liminal youngstown: part I

sometimes it's the path traveled

that matters most

to find what's hidden in this world.

liminal youngstown.

YBI and WCBA launch internship program

Have you ever wanted to work at the YBI?

Well, the award-winning Youngstown Business Incubator is partnering with YSU's Williamson College of Business Administration (WCBA) to launch the Entrepreneurial Internship Program (EIP) this fall.

The goal?

Expose students to entrepreneurship and increase their understanding of what is necessary to create and grow a new venture, explore new markets, and develop a customer base.

Interns will be placed with YBI and its Portfolio Companies, and will work for one semester for a total of 225 hours. Their salaries will be paid by YBI and WCBA’s Monus Entrepreneurship Center.

4 positions were awarded for fall 2009:

- Rose Shaffer, a senior marketing management major, will work with BizVeo which offers an internet-based, video training and competency testing solution.

- Jessica Sferra, a senior business administration major, will assist SenSource, a technology company that provides traffic and vehicle counting solutions and environmental sensors, with its marketing initiatives.

- Arianne Morris, a senior business administration major, is interning with Syncro Medical Innovations which has developed a unique magnetically guided feeding tube.

- Courtney Vitullo, a senior management information systems major, will work directly with YBI to promote new entrepreneurial programs with YSU and social media applications.

can you be next?

One simple step in connecting the the existing networks for updates:

LinkedIn GY2.0 - facebook - myspace

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another good opportunity to connect is at the YBI's monthly Innovation Series seminars.

next one is September 24th - 3pm - Thursday (week from today)

Summer Garden Food Manufacturing will host a presentation on environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and technology.

Besides a leading integrated production space, its new $12 million facility includes a research and development area, an innovative safety and quality lab, a culinary art center, and a process engineering development facility.

note: the program will be held at Summer Garden Food Manufacturing located on 500 McClurg Road, Boardman, OH 44512 - not downtown.

The program is free to attend, but reservations are greatly appreciated. Reply to Julie Michael Smith, Chief Development Officer, Youngstown Business Incubator at jmsmith (at) ybi.org or 330-259-7644.

Dana School shines at DeYor Performances

Sunday afternoon marked the first "Dana at Deyor" concert of the Fall 2009 season - followed by the second of the series that evening.

Here's a quick clip of the YSU Chamber Orchestra playing Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Trumpets:



The first event was also the musical debut of the new dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Dr. Bryan DePoy. My accompanying friends (and Dana grads) thought it was great the dean of the school has a PhD in music performance.

Here is another clip, of the group closing out the performance with a piece by Romanian/Hungarian composer Bela Bartok:



quality music.

the announced dates for the rest of the semester include:
Monday, October 12 - YSU Concert Band and Wind Ensemble
Monday, October 19 - Fall Choral Concert
Monday, October 26 - Dana Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, November 22 - Faculty and Guest Recital

The performances take place at the Ford Family Recital Hall in the Beecher Flad Pavilion, next to the Powers Auditorium (formerly the Warner Theater) - all part of the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown youngstown.

from the outside:





The Dana School of Music has planned 50 performances for the fall semester, most free and open to the public. You can find the schedule here and a history of the 140-year old institution here.

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editor's note:

I found out about the "Dana at DeYor" performance through the literature passed out at last week's Canfield Fair.


According to the glossy material, these 6 special Dana at Deyor performances cost $5.00 for general admission. I emptied out my change bucket in my car to pay the entrance.


After standing in line for the ticket window, the price turned out to be $6.50 - good thing I was with friends.

While the buck-fifty was no big deal really, let's hope prices are correctly advertised in the future.

Obama lands in Youngstown for events at GM Lordstown

Just around 11:25am:

"We know that the battle for America’s future will be fought and won not just in the big cities, not just on the coasts, but in towns like Elkhart and Pittsburgh; Warren and Youngstown."

c-span video here.

speech text here.

nice work, mr. frangos

Realty Towers all lit up at night.

who's ready for the saturday gauntlet?

Even though it's past Labor Day, this saturday is gearing up as a day one just heads to downtown youngstown in the morning and spends all day and all evening soaking up the city.

What follows is a guide to Saturday, September 12 2009.

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9am - breakfast at Cafe Cimmento or the Golden Dawn

10am to 5pm - commencement of the Grey to Green Festival at Wick Park.

While others have blogged about the event here, here, here, and here, the official website of the Fest can be found here.

schedule of puppet shows, speakers, musicians, tours, farmers markets, movies here.

list of vendors and engagement booths here.



4pm - Youngstown State Football home opener (tailgating beforehand) all tickets $5 to celebrate the first game of the season



8pm - Youngstown Symphony 1st show (pops and musicals) of the upcoming season



all afternoon and into the evening - Pabsolutely Fest at the Royal Oaks with food and music by bands from NYC, Detroit, Pitts, and local faves.

and you can dunk in the tank some Little Steel Derby Girls


1:30am - puerto rican food at Papa's

4:10am - leave the Lemon Grove with some carrot juice

youngstown farmers' markets still going strong through september

Did you know Youngstown has its own form of currency?


While the downtown and northside farmers' markets take traditional cash as well, the wooden dollars are accepted by the markets' vendors.

This year, the markets are accepting food stamps, giving people access to fresh fruits and vegetables as some neighborhoods only have smaller junk-food filled convenience stores within walking distance.


Let's step inside the market on a typical saturday...






Thanks to Carmella Pesa, you can get fresh-baked zucchini bread, banana bread, and other baked goods. Fantastic quality.




Canned goods, bbq, braided garlic, cookbooks, breads, soaps, a cornucopia of veggies, and good people can be found here from 9am to 1pm at Wick Park for the rest of September.





want to see a video on how a city works?

check it out:

10 reasons to take a look at the Youngstown region

as released by the Regional Chamber today:

The "10 reason pdf" for media distribution is available here.

The number #11 reason?

cookie tables.

actually, these colors do run...

Did anyone else take note of the abundance of confederate flags spread across the Canfield Fair this year?


The display of "stars and bars" merchandise was concentrated at the stands of many of the private vendors, and not at official Canfield Fair buildings.

Given the spread of confederate imagery over the fairgrounds however, it makes one wonder how inviting the Canfield Fair is to the families and individuals who are visiting our Valley's wonderful event.


The truth is, these colors do run.

History from 144 years ago proves this fact.

But the colors are on an upswing is seems, as evident in $3 confederate ball caps and nylon flags made in China that one was able to purchase at the Fair.

Let's just hope in the future less of the Fair descends into a dirt-mall merchandising opportunity with bargain buckets of confederate socks.

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It needs to be emphasized that the sale of confederate material is just one small component of a overwhelming positive Canfield Fair.

Just as lemon shakes and corndogs and meat-stuffed hungarian peppers are big sellers in the free market, in all likelihood, the confederate material may also sell well.

Usually what sells is what get placed on the shelves.

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For another example, at this Sunday's event downtown, marijuana-themed t-shirts and goods were for sale, as were large hangings promoting alcohol taped to historic buildings.



Does this mean the organizers of these events are at fault?

I'd argue not to make the organizers a villain in any of this discussion, but it doesn't mean the organizers don't have influence over the environment at their public events.

what do you think?

mangage the merchandise? or much ado about nothing?

enjoying a Żywiec with 1,000 of my friends: a recap of Polish Day 2009

The parking lot (and most of the lawn) outside of St. Anne's on Sunday was overflowing with cars not only from Ohio and Pennsylvania, but I also saw plates from New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and even an Arizona.

when I saw this permanent sign, I knew I was in the right place:


what follows is the sights and sounds of Polish Youngstown's Polish Day 2009.





accordion classes:


heaping amounts of eats from Seven Roses on Fleet Avenue:




a video from the bar to the stage:



the Krakowiaki Folk Circle (performing at the Canfield Fair as well):



the accordion jam session:



a line going out the door to get inside and get some food:


some polish pottery brought by Slovak Folk Crafts across the border in Grove City:


corn hole with pyrohy, not bean bags:


nationalistic baked goods:



and just a TON of people having a good time:


The Youngstown Vindicator also had a good write-up with more excellent pictures here.

Polish Youngstown's upcoming events:
- Polish Arts Club Picnic, Sept 13th
- Christmas Wigilia dinner, Dec 20th
- Butler Art Scholarship Tea, Feb 21st
- Polish Happy Hours, first Thurs of every month

you can connect to their email newsletter here.

and kudos to the souls who do all the work in setting events like this up.

and let the deluge begin...

on msnbc regarding the upcoming party in the suburban community of Boardman, Ohio:

from an op-ed in the Youngstown Vindicator:

James A. Traficant Jr. will go to his grave knowing that the thinking people of the Mahoning Valley have no respect for him.

His family and friends will love him, the usual hangers-on will urge him to keep fighting his enemies, real and imagined, and he may even hear a voice or two of reason.

But the words, “I respect you, Jim,” will not be spoken to him.

Not by people whose opinions matter.

wow. powerful stuff.