A comedy comeback at the Cellar

There hasn’t been much to laugh about in the area in the past six months, but that will change next week.

That’s because the Comedy Cellar at Mojo’s Pub and Grill will resume booking comedians. The club went dark in the summer, as it usually does, and it took a while to get it back up and running.

The drought ends Jan. 19 and 20, when Greg Hahn returns for four shows – 8 and 10 p.m. both nights.

Heywood Banks will play the Comedy Cellar the folllowing weekend for four shows. He will headline 8 and 10 p.m. shows Jan. 26 and 27.

Mojo’s is at 6292 Mahoning Ave. in Austintown. For tickets, call 330-793-6656 or go to mojospubngrill.com. Buffet-style dinner and show packages are available.

BOARDMAN NATIVE WAS FINALIST IN POETRY AWARDS

Boardman native Allison Pitinii Davis was a finalist in the 2017 National Jewish Book Awards in the poetry category for her book “Line Study of a Motel Clerk.”

As a child, Davis spent a lot of time at her family’s business on state Route 7 – the North Lima Motel. She integrated her memories of the motel, as well as stories she heard about it, as well as the laundry that her relatives owned in Niles, into a series of related poems.

The poems were written over a seven-year span and capture the working class rhythm of Youngstown.

Davis and her husband live in Athens, Tenn., where he is a professor at Tennessee Wesleyan University, and she is an adjunct instructor. She also teaches an online class through Stanford University.

To learn more, go to jewishbookcouncil.org.

LIL PAWS WINERY WILL MARK FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

Lil Paws Winery in Lake Milton will celebrate its five-year anniversary Saturday with a party from 7 to 10 p.m., with entertainment by Steve Vanderink.

The winery will roll out three new wines that night: Old Dog Red Reserve (a blend of cabernet, shiraz and merlot), Old Dog White Reserve (viogneir, tiesling and chardonnay) and Old Dog Sweet Reserve (gewurztraminer and riesling).

RIB FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE MAHONING VALLEY

It’s been a while since the Mahoning Valley had a rib festival, which is amazing for an area that loves ribs, beer and rock ’n’ roll.

That will change this summer when the Ribs and Rock Festival will take place in the Southern Park Mall in Boardman, near Chili’s restaurant. The festival, promoted by Corey Ward, will announce its lineup of bands on Jan. 27.

CANFIELD ACTOR LANDS SPOTS IN NEW SERIES

Actor Christopher Mele of Canfield recently returned from New York where he was involved in shooting the Showtime series “Escape at Danamora,” directed by Ben Stiller.

Mele, who had a small role in last year’s Academy Award-nominated film “Fences,” will appear in two episodes of the series, which stars Patricia Arquette, Benicio del Toro, David Morse and Paul Dano. It will premiere later this year.

MCDONALD WOMAN TURNED HEADS IN MAXIM CONTEST

A couple of Northeast Ohio women were finalists in Maxim magazine’s first-ever reader-voted Cover Girl Contest.

Joey Courtney of McDonald and Carla Tempesta of Conneaut were among the 10 finalists.

Olivia Burns of Florida was the winner and will appear on the magazine’s next cover.

More than 10,000 women entered for the chance to be the first Maxim Cover Girl winner. The three-month voting process drew millions of voters.

As the winner, Burns received $25,000 and a photo shoot.