Artists of the Rust Belt

I think I have recovered from the Grey to Green Festival and hope to begin posting to the blog again on a regular basis. The Grey to Green Festival was a wonderful event and the weather was perfect. Photos of the festival will be uploaded soon to the Grey to Green Festival website.

>

The Grey to Green Festival is only a memory now, and today was an opportunity to add to the cache of great memories for 2009. Today was the Artists of the Rust Belt FolkFest. When I woke up this morning, it was dark, gloomy and raining. My heart sank because I was afraid that the weather would keep people away from the festival. Wow! I couldn't have been more wrong. I went down to the B&O Station,the site of the festival, and quite literally couldn't find room to park. I love it when that happens, strange but true. To make the day even more glorious, the sun came out. For those of you not familiar with the B&O Station you can find more information here The Station sits near the scenic Mahoning River and there is a wonderful park like atmosphere.

There were over 45 artists vending their art. For further information you can go here

The musical entertainment was performed from the balcony above the entrance to the station. The music could be heard not only in the station but throughout the grounds.


Here is a clip of Brady's Leap. I apologize for my poor videography it is a bit shaky.



Here is Tom Breiding:



If you missed today's festival, you will have other opportunities. I have been told that there will be more Artist of the Rust Belt shows in the future. I'll make sure to keep you posted.

Downtown Youngstown - Summer is upon us and it is time to party and play!

Can you guess what is missing from this video?



The answer is YOU! and there is no excuse this coming weekend, as there is so much going on downtown that I know I'm going to be exhausted from my weekend come next Monday morning. In fact, I may have to take a day off to recuperate from my weekend. For happenings check it out:

"Artists of the Rust Belt Festival"














Saturday, June 6, 2009 from Noon until 2:00 AM,and Sunday June 7th from Noon until 6:00 PM at the B & O Station 530 Mahoning Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44502, the Artists of the Rustbelt are having a festival. Over 30 artists will be selling their fine art and fine crafts. Live music will begin at 3:00 PM and will feature more than 20 bands and musicians from the Rust Belt Region. Hometown brew by the Rust Belt Brewing Company will be on tap. Local food vendors will also be on hand to feed your appetites. Admission is free. A portion of the proceeds will benefit YSU's SMARTS -Students Motivated by the Arts.

Simultaneously...

Youngstown's First Gay Pride Celebration








ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THE FUN AND SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE LOCAL LGBT COMMUNITY
Celebration starts at noon on Saturday on Phelps Street between Commerce and West Federal, with a DJ mixx of gay iconic songs and introductory remarks. Entertainment begins at 12:30 with musical numbers and Drag Queens sure to spice things up. The street fair portion of Gay Pride Youngstown is over at 8:00 pm and is immediately followed by the Oakand Benefit Drag Show at the Oakland Center for the Arts. In addition several local bars will be open at noon to serve festival goers.

Oh and I must not forget that my good friend over at Shout Youngstown has posed a question. He is looking for a place downtown to play Four Square. I'm ready to play! Check out the video he has posted here. I opt for Phelps street on Saturday afternoon.

And then there is the Jones Fest II:
My favorite women from EOS will be on the program.



















Oh and here is yet another addition that Janko was kind enough to remind me about:













The Mahoning Valley Historical Society Wick Park Walking Tour. The walking tour will begin at the First Unitarian Universalist church at 1105 Elm Street, Youngstown, OH at 4:30 PM. It is anticipated that the tour will be over at 7:30 PM. The approximate one mile walk will include stories about some of the affluent families in Youngstown during the era of industrialization and there will also be a viewing of the final design plans for Wick Park Revitalization. The tour is free. If you have questions call (330) 743-2589.