/17 Credit Union, the City of Youngstown, Premier Bank, United Way of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley, the Youngstown Foundation, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and JAC Live.

The fun-filled extravaganza of live entertainment, special events and activities celebrated the opening of the downtown corridor while supporting the business community struggling with fewer customers and lost sales, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a seemingly endless and frustrating affair Road closures, detours and infrastructure repairs, as well as the natural gas explosion in the basement of the Realty Tower building on May 28 that killed Akil Drake, a 27-year-old Chase Bank employee. The 13-story building was demolished.

Moses said he hopes Saturday’s meeting will be a catalyst for downtown to be “like the old days,” with stores full of customers and a vibrant arts and entertainment center.

If The Open proves to be an accurate future prediction for V2, which opened about 13 years ago, the restaurant and meeting place will likely do well. The outdoor tables were full and only a few were unoccupied on a cloudless 23 degree Celsius afternoon.

Downtown life and commerce have been affected by factors beyond anyone’s control, but Moses is hoping for “a major turnaround,” he said, while emphasizing that he feels the area is safe for everyone .

“We have to give people a reason to come here,” said Dan Martini, co-owner of The Federal next to V2.

The road closures had an adverse impact on the company as it reported a 60% decline in sales between May and July compared to the same period last year, Martini added.

“Hopefully we’ve got this all behind us now,” said Martini, who spent part of Saturday afternoon grilling hot dogs and sausages for those who wanted to stay for the evening’s entertainment on a nearby large, full-width stage along West Federal Street.

A key driver of increased attendance in the corridor will be the scheduling of a greater number of concerts and events at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater beginning next year. This will create a domino effect as many people who visit the venue will also use other downtown offerings, including restaurants, he said. Martini added that the amphitheater only hosted four or five major performances this summer.

Katie Detoro, managing director of OH WOW!, was also pleased about the high number of visitors. The Roger & Gloria Jones Center for Science and Technology.

“It felt really good today. We definitely had over 500 people in attendance,” Detoro said, adding that on a typical Saturday with no special events, about 100 people arrive.

One incentive for at least part of the five-fold increase was that the center offered four hours of free admission thanks to sponsorship and donations from 7/17 Credit Union, Detoro noted.

OH WOW! She suffered a financial setback this summer, but the situation improved last month, she said.

Detoro added that during the Open, she not only showcased the center’s offerings, but also promoted the city to people coming from Stow, Pittsburgh and elsewhere — a move “that’s a win for everyone, because they’ll come back.” “You know?” she said.

Additionally, many downtown businesses are looking out for each other to promote the city’s openness to everyone despite the difficult times, Detoro continued.

Moses, Martini and Detoro were united in their hope that Saturday’s large gathering will continue Youngstown’s transformation process and help encourage more people to take advantage of its diverse offerings.

The numerous visitors who wore dark blue T-shirts with the inscription “Forever Youngstown Ohio” also left no doubt about their connection and loyalty to the city.

“We are waiting for the city to get going again. This is a great start, I can tell you that,” said Jim Kinnick, who made about 1,500 such free shirts and then donated them to those who work downtown.

Kinnick, the executive director of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, added that funds for the T-shirts came from Eastgate’s community investment fund. He plans to order more of them in the next few weeks for the same purpose.

Eastgate’s top priority is to continue to invest in the city and grow the region through its partnerships. It’s important to invest in Youngstown and grow from there, Kinnick said.

To that end, ERCG plans to roll out a housing assessment strategy next year that targets the region’s housing needs, said Kinnick, who also worked as an engineer for the Ohio Department of Transportation for 30 years.

Saturday’s entertainment included Howard Howell and Blaq Rose, both of whom preceded headliner Red Wanting Blue, a rock ‘n’ roll band that debuted in Athens in the mid-1990s before moving to Columbus. Her studio releases include “Souvenirs of City Life,” “Pride: The Cold Lover,” “From the Vanishing Point” and “Sirens,” dedicated to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Many people turned West Federal Street into a makeshift dance floor as they moved back and forth to Howard Howell’s renditions of a predominantly R&B-driven repertoire that also included the popular standard “Fly Me to the Moon” and the Bill Withers hit ” Lovely Day” belonged. and the 1976 instrumental “Breezin” by George Benson, as well as songs by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and others.

Among those uninhibitedly showing off a few moves was Hannah DiCristofaro, who returned to the city six years ago after living in North Hollywood, California and Seattle.

“I love this event,” said DiChristofaro, who came with her sister Emily Datchuk of Girard and her niece Rory Datchuk, 4. “It’s cool that everyone is coming together to make sure people know we’re coming back and coming back stronger.” My heart is here.”

The celebration also included a Youngstown Phantoms vs. Lincoln Stars hockey game at the Covelli Center, a screening of the popular 1975 cult film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at Penguin City Brewing Co., the Youngstown Film Festival at the Vault and the Youngstown football game State University Penguins vs. the South Dakota Coyotes at Stambaugh Stadium.