Celebrating Youngstown

Dancers, gospel singers and poets were among those who took the stage.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- "I think we're ready to rumble!" Bob Barko Jr. exclaimed as Phelps Street bustled with activity Saturday.
Barko, owner of Steel Town Studios Gallery and Shoppe at 8 Phelps Street, said Saturday's Pig Iron Community Street Festival reassured him that his move downtown four years ago was the right one.
"It's an exciting time to be in downtown Youngstown," Barko said. "Everything we need is right here, and all we have to do is put it together."
Barko said he has traveled to the county seats of all but about a dozen of Ohio's 88 counties, and in every case, downtown storefronts are a mixture of government and service-sector offices and retail specialty shops. Barko believes the niche for Youngstown's downtown West Side is arts and entertainment.
Barko is a Boardman High and Youngstown State University grad whose heart is in Youngstown. "I don't plan to go anywhere anytime soon," he said.
He related some of the history of his storefront, which was the former home of Dominic Sandine's jewelry store, vacant for a dozen years. He said Sandine hadn't been in the building since he closed the business in the 1980s. He stopped in one day, and despite the passage of time, quickly opened the combination lock on the safe.
"I didn't think he could do it but he just turned the combination dial -- click, click, click -- and it opened," Barko said. "He told me he liked the improvements I made, and that meant a lot to me."
Entertainment
Dancers, gospel singers and poets were among those who took the Phelps Street stage.
Sarah Terlecki, Kristina Pokopatz and Shaye Cahill, all of Youngstown, performed a dance routine with spring toys and plastic hoops as props.
Terlecki teaches dance to inner-city children at the Adler Arts Academy near Stambaugh Auditorium. She said events such as the Pig Iron festival are great for Youngstown. The three women danced on the sidewalk whenever music was playing, and volunteered to put together a last-minute dance routine for an accordion player performing Russian folk songs.
Poet Jim Jordan was among those who read some works on stage. He said he tends to write about current events, and writing poetry rather than prose helps him stay focused. Otherwise, his prose tends to ramble, he said.
One offering included memories from his childhood of exploring downtown Youngstown -- memories his children will never have. He recalled exploring the downtown stores with more treasures than Marco Polo could experience, then eating spaghetti at the Ringside followed by a skyscraper cone at Isaly's.
Symbol of revitalization
Describing how he planned to replace the marquee and chaser lights at the front of his building, Barko said the effort would symbolize Youngstown's revitalization as a blend of old memories with new possibilities. Just then, a lady passing by paused to look at Barko's original prints, T-shirts and other memorabilia of Youngstown's landmarks such as Mill Creek Park and Idora Park. She said she had moved out of the area for 27 years, but was now "back home."
"I loved Idora Park!" she told Barko excitedly, but nearly in tears at the same time. "Youngstown is coming back, and you're in the right place!"
tullis@vindy.com