Cooperation has been essential to planning of the Summer Festival of the Arts.

Cooperation has been essential to planning of the Summer Festival of the Arts.
By DEBORA SHAULIS
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two's company, three's a crowd -- but not when it comes to Summer Festival of the Arts sponsorship.
As always, the sixth annual celebration of fine art, music, performance and ethnic heritage has the backing of festival founders Youngstown State University and Arts Council of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
The new sponsor, Wick Neighbors Inc., is a community development corporation that promotes cultural, religious, educational and business institutions in the Wick corridor.
Team spirit
The festival doesn't begin until Saturday, but the Wick Neighbors already have made a difference.
While individual Wick organizations have participated in past years, the influence of Wick Neighbors has led to more coordinated efforts, says Lori A. Factor, Summer Festival of the Arts coordinator.
For example, a community worship service at 10 a.m. next Sunday at First Christian Church of Youngstown is the effort of five Wick Avenue churches -- First Christian, St. John's Episcopal, First Presbyterian of Youngstown, Butler Memorial Presbyterian and New Beginnings Outreach.
"That's a demonstration of cooperation that the Wick Neighbors have naturally brought," Factor said.
An overall collaborative spirit also is why Factor says this could be "a breakout year" for the festival in terms of growth.
"So many components are coming together under the summer festival umbrella," she said. "It's nice to say we're doing a weekend of activities ... People are starting to see the value and the fun of participating in a joint project."
Twenty-two more artists than last year will have displays in the Artists Marketplace, a juried show, Factor said. Of the 53 artists expected here, about half of them are returning after last year's festival. That's good news to Factor, who believes the timing of the festival and hospitality shown to artists have made a difference in attracting exhibitors.
Drawing attention
Wick Avenue itself will be a focal point this year. A portion of Wick near YSU will be closed to traffic to make room for the information booth and the main festival tent, where participating presenters and affiliated groups will use space.
Closing Wick may remind some people of Walk on Wick, the community event by the arts council that preceded Summer Festival of the Arts.
Planners weren't motivated by nostalgia, but logistics. Presenters used to be scattered across YSU; now they will be centralized, Factor said. Also, the information tent will be closer to YSU's Wick parking deck for the sake of people who park there.
"That doesn't mean we're moving out of the campus core," Factor said. "It means we're expanding, broadening the scope."
The artists' marketplace and children's art tent will be in the core, she said. The Festival of Nations area, where ethnic groups sell food and display historical memorabilia, returns to the area between YSU's Maag Library and Ward Beecher Hall. Musical performances will continue in the amphitheater next to Kilcawley Center.
Get this party started
Summer Festival of the Arts events won't end at the Wick Avenue sidewalk.
The annual Fort & eacute; on the Fifty concert with fireworks Saturday night in Stambaugh Stadium will feature Dana All Star Band from YSU, local horn-infused rock band Sugar Fuzz Orchestra and national recording act The Commodores.
Wick Neighbors is coordinating the first Smoky Hollow 5K Run and One-Mile Family Walk on Saturday morning. Smoky Hollow is the neighborhood between Wick and Andrews avenues that Wick Neighbors wants to see redeveloped.
Runners and walkers will start and finish at Harrison Field on Walnut Street. Plans have been drawn to make a residential and commercial neighborhood, with the conversion of Harrison Field into a park-like town center.
The race will be an annual event and a way for the public to keep tabs on Smoky Hollow's progress. "It's our goal to have something very visible there by next spring," said Margaret Murphy, executive director of Wick Neighbors.
The project was just getting off the ground last year when Wick Neighbors worked a booth at Summer Festival of the Arts, yet the public expressed interest. People stopped at the tent to tell stories about growing up in the neighborhood or to say they would move back.
"It just sort of surprised me," Murphy said. "We had an awful lot of positive feedback."
This year, Wick Neighbors may survey festival patrons on housing styles for Smoky Hollow and have a sign-up sheet for people who are ready to reserve condominiums or townhouses, Murphy said.
shaulis@vindy.com