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THE YEAR IN REVIEW
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Downtown Youngstown might not be the focal point of the entertainment world, but it’s definitely the epicenter of the Mahoning Valley’s scene. And in 2016, plans were put into motion to raise its status to new heights in 2017.
Among the projects started this year that will come to fruition in 2017 are the construction of a 3,250-seat amphitheater and an artsy beautification project that will make for some eye-popping gateways to the center city.
Here’s a look at the top entertainment stories of the year – most of which start and end in the center city.
AMPHITHEATER
The biggest news concerns the much-talked-about amphitheater, which became more than just an idea in 2016. The venue, which will host concerts and other events, will sit on vacant riverfront land in downtown Youngstown that was once occupied by the Wean United plant. The entrance will be at the intersection of Front and Phelps streets.
City council approved a funding plan earlier this month that includes raising $3 million from naming rights and sponsorships. The total cost will be between $8 and $9 million. The amphitheater is slated to open in late summer of 2017.
The amphitheater would be the jewel in a revitalized riverfront. The project also includes a manicured walkway to Covelli Centre and recreational facilities – possibly an ice skating rink.
DOWNTOWN BEAUTIFICATION
In June, Youngstown State University received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for the beautification of the downtown area. A grant of that size from the NEA is a rarity, and YSU took advantage of it by soliciting ideas from the public and then whittling down the 15 submissions to five projects, each of which will receive $20,000.
The projects are expected to be complete by July 31. In a nutshell, they are:
An artsy public billboard of sorts that will show messages via shadow projection onto the southern wall of the City Hall Annex building, at the foot of the Market Street Bridge. The messages will complement the new amphitheater, which will be adjacent to the City Hall Annex.
Installing lighting under the massive and unused concrete railroad bridge arch over Mahoning Avenue, a block west of downtown.
A massive metal sculpture made out of a shipping container, that will double as a bus shelter. It will be placed in front of the Mahoning County Courthouse.
A solar screen, made from ceramic bricks made by a 3-D printer, that will follow the path of the sun, with openings that will allow light in. The location has not yet been determined.
A park-like green space on the hillside along North Hazel Street, between Commerce and Wood streets.
CONCERTS
Live performance has become the cash cow of the music business, and the Mahoning Valley has been a part of the trend for several years. The year 2016 brought another exceptional list of rock, pop and country acts to Valley venues – a total of almost 40 combined at Covelli Centre, Stambaugh Auditorium, Packard Music Hall and Powers Auditorium.
Some of the bigger names included Elton John, Carrie Underwood, KISS, Lionel Richie, Keith Urban, Alabama, Barry Manilow, Frankie Valli, Alice Cooper, Gladys Knight, Michael Bolton, Chicago, Paul Anka, Kenny Rogers, ZZ Top (on the same night as Elton John) and REO Speedwagon.
‘FAT ‘N FURIOUS’ FINISH LINE
With the glut of reality shows, there have been many Valley people on television in recent years. But nothing was quite like Discovery Channel’s “Fat ‘N Furious: Rolling Thunder,” which followed the crew at Christmas Automotive in Boardman and Springfield Township – Tommy Christmas, Chuck Kountz, Steve McGranahan and Andy Pivarnik – as they got dilapidated muscle cars into racing condition.
While reality shows must be homogenized to lure a national audience, “Fat ‘N Furious” retained much of its Mahoning Valley flavor.
The series ran for three years – which was a lot longer than many people expected. But in June, the network decided not to renew it. Still, Christmas and his cohorts remain local celebrities at car shows and other events.
EICHER TEAMS WITH NOVELIST
There is more than one way for a striving musician to get his work before the public, and Youngstown’s JD Eicher pulled off one of the more unique ones.
Eicher created a four-song soundtrack that was given away with each copy of best-selling novelist Nicholas Sparks’ book “Two by Two,” which was released in October. Eicher’s mood and voice was a good match for the romantic novels of Sparks, who selected him out of a nationwide competition. “[Eicher] intuitively understands the characters and relationships at the heart of this story,” said Sparks. “He is a master of complex emotion.”
Eicher accompanied Sparks on several stops of Sparks’ book-signing tour in October, where he played the songs before the novelist’s fans.
GEORGE GALLO ART EXHIBIT
Movie director George Gallo is known for his films “Bad Boys,” “Midnight Run” and “Wise Guys,” but before he got into cinema, he was an accomplished artist. Gallo became the latest in a string of entertainment celebrities to show his art at the Butler Institute of American Art in the spring. The show was his first at an art museum, although his works hang in many galleries and in private collections.
The Butler show included a few dozen of his landscape paintings.
Also in the spring, Autumn de Forest, a 14-year-old art prodigy from Las Vegas, had an exhibition at the Butler. De Forest visited the museum for a reception and a demonstration.
SUPERNATIONALS RETURN
The Steel Valley Super Nationals, the annual show that draws thousands of hot rods, muscle cars and street rods from at least a dozen states, returned to the Canfield Fairgrounds in June, after being held at the Quaker City drag strip in Salem for the previous decade.
The three-day event, which draws up to 15,000 spectators per day, quickly made itself at home in its old stomping grounds.
‘ROCKTOPIA’ TAKES OFF
“Rocktopia,” an original show created by Randall Craig Fleischer, music director of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, gained traction in 2016. The show fuses classic-rock songs with classical music, and features a rock band and several singers, including Rob Evan of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, enhanced by digital screens and a light show.
A performance of “Rocktopia” aired on PBS stations in September. Then it was announced that “Rocktopia” will be performed in a series of North American concert halls, beginning April 13 at Cleveland’s State Theatre.
The show got its premiere in 2012 with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra at Powers Auditorium.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Alan Tura, a Warren native who now lives in Southington, was inducted into the Monster Truck Hall of Fame in Indiana in late 2015. In February, Tura – who is a founding father of the monster truck industry – put his talent on display at a monster truck performance at Covelli Centre. Tura – who also owns Fear Forest, a Halloween attraction in Lordstown – drove Megasaurus, a car-eating, fire-breathing mechanical dinosaur, at Covelli.
In June, James McClellan took over as the operations manager of the resurgent Youngstown Playhouse. McClellan replaced Bernie Appugliese, who held the post for several years.
Youngstown native Natalia Hagan landed a key role with the touring production of the Broadway revival of “42nd Street,” which came to Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall in May for two performances.