Free event is designed to showcase the potential of the block of Market Street in Warren

Staff report

WARREN

Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership is announcing the Warren Peninsula Better Block event from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

This free event is designed to showcase the potential of the block of Market Street, located just over the bridge from Courthouse Square.

Temporary streetscape improvements, including bike lanes, crosswalks and benches, as well as pop-up retail shops, restaurants and recreational activities will be featured.

The event also will include a bike-safety demonstration and helmet giveaway. Two children’s bicycles will be raffled. Live theater performances, dance classes and activities with partners including Kent State University and Chess is Life will be ongoing throughout the day.

Attendees are encouraged to explore existing shops in downtown. Warren Redevelopment and Planning has worked with existing retail shops and restaurants, which will be open for business and two new shops will be popping up for the day.

Nova Coffee Co., featuring fresh donuts and pour-over coffees and Sew Cute!, a handicraft boutique and classroom will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. as part of WRAP’s Pop-Up Project. Both shops will permanently open in 2017.

The Warren Peninsula Better Block event follows the Better Block model that has been used throughout the country in the past few years. This event will make temporary changes to create a vibrant, engaging public space in an underused downtown block located along the Mahoning River commonly referred to as the Peninsula. Public comment will be collected and used to create a series of recommendations for future use of the Peninsula Block.

This event is made possible by funding from the William Swanston Charitable Fund. The mission of the William Swanston Charitable Fund is to provide support and assistance to abused, neglected, and dependent children in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. The fund is the legacy of a local farmer who cared about his community and who wanted to help the less fortunate.

Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership is a nonprofit community development corporation serving the neighborhoods of Warren, Ohio. TNP empowers residents and promotes sustainable development through projects and programs that improve the quality of life and build a healthy, thriving community.

For information, visit www.tnpwarren.org.