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Antone’s event coordinator comes forward
By Kalea Hall
BOARDMAN
The former event coordinator for Antone’s Banquet Centre claims she was told last Friday that the banquet hall would close the following Tuesday.
Tracy Scarabino said she was then told by her boss, Ross Scianna, to call those with events scheduled at the 8578 Market St. venue and inform them of the closing.
Some of the customers had booked for this coming weekend.
“This is not going to give these people any time to do this,” she said she warned Scianna.
Still, Scarabino said she stayed until 10 p.m. to work an event and try to help other people find a new venue.
“If I was a disgruntled employee, I would have left” when told of the closing, she said.
By Saturday, she was asked to post a letter on social media about the closing.
Scarabino, however, said she had decided she was done with the job and quit.
On Monday, Scianna, owner of Antone’s, told The Vindicator he had no idea how the closing rumor started and that the business would remain open. Scianna did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
“He didn’t fire me,” she said. “I am not a disgruntled employee. I am not upset.”
Scarabino, who worked at Antone’s for four years, said she wants Scianna to explain the facts behind rumors that the banquet hall was closing.
“I don’t know why he’s not,” she said.
Scarabino wouldn’t go into detail about why Antone’s planned to close. She told her customers that she was shocked.
“I had brides calling me on Monday morning. I was in tears with half of my brides,” she said. “They want the truth. ... My heart goes out to all these brides.”
Outside of Antone’s on Tuesday, a digital sign read: “We Are Open.”
The business is registered with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office as Boardman Banquet and Facility LLC. On the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts website, there are open tax liens from 2014, 2015 and 2016 totaling $99,357.
Antone’s was started in 1961 by Scianna’s parents. It has been at its current location for 28 years.
Scarabino said she was told to call people with upcoming events to tell them of the impending closing.
One of those events was Cardinal Mooney High School’s Sweethearts Dance scheduled for this Saturday. School officials told The Vindicator Mooney was committed to having the dance.