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Hundreds attend 4th annual Riverfest at B&O
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
Sometimes, people can’t see the river for the trees.
That’s why sometimes even people who’ve lived in or around Youngstown for years don’t realize there’s a river running through the heart of the city.
“The trees that line the shore make it so that people don’t even know it’s there,” said Tom Smith. “They don’t see it, so they don’t even know about it.”
Smith is a chairman of the Friends of the Mahoning River, which had its fourth annual Riverfest on Saturday at the B&O Station on Mahoning Avenue. The event is aimed at promoting awareness of the waterway and its value as a local natural resource.
“We’re just trying to get people to come down and to understand the river and what it means to the city,” said Smith. “This is a way of getting people involved.”
Hundreds of people turned out for the event, which included scenic walks along a nature trail, free canoe and kayak rides and exhibits by various community and environmental groups. There also were special activities for children and an art show by the Artists of the Rust Belt inside the B&O Station.
Patricia Dunbar, Friends of the Mahoning River spokeswoman, said this year’s festival was dedicated to the memory of Michelle Cassile-Arroyo, whose family owns the B&O, and who was herself a member and supporter of the Artists of the Rust Belt. Arroyo died of cancer less than a month ago.
“We want people to realize that the river is a focal point for the community,” Dunbar said.
“It’s a very underutilized resource,” said Amy Komara, who is with Artists of the Rust Belt and who worked with Arroyo.
Smith said the river took a black eye for years because it was polluted by decades of chemicals being dumped into it by steel mills that lined its banks. But that’s all changed now, he said: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has given the river a clean bill of health.
“The river has pretty much healed itself, and the fish are back,” Smith said, noting that the river should be a preferred destination for fishermen.
Bill Jones, 74, of Canfield, visited the festival with his wife, Patricia, and said he’s been a kayaker and canoer for some 40 years. Last year, he and a friend rode kayaks on the river from Lowellville to New Castle, Pa.
“My wife won’t kayak with me,” he said, laughing. “She hates it. She plays tennis. I can’t drag her out on the water with me.”
Like Komara, Jones said the river is an underappreciated and underutilized resource for Youngstown.
“They do a better job of using the river in Girard and Warren and places like that,” Jones said. “But they’re getting better here.”
Christine Vinion, 38, of Youngstown, brought her children, Olivia, 7, and David Jr., 2, to see the arts and crafts that the Artists of the Rust Belt had to offer.
Olivia was hoping to go home with a dreamcatcher. She inherited one from her grandfather, who died about three years ago, and wanted another one.
“Her dream is to get a dreamcatcher,” Vinion joked.
Vinion said she is interested in the river and would like to begin taking advantage of its recreational potential once David Jr. is a little older.