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Rib cookers, rock bands at Mill Creek Park festival
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
The inaugural Mill Creek Metroparks Rib Burn Off this weekend will bring ribs, beer and live music to a park setting, while raising money for a new children’s play area.
The festival opens Friday and runs through Sunday at Wick Recreation Area, off McCollum Road on the West Side.
Proceeds will go toward transforming the children’s area at Wick into a state-of-the-art facility that will include a tot playground for children 2 to 5 years old; an adventure zone with ropes and swings and climbing apparatus; a sand area; and, eventually, a wet playground with water sprays. The wet area is the most expensive and will be completed last, as money is raised.
Construction of the playground area began in April and hopefully will be completed before the end of the summer, said Linda Kostka, marketing director of the park.
The new children’s areas, including the wet playground, will cost $840,000.
A centerpiece of the 2007 park master plan called for upgrading the Wick children’s play area.
In 2008, the park received a $400,000 bequest from the estate of Juliana Kurinka of Youngstown for the project. “[Kurinka] loved Wick Recreation Area and often took her children there,” said Kostka.
The money provided a big head start on fundraising. Kostka said she hopes to raise $25,000 to $30,000 at the rib festival. Foundations and private citizens also will be approached for donations, she said.
Infrastructure and a few pieces of playground equipment already have been purchased.
“It will be a really nice addition to the West Side and a significant expenditure of money,” said Kostka, who noted that benches, fountains and planters are part of the plan.
The Rib Burn Off will feature six traveling rib-cooking teams: Armadillo’s of Austintown; Texas Outlaws, Kentucky; Mojo’s Rib Shack, Diamond, Ohio; Pigfoot BBQ, Florida; Smokin’ Joe’s Hog Wild BBQ, Mansfield; and Howling Coyote BBQ of Chicago.
Domestic and imported beer will be available.
The cookers, as well as children’s activities, including a bounce-around, and nature displays from the various departments of Mill Creek Park, will be set up in the upper parking lot of the Wick area.
Parking will be available in the lower lot and on the baseball fields.
Overflow parking will be available at Chaney High School, the Bear’s Den parking lot in the park and — after 7 p.m. Saturday — in the parking lot of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Shrine on Belle Vista Avenue. A trolley shuttle will make round trips between the festival site and all parking lots.
Live music from a dozen local bands is scheduled each day on the stage of the adjacent Morley Pavilion.
The festival will begin with a ribbon cutting Friday, followed by judging of the ribs.
Kostka said the festival will have a family-friendly atmosphere.