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In the fall of 1872, nationwide orders for cast iron fell sharply, forcing cutbacks in coal mining. As a result, Ohio coal operators announced a large cut in miners' pay, effective January 1, 1873. Refusing the wage reduction the miners struck, and within weeks over 7,000 men had deserted Ohio's coal pits. Among the companies paralyzed by the walko...

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The Brier Hill Italian Festival is back and celebrating its 30th anniversary! Organizers said the festival once started as a one-time event and was originally meant to be a reunion. After the first weekend in Sept. of 1991, the community decided to bring it back for another year. The weekend has always revolved around family, friends, authentic foo...

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The Greater Youngstown Italian Festival will take place Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5-7, along four blocks of Federal Street, downtown. The event typically draws approximately 50,000 people over its three days. It will feature food from over 30 Italian restaurants and food vendors, continuous entertainment on two stages, retail vendors, a morra tou...

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For the first time since 2019, the Mount Carmel Italian Festival has returned to Youngstown. The festival was canceled for the last two years due to the pandemic. Chairman of the festival Scott Schulick said this is one of the biggest fundraisers for the church. They did lose some of their older volunteers because of fear of COVID but this year, th...

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Lent begins next Wednesday but the Italian community of Youngstown celebrated their own Mardi Gras Friday night called Carnivale. At the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel social hall Friday night, guests indulged in traditional Italian dishes and drinks. Their goal was to try to persuade Youngstown State University to change its decision to end its Italian St...

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Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica has set its annual Carnevale di Venezia, or Italian Mardi Gras, for 6 p.m. Friday at the church’s social hall, 343 Via Mt. Carmel, Youngstown. “The event promotes the support and study of Italian language and culture in the Mahoning Valley,” reads a news release. Festival-goers can enjoy Italian cuisine and “specia...

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In case you're unaware, Youngstown State University just dropped one of the most fundamental majors contributing to the education of our culture and heritage: Italian and Italian Education. I cannot begin to fathom that they would cut this when Youngstown was once thriving with 20-30,000 Italian immigrants in Briar Hill. Italians contributed to mak...

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Bocce players throughout northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania know about Cassese’s MVR in Youngstown. The landmark restaurant, with its covered outdoor courts and bar, is a glorious setting for the bowling game. Tournaments there draw players from several states. On the local side, The MVR’s 86-team league has matches every night. It’s likely...

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Two buildings on the Youngstown State University campus will get new names in recognition of a donation from John J. and Janet Cafaro and their daughters, the Honorable Capri Silvestri Cafaro and Renee Lynne Cafaro. “Our heartfelt thanks to J.J. and Jan for this generous gift and continued strong support for the university, our students and the ent...

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As festivals make their comeback, there’s one on Youngstown’s north side this weekend that may be small in size — running only about two blocks — but has a huge history and attracts quite the crowd. It was 30 years ago, the streets of Brier Hill neighborhood lit up for the first time with the Brier Hill Festival. “This was where the first Italian i...

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