Sunday, November 25, 2007
The spirit of Christmas will again fill the air from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in Mill Creek Park.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN — Tom Porterfield and his family have started a new holiday tradition that includes strolling through the park, browsing unique arts and crafts displays and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the holiday season.
And to do it, he had to travel to Youngstown, bringing wife Jeanie and sons Travis, 10, and Kyle, 7, from Long Island, N.Y. The Porterfields are in town visiting family in Canfield for Thanksgiving but took time out to visit the Olde Fashioned Christmas at the Mill on Saturday for the second year in a row.
The event, sponsored by The Beecher Foundation and Farmer’s National Bank, brought together young and old who kicked off the holiday shopping season at Lanterman’s Mill in Mill Creek Park.
Demonstrations in blacksmithing, tinsmithing, pottery, weaving, rock painting and American Indian beadwork were offered, and musicians: One String Short, folk music; harpist Kirk Kupensky; bagpiper Mark Pringle; and folk music by Jon Mosey.
“We loved it when we came last year,” Jeanie Porterfield said. “We knew we definitely wanted to come back this year.”
Her husband added, “I’m sure this will become a tradition for us, huh guys?”
Travis and Kyle got a chance to visit with Santa Claus and were wowed by the art of local graphic artist Bob Barko Jr., calling it “amazing” and “cool.”
Barko’s “Here in Youngstown” mural is 24-foot by 6-foot and contains 60 historic images of Youngstown, including Idora Park, the Mahoning River and The Youngstown Vindicator. It chronicles events, people and places from the time the city was founded in 1796 by John Young to the recent middleweight world boxing championship won by Kelly Pavlik.
The traveling mural is on display today as well, as the Olde Fashioned Christmas continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The mural took about 100 hours to complete, and Barko said he enlisted the help of 24 area high school students who helped paint it. The mural will also be on display at First Night Youngstown and at Barko’s Steel Town Studios Gallery and Shoppe, 8 N. Phelps St., on Dec. 14 and 15 during an open house.
Visitors to the mill were also treated to a juggler and balloon artist, and food including hot dogs, hot cider, popcorn, candy apples and roasted chestnuts.
Carol Dudek of Boardman, and her friend Dorin Schadel of Dallas perused the different vendors during their first shopping stop of the day.
Dudek, who attended last year’s event, called it “a wonderful way to start the holiday season.”
Schadel, in town visiting family, agreed, saying the atmosphere made it easy to get into the holiday spirit.
Dudek bought scented spice balls from Maureen Kandray of Boardman who owns Tatted Heirlooms and Common Scents, a home-based business that allows her to display her wares at various craft shows.
The spice balls, made of cinnamon, allspice, mace, cloves, orris root and a secret ingredient, are simmered on the stove to fill an entire house with the scent.
Kandray, an art teacher at Cardinal Mooney High School, also sells handmade soaps, potpourri and jewelry made by tatting, an old form of lace making that uses a small tool known as a shuttle.
Kandray said it’s important for lost art forms such as tatting to be carried on from generation to generation.
Susan Dexter of New Castle, Pa. is the great-great-great-granddaughter of a Scottish carpet weaver who emigrated to this country from Belfast, Ireland.
She makes rag rugs and scarves on a loom, demonstrating her technique for onlookers Saturday. Though there are companies that have machinery to make such items much faster than she can, Dexter said weaving is by no means a dying art and remains an important historic art that should be passed on.
The fabric she uses “has lived,” she explained. “It’s been around.”
Recycled materials such as blue jeans and bedsheets are used in making the rugs.
“I once made a linen rug from a Liz Claiborne dress and two pairs of scratchy linen pants,” she said.