WEEKEND MATTERS | Federal Frenzy returns to downtown Youngstown

Here are some of the events happening around the Mahoning Valley this weekend. For more events, check out our Events Calendar.

The Federal Frenzy Music & Arts Festival will return to downtown Youngstown from 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday.

The festival, presented by YSU Penguin Productions, will feature music, food, drinks, art and activities. It will take place on West Federal Street and Phelps Street and is free and open to the public.

Rock band Hunny from Newbury Park, California, will be the headlining act.

Bands performing on the Main Stage will include The Labra Brothers, the YSU Contemporary Ensemble, Fifth & Aurora, Where’s Winona Now? and Spirit of The Bear.

Black Wolf & The Thief, Candace Campana, The Shootouts and JD Eicher will perform on the Summit Stage.

The Bouncing Back Stage will feature performances by The Band Hannah, Lexi Kays, The Smokey Honey Bluesband, The Super Babes, Shelby Olive, Riley Burke, Matt Jackson and Chanelle Kazadi.

A local vendor marketplace, family friendly activities and a variety of food trucks and artists will be set up on the Phelps Street Gateway and West Federal Street.

A beer tent will feature selections from local breweries, including Birdfish Brewing Co., Noble Creature Cask House and Penguin City Brewing Co.

‘My Name is Not Mom’ show coming to Packard Music Hall

Comic trio Tiffany Jenkins, Meredith Masony and Dena Blizzard will bring their “My Name is Not Mom” show to Packard Music Hall in Warren at 7 p.m. Friday.

Tickets, ranging in price from $35 to $65, can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Packard Music Hall Box Office, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW.

The internet sensations will share their take on mothering through the sleepless nights of the toddler years, middle school craziness and trying not to physically attack a high-schooler, a news release states. The show will feature stand-up, stories and videos from their online community and audience interaction.

Dana School of Music to present spring opera ‘L’amico Fritz’

The Dana School of Music will present its spring opera, “L’amico Fritz,” this weekend.

The show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Spotlight Theater in Bliss Hall on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for non-YSU students, YSU faculty and staff with a valid ID, YSU alumni, senior citizens, Penguin Club members and groups of eight or more. Tickets are free for YSU students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased here or by calling 330-941-3105.

“L’amico Fritz” is a romantic-comedy opera representing the lighter side of 19th-century verismo drama that includes both Italian “opera buffo” and “opera seria,” a news release states. The opera is based on the French novel “L’ami Fritz” by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.

Stage Left Youth Players to present ‘Moana Jr.’

Stage Left Youth Players will stage “Moana Jr.” this weekend.

The play is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and April 29 and 30, and 2 p.m. Sunday and May 1 at the Trinity Playhouse, 234 E. Lincoln Way, Lisbon.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the door, but online reservations are recommended, a news release states.

“Moana Jr.” is based on the 2016 Disney animated movie “Moana.”

For more information, email stageleftseats@gmail.com or call 724-426-1955.

Super Toy Events returning to Canfield Fairgrounds

The Super Toy Events show will return to the Canfield Fairgrounds Event Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The show features vintage and new toys, comics, video games, cards and more.

Admission is $5 and free for children age 10 and younger.

McKinley Memorial Library to host Community Connections Fair

McKinley Memorial Library will host a free Community Connections Fair from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Niles Wellness Center, 213 Sharkey Drive, Niles.

The fair highlights local organizations in the community and focuses on connecting residents with local organizations from Niles and Trumbull County. Attendees will be able to connect with more than 35 organizations specializing in the environment, education, history, service and more. A full list of participants can be found here.

“The Community Connections Fair is the library’s first large-scale event since the pandemic. We are very excited to showcase our local organizations, giving them an opportunity to share all of the great resources and services that they provide to our community,” Michelle Alleman, library director, said in a news release.

Stuffed cabbage dinner to benefit Ukraine relief efforts

A stuffed cabbage dinner from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Byzantine Center at the Grove, 3801 Shady Run Road, Youngstown, will benefit Ukraine relief efforts.

All of the proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the Eparchy of Mukachevo in western Ukraine, a news release states.

The dinner is available for carryout only and will include stuffed cabbage, mashed potatoes, corn, roll with butter and dessert. The cost is $14 per dinner, and additional stuffed cabbage will be available for $4 each or $40 per dozen.

Walk-ins are welcome, but preorders are recommended. For more information or to preorder, call 330-782-6388.

Book launch reception scheduled at Museum of Ceramics

A book launch reception for “Pottery Town Blues” is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Museum of Ceramics, 400 E. Fifth St., East Liverpool.

“Pottery Town Blues,” written by Karen Kotrba, is a collection of fictional short stories set in East Liverpool.

Kotrba taught college writing at Youngstown State University and the East Liverpool, Salem and Trumbull branches of Kent State University. She also wrote “She Who is Like a Mare” and is a recipient of an Ohio Arts Council grant for fiction writing.

Artist Sheri Liebschner provided the book’s cover with her painting “East Liverpool, Ohio Cityscape: View from the Ohio River.”

Liebschner’s art will be displayed at the reception, and Kotrba will sign books and read one of the stories.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK …

• TRACE ADKINS IN WARREN: Country music star Trace Adkins will perform at Packard Music Hall in Warren at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets, ranging in price from $39 to $85, can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Packard Music Hall Box Office, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW. Tickets purchased on the day of the show will cost an additional $6.
• LUNCH AND LEARN: Local Jewish leaders who traveled to Poland to help aid Ukraine relief efforts will share their experiences at a Lunch and Learn at noon Monday at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane. The cost is $15. A free Zoom option is available. Click here to register for the in-person event or to register for the Zoom link.
• FUNDRAISING BANQUET: The Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing our Neighborhoods will host its 19th annual fundraising banquet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Byzantine at the Grove, 3801 Shady Run Road, Youngstown. The cost is $35. The hybrid event also can be viewed on Facebook, YouTube and Zoom, and meals can be picked up at 4 p.m. Shelia Triplett, CEO of Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership, will be the guest speaker. For more information or tickets, call 330-941-0475.
• MUSIC AT NOON: The Dana Guitar Studio will perform at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown as part of the Dana School of Music’s Music at Noon concert series. The concert is free and open to the public.
• COMING TO WESTSIDE BOWL: Hayley and the Crushers, with Drifting Thing and the Alex Wilson Band, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at Westside Bowl in Youngstown. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.