A Valley summer tradition should be protected from thugs

Spring is winding down and sum- mer will soon be upon us.

Summer, the season of hot days and warm nights, swimming, cookouts and fresh vegetables, from sweet corn to juicy tomatoes.

And there’s that other summer staple, neighborhood and church festivals.

You remember them. Carnival rides. Cotton candy. Games of skill and chance. Ethnic delicacies.

They are a part of Mahoning Valley culture, and a part worth preserving.

Unfortunately in recent years, some festivals have attracted trouble.

Already this year, we’ve seen the disruption of a parking lot carnival at the Southern Park Mall after fights broke out between unsupervised young troublemakers.

Ten police departments responded and order was restored, but the carnival was forced to close earlier during the rest of the run to avoid trouble. Ironically, one of the presumed contributing factors to the disturbance was an attempt by the carnival operator to make the event more affordable. He dropped the admission price from $5 to $2.

Admission to most festivals was traditionally free, but in recent years more have adopted an admission price in an attempt to preserve a family-friendly atmosphere.

Inside and out

Trouble sometimes finds festivals even outside the gate. The other day, two Youngstown teens were arrested and charged with robbing two 15-year-olds outside Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish festival in Austintown. Police recovered two cell phones and jewelry taken from the victims and two handguns allegedly used in the robbery. The two youths who were arrested, 16 and 17 years old, face a laundry list of serious charges, including aggravated robbery and kidnapping. That’s a tough response to a serious crime and prosecutors and the court should not plea bargain the charges down to something akin to moppery with intent to gawk.

Decent people of every age should be able to attend summertime events without worrying about being caught up in gang fights at the event or accosted on their way home.

That means sponsors of the festivals will have to take steps to discourage attendance by those who are more inclined to cause trouble than have fun — by charging admission, for instance — and assuring an adequate police presence on and around the grounds. It will also require enforcement of the law during the festival and, in the case of arrests, in the courts subsequently.

This is all an unfortunate departure from tradition. But the most unfortunate part is that if only there were proper parental supervision, everyone could enjoy the season — just like in the good old summertime.