Austintown Community Briefs

Mahoning Valley Poets to meet

Mahoning Valley Poets will meet at Tequila Jalisco restaurant, located at 538 East Main Street in Canfield, from 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 16. Participants are urged to arrive before 6 p.m. to order food. Anyone who writes poetry is welcome to attend. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of their poetry to share with others.

Local church to host turkey dinner fundraiser

The Western Reserve United Methodist Church will host a traditional turkey dinner fundraiser on Nov. 21 from 4-5:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for adults, $6 for children ages 5-12 and free for children younger than 5-years-old. For tickets, call 330-792-5805. Funds raised from this event will go toward getting a prosthetic leg for a 12-year-old child.

Christmas events at DQ

Chistmas celebrations are in full swing for Dairy Queen. Stop by the Cornersburg DQ, located at 3555 S. Meridian Road, on Dec. 4 or the Austintown DQ, located at 146 N Canfield Niles Road, on Dec. 11. Santa arrives by fire truck at 5 p.m. He is bringing his best behaved reindeer with him from 5-8 p.m. Participants can pet the reindeer. The DQ will provide free pictures with Santa and Curly the Cone. Santa has treats for the children. Live Christmas music will be provided by local schools.

Austintown school counselor receives prestigious award

The Ohio School Counselor Association honored Austintown Elementary school counselor, Kelley Mills, with the Elementary School Counselor of the Year Award. This award recognizes an OSCA school counselor for outstanding service to students, staff and families. The award was presented to Mills on Nov. 5 during the annual All Ohio Counselors Conference in Columbus.

Library closings for the holiday season

All libraries in the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County system will be closed on the following dates for the holidays: Dec. 24 and 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Playaway Launchpad learning tablets

The Library is now offering Playaway Launchpad learning tablets for children. They are currently available for checkout by checkout on Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County adult full-service library cards at Main library and the Austintown, Boardman, Newport and Poland branches. Playaway Launchpads are designed just for children and are pre-loaded with high-quality, ad-free apps that are both fun and educational. For more information, visit www.libraryvisit.org.

Downloadable magazines and newspapers

Magazines and newspapers are now available on the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County website through the Digital Catalog and Download Center powered by Overdrive. The magazines and newspapers are available for digital checkout and can be read on a Nook or Nook app on smartphones and tablets. Magazines from Zinio are no longer available through the library. For more information, visit www.libraryvisit.org.

YWCA of Youngstown receives grant from Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley

YWCA of Youngstown received a $6,500 Ohio Benefit Bank Tax Assistance Capacity Building Grant from Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley. The grant will allow the YWCA to continue assisting members of the community with free filing of income tax returns and other benefits. In 2015, the YWCA has assisted 146 clients through the Ohio Benefit Bank.

The Bistro at MCCTC open to the public

Student-operated restaurant, The Bistro at Mahoning County Career Technical Center, will open for lunch hours to the public beginning Nov. 11. The Bistro will be open Tuesdays-Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. for dine-in or carry out through the winter. The Bistro is run by students enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center. This gives students the chance to gain experience in all facets of working in the restaurant industry, from working as kitchen staff, line cooks and the Sous Chef to waiting tables and hosting. The Bistro schedule is as follows: Nov. 11, 12, 17-19; Dec. 1-3, 8-10; Jan. 5-7, 13, 14, 20, 21. The restaurant will also be open in February and March with dates being announced soon. Call the restaurant for more information or to make a reservation.

Pork-Kraut dinner to be Nov. 15

The Youngstown Saxon Club, located at 710 S. Meridian Road, will host its next Pork-Kraut dinner on Nov. 15 from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The price of $9.50 for adults and $5 for children includes dessert and coffee, tea or pop. The public is welcome and take-outs will be available.

Monthly square dance to be Nov. 14

The Niles Friendly Squares monthly square dance will take place on Nov. 14 from 7:30-10 p.m. at the Niles Senior SCOPE Center, located at 14 E. State St. in Niles. For additional information, call Gene Hammond at 330-534-4426 or 330-506-3370.

November Bites and Bits at Tyler History Center

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s next Bites and Bits of History Lunch Program is Nov. 19 at noon at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center, located at 325 West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown. Traci Manning, MVHS Curator of Education will speak on the Underground Railroad. The story of the Underground Railroad is a history filled with myth, intrigue and legend. Beyond those tales, though, lies truth about of the most trying times in our nation’s history. Learn about the local impact of this network of people and locations, and discover the Mahoning Valley’s role in helping people find freedom. This month’s lecture is presented in partnership with the Mahoning Valley Lifelong Learning Institute at Park Vista. Daily parking is available for $2 in the lot on the west side of the History Center. Overture restaurant at the DeYor offers a $6 Bites and Bits lunch special, call 330-744-9900 to place your order. Visit www.mahoninghistory.org for the monthly listing of topics and speakers, or call 330-743-2589 for more information.

Men’s night out to focus on prostate health

Mercy Health Youngstown, formerly Humility of Mary Health Partners, Man Up Mahoning Valley and Yellow Brick Place will host an informative night out for men (and women) Nov. 18 at Yellow Brick Place, located at 2959 Canfield Road, Suite 10. Featured speakers are Dr. Dan Ricchiuti, a urologist at NEO Urology Associates, and prostate cancer survivor Steve Burbrink. Following their presentations, Ricchiuti and Burbrink will answer questions and refreshments will be served. The event takes place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. For information, call 234-228-9550 or 330-480-3181.

International Torch Club to meet

Club member Professor Lowell Satre is this month’s speaker at the Youngstown Chapter of International Torch Clubs dinner-discussion meeting at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16. His paper will be “The Great War 100 Years Later.” The meeting will be in Kilcawley Center, Bresnahan Rooms I and II, on the campus of Youngstown State University. The public is invited to attend. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and the lecture at 7 p.m. Attending only the lecture is free of charge. Dinner for nonmembers is $20. Call 330-757-4148 for reservations. For club information, call 330-792-7351.

Stitch a holiday angel

The November meeting of TQGIBT – That Quilt Group I Belong To – will feature member Ginger Mangie teaching her pattern, Belly Button Door Knob Angel. The kit for this “Make It Take It” project is $10, including the jingle bells. Participants are asked to bring basic sewing supplies, including needles, pins and scissors to cut threads. As always, guests are welcome – but if you are interested in stitching your own angel, call Ginger at 330-702-0532 to order a precut kit. Members are also encouraged to bring their quilt-themed Christmas ornaments to this meeting to decorate the tree at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Plan on joining members from 1–5 p.m. for an afternoon of independent sewing. Bring your machine to work on unfinished projects, or work on hand stitching. The fellowship will continue with dinner at the Broad Street Diner before the scheduled meeting. TQGIBT meets at Fair Park in Canfield on the third Tuesday of each month, with some exceptions. Doors open at 6 p.m. TQGIBT is open to all quilters in the Mahoning Valley, at all skill levels. For information on membership, contact president Helen Lewis at HMLrutgers@icloud.com or by calling 330-286-3966.

Austintown band chili cook-off and concert series

On Nov. 15, the Fitch Band Program will host its fourth annual Chili Cook-Off and Veterans Day Concert. The Chili Cook-Off will be from 2-4 p.m. in the Fitch Cafeteria. The concert will take place in the high school gymnasium at 5 p.m. and will feature patriotic performances by the Austintown Middle School band and the marching music of the Austintown Fitch Marching Band. The cost of admission for the dinner and concert is $10 for adults and $5 children and seniors. If you wish to attend the concert only, the cost of admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children and free for seniors and Veterans.

Giant Eagle Foundation awards grant to Second Harvest Food Bank

The Giant Eagle Foundation awarded Second Harvest Food Bank $10,000 to be used to help feed families in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Saxon Club Craft Show to be Nov. 14

The Youngstown Saxon Club’s Br. 22 presents its Fall Craft Show on Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Saxon Club, located at 710 S. Meridian Road in Youngstown. Vendors may purchase tables for $30 each in the ballroom. For an information packet, call Betty Garhammer at 330-788-4274 or email bettygarhammer@aol.com. Food will be available for lunch.

Summer Kent State graduates

Kent State University awarded nearly 1,700 degrees, with more than 350 accompanying institutional honors, and including 833 bachelor’s degrees, 414 master’s degrees, 65 doctoral degrees, 344 associate degrees and 16 educational specialist degrees during the 2015 Summer Commencement ceremony. Local graduates include Nicole Camens, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Nursing; Anna DiBlasio, With Distinction, with an Associate of Arts; Jannine McGinnis with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Nursing; Cody Reese with a Bachelor of Integrative Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences; Keli Ritchie with an Associate of Arts; and Anthony Wills with an Associate of Science.

Bonding with babies and books

Caregivers and their little ones who are 6-23 months can come to the Austintown library at 10 a.m. on Nov. 17 and 24 for 20 minutes of language enrichment including rhymes, songs and stories, followed by time to play and socialize.

Austintown American Legion members speak with second-grade students at Austintown Elementary School

On Oct. 26 and 27 Austintown American Legion, a veteran organization, visited second-grade classrooms at Austintown Elementary School. This was the second year the elementary has partnered with the American Legion to speak with the students. Members discussed the Pledge of Allegiance, branches of military and patriotism in general to the all second-grade students. Austintown American Legion distributed comic books to the children which highlighted the topics discussed.

Austintown Middle School’s second annual Pumpkin Contest successes with five winners

Austintown Middle School students participated in the second annual Pumpkin Contest, a contest dedicated to decorating holiday pumpkins with various art supplies at the school. Teachers Mrs. Cowles and Mrs. Smereka-Petrilli judged the contest, awarding five winners for their creative creations.

Pumpkin spice coffee creamer

Join the Austintown library at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 to celebrate the end of pumpkin spice season by making a pumpkin spice coffee creamer. Call 330-744-8636 to register.

Saturday movie matinee

Join the Austintown library at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 for a Saturday movie matinee. Bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy during the movie! Children age 7-years and younger must be with an adult. The movie will be a newly released DVD rated PG or G.

Exploring the library’s business databases

Join Stuart Gibbs, the Business and Investment Center librarian, to learn about how to target potential customers at the Austintown library at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16. The featured databases, D&B Million Dollar Database and ReferenceUSA (Business, HealthCare, New Business, and Residential modules), bring timely and authoritative information to develop strategic marketing. To register, call 330-744-8636 and ask for Information Services or register online using the events calendar.

Art with Andrea

Join the Austintown library at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in this art class as they guide you through a monthly project and help you work through your own art. Call 330-744-8636 to register. Art with Andrea is open to teens and adults.

Basic Word computer class

Learn very basic computer skills involving the Microsoft Office Word program at the Austintown library at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 30. This is a beginner’s class that will cover cut and paste and the Word menus. Space is limited to five adults. Call 330-744-8636 to register and specify Austintown Basic Word computer Class.

Page Turners Book Club

Join the Austintown library from 6-7 p.m. on Nov. 18 for the Page Turners Book Club meeting.

Blind date with a book

Exciting, single book is seeking a fun-loving reader. Will be wearing a plain book jacket and sitting out on display during library hours. Blind date with a book will take place at the Austintown library during regular library hours in November and is for adults.

Coupon Swap at the library

Do you have coupons you don’t need or need coupons you don’t have? Drop into the Austintown library during regular hours in November to stretch your shopping dollars by swapping coupons or learning new tips from other coupon-clippers.

Friends of the Austintown Library program and meeting

The Friends of the Austintown Library will meet at the Austintown library at 10 a.m. on Nov. 23. The presenter will be Colonel Brian Kennedy, U.S. Marines. His topic will be “The Meaning of Leadership and How to Follow.” This meeting is for adults.

Socrates Cafe Philosophy Group

The Socrates Cafe Philosophy Group is meeting at the Austintown library at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, please contact the Development Office at 330-740-6086. This meeting is for adults.

Thanksgiving holiday closing Nov. 26

All libraries in the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (PLYMC) system will be closed for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.

Instagram Bookface challenge

Do you have what it takes to be the best bookfacer on Instagram? Try the library’s challenge to test your skills. All challengers accepted and the best wins a candy bouquet and bragging rights. Use the hashtag #librarytxt. The contest takes place through the entire month of November at the Austintown library for children in grades 5-12.

Take a guess

Guess the number of items in the jar at the Austintown library during regular library hours in November. The closest guess wins a small prize.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Join the Austintown library on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. for the Peanuts gang’s menu of toast, pretzels, popcorn, jellybeans and ice cream sundaes. Enjoy “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” storybook app, play games and make a craft. This event is for children of all ages.

Grab and go craft

Stop by the Austintown library during regular library hours in November to make a craft to take home. Children of all ages can make a craft.

Pre-kindergarten story time

This program is for 4- and 5-year-olds to help develop pre-literacy and kindergarten readiness skills. Books, stories, rhymes, music, movement and crafts will be used to help your child get ready for kindergarten. Baby Brilliant takes place at the Austintown library at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 18 and 25.

Lumen Christi Catholic Schools provide band instruction

Lumen Christi Catholic Schools recognizes the importance of the fine arts as a part of curriculum, and therefore, band instruction is now available to all middle school students system wide. Prior to this fall, band instruction was accessible at a few Lumen Christi Catholic Schools as an auxiliary course with additional fees attached. This school year, Tom Mastramico will be instructing Lumen Christi students as part of the standard curriculum covered by tuition. Mr. Mastramico is an alumnus of St. Patrick’s School on Oakhill. He graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School where he was the president of the band. He then attended Youngstown State University where he participated in the jazz, concert and marching Bands. Mastramico has been teaching band since 1977 and has been instructing students at Holy Family School since 1993. Lumen Christi Catholic Schools welcome Mastramico as their new band director. For more information, contact the school at 330-786-6106.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings

Gamblers Anonymous, a 12-Step fellowship of compulsive gamblers who want to recover from their gambling addictions, will meet twice this week in the Youngstown-Warren area. A Gamblers Anonymous meeting takes place every Friday at Westminster Church, located at 119 Stadium Drive in Boardman, and another takes place every Sunday at Christ Church Presbyterian, located at 3425 Hopkins Road in Cornersburg. Both meetings begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. and last about one and a half hours. Those who believe gambling has affected any part of their lives are urged to attend.

14th International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration

The Hunt Institute of Pittsburgh brings the work of 35 botanical documentation artists from around the world to the Weller Gallery at Fellows Riverside Garden. The exhibit will run through Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Bits and Pieces of Our History

Through December, the Melnick Museum at Fellows Riverside Gardens will showcase the Bits and Pieces of Our History exhibit, which takes a look at the very early years of Mill Creek Park. The exhibit is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Bits and pieces of history

Take a look at Mill Creek Park throughout the early years at Fellows Riverside Gardens-Melnick Museum now through December from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.