the sacred halloween of youngstown

bison vodka on tap downtown

thanks to Aundrea for leaving a comment on the blog tonight, which announces Youngstown joining the country's "Polish Happy Hour" movement.

first stop, my favorite: bison grass vodka



Their events the next three months in downtown locations:

thursday, october 9th - 5pm to 9pm - Imbibe Martini Bar
This event will feature Zubrowka, bison grass vodka served with apple juice (Szarlotka) as its signature drink. The food will be a variety of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres as you would enjoy at an extended Polish drinking party. The music will feature Polish techno and disco artists that one would hear in a club in Krakow.

thursday, november 13th - 5pm to 9pm - Barleys
This event will feature a vodka tasting, Polish sandwich platters and rock music

thursday, december 11th - 5pm to 9pm - Rosetta Stone
This event will feature traditional holiday food selections: Krupnik, honey and other flavored vodkas will be the drinks. Jazz will be on the menu, but with a Polish flair.

meet you at The Palm

I just got punk'd by Metro Monthly.


I ate lunch at The Palm Cafe on Steel Street this Saturday, my third time in four weekends.

You see, I needed to get one more photo of some slow-roasted ham for this week's post of one of Youngstown's best hidden restaurants.

And this morning, I found this absolutely wonderful video of a trip to The Palm Cafe and a conversation with the Dubic family:



nice work, Metro Monthy.

Such is the fast and furious lifestyle of Youngstown online storytelling and blogging.

Another case in point, just days after my recent story about the Japanese Youngstown 2010 references and ohio meaning "good morning" in Japanese, Sunday's edition of the Youngstown Vindicator featured a similar opinion piece with the exact same topic.

Amazing coincidence, that's all. Many of you emailed me complaining how the local paper stole the idea, but I doubt that is the case.

- - -

anyway, here is the stock footage of my past few weekends at The Palm.

from the outside along Steel Street on the west side of the city:


the spread of vegetables and bread:


the chickens come out from the smoke house:



a video of cutting through the chickens:



then the lamb and hams come out:


slicing through the lamb like butter:


on one plate, chicken with genesee on draft.


on the other, lamb with labatt's blue on draft.


the whole Palm saturday experience is a wonderful ritual I member as a grade schooler from when I used to come here with my grandpa.

The place slowly fills with people in the morning, taking numbers, and then is packed at about 12:15pm when the first chickens come out. Chickens are sold by the bird or half a bird, and later the lamb and ham comes out - to be purchased by the pound.

good taste. good people.

that's The Palm.

the return of the baby doll dance

In 1929, the Mount Carmel Band in Lowellville performed for the first time.

In 2008, about 80 years after its start, the band performed at the most recent celebration of the Baby Doll Dance over the weekend.

And now, 80 years later, one of the original members of the 1929 band (now in his 90s) is still playing with today's band.

Amazing.

here, in all its wonder, in one of the greatest of the Youngstown region's traditions, the Baby Doll Dance in Lowellville:



Hundreds and hundreds of people gather around the dancing figure, with the Mt. Carmel Band playing on the elevated platform.


The fireworks are attached to the arms of the woman, and as they go off - one by one - it represents the cleansing of the body.



And at the end, more fireworks shoot from the head up into the sky.




peering around the rest of the Mount Carmel Festival . . .

a vigil with candels:

fresh squeezed lemonade and an errant finger by sissy:



a classic DiRusso's sausage with pepperocini:


the train crossing:



the band:



the stands at the bocce matches:



a nice roll:



this post is getting long so i'll cut out my videos of the games, the rides, the gambling, the fireworks, and the morra.

see you next year.

it's time for the annual baby doll dance

The eastern city limits of Youngstown are about 2 miles from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

But just before the Mahoning River flows into the Keystone State, the valley narrows dramatically at the village of Lowellville Ohio, a community of about 1,300 residents.

And thanks to the people of Lowellville, the Youngstown region celebrates one of it's most unique traditions:

the annual baby doll dance


Held at 11pm [note: I've seen 10:30pm on another site] on wednesday, thursday and friday of this week, the band plays music and the figure inside the costume dances around - but with fireworks attached to the outfit. (photos courtesy of this flickr account)


The baby doll dance is the culmination of the festivities already filled with good food and music, held just south of Carcheddi's and the river at the Mount Carmel Hall. (over the green bridge and just before you head up the uber-steep hill towards Poland)


At 11pm on Saturday is a fireworks show by Zambelli which is just an awesome experience cause the narrow valley makes it kinda like an echo chamber.


Italian music is playing Web to Saturday from 9pm to 11pm, along with a Mora Tournament, a Bocce Tournament, and wine tasting.

Here is the only video of the Baby Doll Dance I could find, this one from Aliquippa, PA.



another great local tradition.

the cookie table: a youngstown tradition

I remember the moment.

It was 1998 and I had to go to a wedding in Dayton.

The ceremony was beautiful.

The bride was stunning.

The filet mignon was succulent.

The band with their horn section rocked the house.

and as the evening progressed, I went searching for the cookie table.

- - -

Only there was no cookie table.

worst wedding ever.

- - -

People from this region may remember the first wedding reception they attended without a cookie table. The initial shock of not having a cookie table is difficult for the soul. But it also shows us how there are some traditions out there that are weaved into the core of our beings, which you can't find everywhere throughout the country.





The cookie table is one of those traditions that makes this region special.

- - -

Simply put, the cookie table is Youngstown.

It's festive and it's dynamic and it's diverse.

Your friends, your family, your caterers - all come together in the days before the wedding to make dozens and dozens upon dozens of cookies and minature cakes.

Even though the cookie table has its history in many countries throughout the world, immigrants from the region popularized it, and the variety of today's cookie tables reflects what happens when people thoughout the world begin to co-habitate in the same city.

At a typical Youngstown cookie table, regardless of the ethnicity of the couple, you'll find kolachi from Poland, pizelles from Italy, torte from Germany, kataifi from Greece, bobalki from Slovakia, buckeyes from Ohio, clothespins, canoli, kisses, and those little tiny cheesecakes with the cherries on top.

You bring cookies, you eat cookies, and you take home some cookies in your to-go boxes. That's the tradition.



And interesting enough, a good cookie table usually means your guests will be content.

The bride might be homely, the best man may have given a horrible speech, and the cavatelli might not be cooked enough, but if you ever hear . . .

"Frank, did you see the size of that cookie table? Good heavens!!"

. . . chances are your guests will go home happy.