Bar crawl in steel mill neighborhood

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Ten bars, restaurants and clubs in the Steelton and Garden District neighborhoods on the West Side will open Saturday afternoon for the inaugural Run of the Mill Bar Crawl.

Participating are Kenny K’s, Molly’s, Vista Lounge, Cedars West End, AMA, Catholic War Vets, Sons of Italy, S-N-K Double Deuce Saloon, Kelly’s and Casa Ramirez.

The bar crawl will run from noon to 5 p.m. Registration and starting point will be the Orthodox Center at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 1025 N. Belle Vista Ave.

The fee is $5, and participants will receive a commemorative pint glass. Parking is available at the Orthodox Center, and a free shuttle will run on a continuous loop from the center with stops at each participating bar.

Sponsors of the bar crawl are Councilman Mike Ray, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and the city of Youngstown.

Funds raised will be used toward neighborhood improvement projects in the Steelton neighborhood, a target area for the 422 Corridor Project. These will include improving vacant lots by grading them, planting grass and trees and erecting split-rail fencing.

“Studies show that ‘greening’ vacant lots have positive impacts in neighborhoods, like reducing crime,” said Ray, who represents the northern half of the West Side.

The Steelton neighborhood is the oldest on the West Side and mirrors the city’s steelmaking past. It sprang up close to the Ohio Works of US Steel, with its businesses and shot-and-a-beer steelworker bars clustered along Salt Springs Road and the north end of Steel Street.