Monday's “Youngstown Community Congress” has 700 citizens signed up, and growing

One week ago, I had my first experience within the walls of downtown youngstown's Trinity United Methodist Church.

The beauty of the Trinity United Methodist structure puts the space in the upper echelon of architectural awesomeness for local sacred spaces, such as St. Patrick's Catholic Church on the southside and Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church downtown. The numerous separate chapels, the wood detail throughout, the stone gothic arches, the ornate baptismal font, the treed courtyard, the tunneling hallways, the people, and the history – all merge together to make the place shine.



The Trinity United Methodist Church complex will also be the site of the upcoming “Youngstown Community Congress” Monday at 6:30pm, where hundreds and hundreds of residents will gather to discuss the urban agenda with local officials.

The event is free and open to the public,
with free parking downtown in parking lots along Front Street.

Topics for mass discussion include policies for vacant properties, access to healthy foods, neighborhood safety, and jobs/economic development.


Citizens will have the opportunity to ask questions to candidates for Congress, for state Senate, to representatives of the Governor's race, and various targeted local elected positions. Depending on to whom the question is asked, candidates will have 2 minutes to respond.

While approximately 80 neighborhood/community organizations from across the Mahoning Valley will be represented at the event, a number of opinions can develop into a single entity with a unified voice to share with local and state officials.

The opportunity then exists to make your voice heard in the upcoming election, but also to create accountability among those officials who currently hold office.

Youngstown Community Congress
Trinity United Methodist Church
30 West Front Street
Yo O 44503

YNDC Youngstown Rising

anyone reading this blog should take a drive or walk through the Idora Neighborhood.



As the video shows, there are many activities taking root.

the band - and the actors - put on a great show at the Youngstown Playhouse

In operation since 1924, the Youngstown Playhouse presents itself as "America's Oldest Ongoing Community Theater".

As it opens its 2010-2011 season, the organization is seeing record sold-out shows based upon their rendition of "Chicago", with refined music sounds of a 14-piece band and young local talent.


(all photos by Leslie Cusano Photography)


Because the performance is such a blockbuster, they've added a Sunday show this weekend.



Performances which were really amazing during the show:

- Donna Huntey's consistent outstanding vocals as Mama Morton, especially in "When You're Good to Mama"

- The choreography of the entire stage, especially Kayla Boye (Roxy) and Brian Palumbo (Billy) during "We Both Reached for the Gun"

- Natalia Lepore Hagan in just about everything she's on stage for






kudos to the band and the actors and the directors who made the show shine.

As the show demonstrates, you have to plan big to get big.

grey to green festival 2010 recap

by the good people at MetroMonthly:



www.greytogreenfestival.org

Blue Ribbon 10K and 2 mile weaves throughout downtown youngstown, ysu, wick park, crandall park, 5th avenue

Last month's Panerathon brought 3,000 participants running/walking in downtown youngstown, and the course snaked around Mill Creek Park.

This Sunday's "Blue Ribbon 10K race - 2mile walk for Prostate Cancer Awareness" weaves through some of the best urban areas of Youngstown, featuring the city's best architectural and planning achievements.


The course starts in Historic Wick Park, up through Fifth Avenue and its mansions to Stambaugh Golf Course, back down and throughout Crandall Park, over to Downtown along Federal Street, and through the YSU campus to get back to Wick Park.



The web site for the race/fun walk is here.

what a deal - $50 for 13 weeks of Polish language classes

With registration currently open for the first classes starting on Tuesday, September 14th, Polish lessons at various levels are coming to downtown Youngstown.

The classes will be held at St. Peter and Paul Church on Covington Street just west of the central business district at various times (depending on the skill level) for 13 weeks.

Taught by instructors fluent in Polish, the classes can even be paid online via PayPal - or checks can be brought in the first week.

More information here, but the classes for the Fall Semester will be...

Polish Basics
Designed for broad base of students with varied knowledge of Polish; provides basic speaking, writing and reading skills that will help the students communicate in fundamental everyday situations. Elements of Polish grammar are introduced.
Class meets on Tuesday, 10 - 11:30 AM, first class meets on September 14th 2010,
Instructor: Stanley Gerchak
Cost: FREE

Children's Polish School
Aimed at students 6-13 yr old students who are learning the Polish language from scratch or who know very little of it from the family home. They will develop communicative competence of children through games, songs, pictorial historian and other forms of which are not too difficult, interesting and fun.
Class meets on Tuesday, 6:00PM - 7.00 PM, first class meets on September 14th 2010,
Instructor: Marta Mazur
Cost: $50 (per semester) plus optional textbooks

Beginners Polish I
Designed for students with no previous knowledge of Polish; provides basic speaking, writing and reading skills that will help the students communicate in fundamental everyday situations. Elements of Polish grammar are introduced.
Class meets on Tuesday, 7:00PM - 8.30 PM, first class meets on September 14th 2010,
Instructor: Marta Mazur
Cost: $50 ( per semester) plus optional textbooks

Beginners Polish II
(prerequisite Beginners Polish I or equivalent) focuses on building vocabulary in order to develop better comprehension and conversation skills. We will continue introducing grammatical concepts and structures. Students will begin developing basic writing skills.
Class meets on Tuesday, 6:00PM - 8.00 PM, first class meets on September 14th 2010,
Instructor: TBA
Cost: $50 ( per semester) plus optional textbooks

online prize contest: Name the Number of Confederate Flag Vendors at this year's Canfield Fair

The blog is sponsoring an online contest this year!

Whoever correctly guesses the total number of vendors selling confederate flag-themed items at the 2010 Canfield Fair will win a prize, to be mailed to you.




All entires must simply leave in the comments section (below) the number of kiosks/people selling "stars and bars" items.

Deadline for entry is midnight of Labor Day.

Happy Hunting!

hup, hup, we got a hub

A Hub of Innovation, that is:



Way to go, Ted Strickland administration and Ohio ODOD.

using 5th order polynomial regression to track the size of the Largest Pumpkin at the Canfield Fair

The 164th Canfield Fair starts today, which will contains some of my favorite happenings of the year:

Children and horses in costume...


The "Baking by Men" competition...


And the largest pumpkin of the year...


The mega-gourd tent is definitely worth checking out.

Interestingly, one can view the quickening rise over the years for the size of the largest pumpkin.

Check out the ballooning sizes over the years:


We can take this data and enter it into a predictive regression model to estimate the size of the pumpkin in 2010, given recent growth trends.


The 5th order polynomial representing the regression is shown by the green line, weaving between the orange data points.

Using this predictive model, given recent trends in the size of the award-winning pumpkins at the Canfield Fair, the weight in 2010 will be ... a shade over 1,114 pounds.



How close will this estimate be to the winning weight in 2010?