Fourth of July festival sparks Lansingville memories

July 3, 2011 at 12:01a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Mary E. Taylor wasn’t in the line for hot dogs; she was content simply to reminisce and leave the eating to others.

“I remember the old [one-room] schoolhouse over there,” Taylor said, pointing to the parking lot of Adams School, the site of Saturday’s annual Lansingville Fourth of July parade and festival at the school, on Cooper Street on the city’s South Side.

Taylor, who moved in January 1987 to Las Vegas after having lived more than 40 years on Cooper, recalled the well-manicured homes that defined the nearby neighborhoods, as well as a small general store where many residents shopped. She also fondly remembered how neighbors looked out for one another, taking care of someone who was sick, for example.

Back then, it was common for people to go for early-morning walks throughout the Lansingville area, which for years had a large population of Slovaks and Italians, Taylor said, adding that she used to regularly walk across the Center Street Bridge to St. Nicholas Byzantine Church.

“The neighborhood was beautiful; it’s a disaster now,” she added.

Nevertheless, Taylor said, she was happy to see an estimated 300 people come together for the afternoon festival, which featured clowns, plenty of food and refreshments, oldies music and a strong sense of camaraderie.

Taylor also enjoyed getting together with old friends, including several original members of a 60-year-old card club she belonged to.

Melva Day has seen numerous negative and positive changes to the community in her 22 years of living on Cooper Street. Many homes continue to deteriorate, but the area also has more block-watch groups and a stronger police presence, said Day, who was robbed at gunpoint three years ago near her driveway.

“We need to get back to the old way so you don’t have to fear as you walk outside your door,” added Day, who’s also Taylor’s daughter-in-law.

Day said she’s planning to take an eight-hour course, taught by the Youngstown Police Department, to learn to use a radar gun to catch speeders on her block. Speeding is a problem in the area, which has a lot of children, she noted.

Seeing hundreds of people gathering with one another was the most satisfactory part of the festival for Jason Mitulinski, a Marine who’s leaving in three weeks for a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Mitulinski, who lives on nearby Zedaker Street, said he hopes to see more community projects and collaboration in the area.

Preceding the festival was a parade that began around noon at St. Matthias Church, 915 Cornell Ave., and ended in the school parking lot.

Five or six block-watch groups were represented in the parade, which also had a greater turnout than in years past, noted Patti Dougan of the 7th Ward Citizens Coalition. The Lansingville district is in the city’s 7th Ward.

Despite the challenges, progress is being made to Lansingville, Dougan observed. Neighborhood revitalization is a top priority for the group, she continued.

“There are seeds planted; they just have to grow,” added John Rovnak, the coalition’s vice president.