Downtown festive with parade, tree lighting

December 3, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The Christmas tree in Central Square blinked to life to the delight of onlookers Friday evening, the centerpiece of a number of holiday events across downtown.

The city, in cooperation with Youngstown CityScape and several downtown businesses, organized a number of events, including a parade.

The parade – featuring 10 floats and dozens of organizations marching down Federal Street – stepped off at 6 p.m. An all-ages crowd, including many families, gathered along the parade route to cheer on the participants and collect candy thrown from the floats.

Erin and Eric Sardich of Youngstown were among the crowd, as were their two children, Sam, 5, and Michael, 3.

Erin said they take family outings to downtown events “all the time.” Her husband said those who avoided downtown due to long-held stigmas surrounding the city were “missing out.”

“We didn’t have anything like this down here when I was growing up,” Eric said. “It’s great getting to come downtown now and do something like this and show pride in the community.”

After the parade, Ron Nanosky of The Agent Insurance Services and Jane Small were joined by a Santa Claus on the event’s main stage where together they threw a giant switch to light the Christmas tree.

Small – along with her husband, Gary Small, president and CEO of Home Savings and Loan Co. – donated money to the city for use in expanding the holiday light display from Central Square down Federal Street.

After the lighting, the Vindys took the stage and performed a short musical set on the main stage.

At the same time as the tree lighting and parade, other downtown entities were celebrating with their own festivities.

At the B&O Market, the Youngstown Flea – a flea market featuring local artisan goods – hosted a holiday version of their market called “Holiday Flea.”

The Youngstown Phantoms played a free hockey game at the Covelli Centre while pianos dueled at Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts thanks to a collaboration between the bar and Youngstown State University’s office of Student Activities.

For younger attendees, OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology offered free admission and was open until 8 p.m.

Throughout the course of the evening, Michael McGiffin, the city’s coordinator of events and special projects, bobbed through the crowds, spinning plates and squelching fires wherever they arose.

McGiffin began his day at 7 a.m., nearly 12 hours before the event began, and stayed for several hours after the event’s stated 8 p.m. finish.

“This is a very difficult event to actually execute. I’ve got lots of experience with concerts, festivals, stage shows ... but a parade mixed with a stage show is by far the hardest thing I’ve experienced as a producer,” McGiffin said. “But, with that in mind, it went pretty smooth.”

Though he couldn’t offer an exact number, McGiffin said this year’s attendance was larger than the one in 2015, which had a turnout between 2,000 and 3,000 participants.

Mayor John A. McNally, who participated in the parade, attributed the attendance increase in part to a growing reputation for downtown as a safe destination with quality events.

He also said the extended lights made possible by the Smalls’ donation likely encouraged more individuals to stay downtown longer even if they weren’t in the main crowd near Central Square.

The increased attendance did not go unnoticed by local business owners.

Victoria Clark, a manager at Joe Maxx Coffee Co. in downtown Youngstown, said the small cafe – which normally closes at 4 p.m. – stayed open for the duration of the event.

“We do pretty good on nights like these,” Clark said. “We sell a lot of hot chocolate, and we’ll make several hundred more [dollars] than we normally would during a regular night.”

Carriage Limousine Service – a horse-drawn carriage service based in Wellsville – offered free rides after the tree lighting thanks to a sponsorship from the Youngstown Rotary Club. A pair of stocky white Percheron horses pulled passengers in a lit-up red sleigh around the glowing Christmas tree.

Edith Steed, who owns the company with her husband, Rick, and her son Chris, said the business runs eight horses. Though they also provide carriages for weddings and funerals, she said the holidays were their busiest time of the year.