“The People of the Mahoning Valley: Stories of Identity and Innovation” opens Saturday

November 3, 2017 at 6:16p.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley has always held tightly to the stories of its past.

Now that history — including the people and events that shaped the area — has a permanent home.

An exhibition titled “The People of the Mahoning Valley: Stories of Identity and Innovation” opens today at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown.

The $500,000 exhibition occupies most of the first floor of the building. Residents can check it out Saturday for free at a one-day open house from noon to 4 p.m.

Bill Lawson, executive director of the MVHS, expects the exhibition will take its place among the city’s top cultural assets.

“There is a buzz out there about it,” said Lawson. “We want everyone to experience it and keep coming back.”

The MVHS has been planning and developing the exhibition for five years.