using YouTube to inspect a slice of comtemporary Youngstown - December 2011

According to Google's FAQs about YouTube, in 2011 there were 48 hours of video uploaded every minute, or 8 years of content added each day.

And a little-bitty slice of that daily uploaded content is about Youngstown.

Youngstown music, Youngstown news, Youngstown sports, Youngstown quirks.

- - -

Let's play amateur historians for a moment...

If we looked only at the last two weeks of Youngstown-related uploads, and treated it as a time capsule of December 2011 and the things going on in our hyperlocal world, what is in that bundle?

Here then are 10 videos uploaded in the last two weeks, a snapshot of this corner of the earth at the end of the last month of the eleventh year of the current millennium....

#10 - Highlights of the 2011 Youngstown Men's Rugby Season, who practices at Harrison Commons in the Smoky Hollow. (here's an article about the Youngstown Women's Rugby Team)



#9 - An interview between a christian pastor and a sheep puppet, discussing the history of christmas...



#8 - A homemade rap music video, complete with historical settings in Oak Hill Cemetery and a decapitated human body...



#7 - On the other end of that spectrum, someone installing one of Yoko Ono's "Imagine Peace" billboards in downtown Youngstown...



#6 - From a demolition perspective, the 71-year old Westlake Terrace public housing project christened by good ol' Eleanor Roosevelt is coming down. One of, if not, the oldest publicly-funded housing projects in the United States. At its height, Westlake Terrace was over 600 units.



#5 - From the revitalization perspective, Iron and String Life Enhancement (ISLE) Inc will be constructing a bakery/diner named "Sugar Plum" in downtown youngstown, partially staffed by adults with disabilities...



#4 -YSU's STEM Dean, Dr. Martin Abraham, at the Youngstown Utica Shale Conference announcing the formation of The Natural Gas and Water Resources Institute...



#3 - Some dude's assessment of Youngstown's recent 2.5 magnitude earthquake using earthquake visualization software and Google Earth... (Some of his info is correct, some info not so correct)



#2 - From a diaspora perspective, Catullo's Prime Meats is getting ready to send Youngstown treats across the USA...



#1 - Finally, The Youngstown Club's Famous cheese recipe created by James McGoogan well over 70 years ago has a commercial...



The world-famous cheese is now available at amazon.com to ship around the country & world.

These 10 videos . . . a slice of Youngstown in December 2011.

thurs - fri - mon : do a YBI Tour as you are home visiting family

Have you ever been inside the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI), whose portfolio companies are employing over 400 people in downtown youngstown?

Are you home for the holidays, looking for a place to explore in between your sacred duties like making pizzelles and eating kolachi?

Well, on an rsvp basis, the YBI will be offering tours to interested folks and those returning home for the holidays, both before and after Christmas.

the schedule:

Thursday, Dec 22
Tours from 9am to 5pm leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI Chief Evangelist Jim Cossler. RSVP needed.

Friday, Dec 23

Tours from 7am to 10am leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI Chief Evangelist Jim Cossler. RSVP needed.

Monday, Dec 26

Two tours at 11am and 1pm leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI staff.
Meet Dean Abraham of YSU's STEM College!
Check out the new OH WOW! Technology Museum!
Discounts for downtown eateries!

call 330-599-4583 to reserve a spot.
Thursday's slots are almost filled up.


need more info about the YBI before signing up. Read here about their 2011 efforts.

Parents, if you're reading this and feel your kids should go . . . tell them to stop by for a tour!

video of today's AMAZING downtown holiday parade and festival

hot off the presses...

check out the fun the citizenry had in Youngstown today.

a TON of people downtown



The St. Pat's float with the moving arms was really great, and got some points for ingenuity.

Kudos go to the City's Director of Downtown Events, Youngstown CityScape, YSU, WFMJ, and First Night Youngstown for their organizational efforts...

tonight 's (friday) - Simply Slavic event is loaded with unique wintery goodness

We're six months from the Second Simply Slavic Summerfest/Heritage Festival celebrating all things Central and Eastern European in Downtown Youngstown.

But once a year is not good enough to throw a party, especially a party with live music and kolachi tastings.

To celebrate the winter season as well, we've created an OUTSTANDING EVENT with MULTIPLE ARTISTS from as far way from Chicago.

please join us!

Doors open at 5pm 
for that 
post-work pivo

To the wee hours of the night 
we'll be 
slammin slivo.

here's the schedule for the evening:

5pm-6:30pm ~ after work European Beer Flights, with contemporary Euro Music by DJ Ken.

7pm-8:30pm ~ guitar and singing Croatian favorites by Youngstown's own Jamie Marich.

9pm-11pm ~ from Chicago, Baltic Fusion Group "Eastern Blok"

11pm-2am ~ Discotheque by DJ Richie

other items of interest:
* all wearing ethnic costume are eligible for a door prize. Come dressed!
* Kolachi tasting!
* Slivovica and Vodka specials!
* Central/Eastern European Beers!

Here's a sample of Eastern Blok's great & unique sound:

decorated downtown store windows set the stage for Saturday's holiday parade

The windows of Youngstown are trimmed with tinsel.

Why?

This Saturday the winner of the first-ever downtown youngstown window decorating contest will be announced, and a whole lot more.

This year's holiday parade will be really ramped up compared to years past. Besides the parade, there will be a lot to do...

10am - Oh WoW opens up for the day, filled with science and family fun. (till 7pm)

1pm - "The Nutcracker" by Ballet Western Reserve will be at the Warner Theater

1pm - at 20 Federal Place (the ol Strouss') there will be free train rides, free hands-on activities by the SMARTS downtown pioneers, baked good vendors, Youngstown Club nippy cheese, more food, and fresh-cut wreaths and garlands for purchase.

3pm - the parade gets underway, with floats and floatsam down Federal Street.

4pm - the Central Square downtown christmas tree will be lit, with Santa making an appearance. Free pictures with Santa courtesy of YSU photography students.

7pm -  another "The Nutcracker" performance by Ballet Western Reserve

Looking to be a nice day Saturday with 50 degrees and Sunny!

Many of the newest downtown lunch and coffee shops will be open as well...

Here's a few pictures of some other downtown windows:

well done!

I love how our architecture is captured in the reflections of the windows.

The handprint wreaths on the Oh Wow center are really imaginative...

And the YSU Student Art Association (SAA) deserves mad props for decorating many many windows downtown with high quality paintings.