WEEKEND MATTERS | Here are some Juneteenth celebrations happening around the Valley

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

Sunday is Juneteenth, and celebrations are planned around the Mahoning Valley this weekend.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre will host the Youngstown Mega Music Festival.

The Juneteenth celebration at the amphitheater, 201 S. Phelps St., will feature Cameo, The Dazz Band, One Way and Enchantment.

The event will also feature comedian Henry Welch and DJ Stan the Man.

Tickets, ranging in price from $52.50 to $102, can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Southwoods Health Box Office inside the Covelli Centre.

Cameo will headline the show. The funk band has sold more than 18 million albums and is best known for its 1986 hit “Word Up!” The single was the group’s first top 40 hit in the United States, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B and Hot Dance Singles charts.

Here are other Juneteenth events happening around the Valley:

Community Concerned Citizens II is partnering with the Ohio Climate Justice Fund to host a Juneteenth celebration this weekend at Quinby Park, 525 Austin Ave., Warren. The celebration will begin at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday. There will be activities for all ages, vendors, food, music, a parade and more. Information can be found here.

The Youngstown Creative Collective is closing out a weeklong Juneteenth celebration that included a community cleanup and events focusing on Black arts, culture, wellness and history.

• FAAM Coin, a locally founded cryptocurrency, is offering educational sessions on financial literacy including credit and debt management, investments, generational wealth building, housing and life insurance from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Eastern Gateway Community College’s Student Services Center, 139 E. Boardman St., Youngstown.
• Brunch at The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County’s Main Library, 305 Wick Ave., Youngstown, from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday. This year’s sixth annual Juneteenth Brunch Summit features panel discussions on this year’s Juneteenth honorees.
• The 2022 Juneteenth Cultural Festival is from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center, 903 Otis St., Youngstown. Bring the family and some lawn chairs (but no personal coolers) to this free festival, which will feature food trucks, vendors and music.

Simply Slavic Festival returning to downtown Youngstown

The Simply Slavic Festival will return to downtown Youngstown on Friday and Saturday.

The festival, which was held virtually in 2020 and canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrates the food, music, dance and customs of various Slavic ethnicities.

“We are returning strong with more local and regional musicians, authentic food options, new interactive guest experiences and evening programming that is unique to any festival in the region,” John Slanina, president of Simply Slavic, the nonprofit organization that produces the event, said in a news release.

New to the festival this year will be a pivski, a European-style outdoor beer garden occupying half a block on Champion Street. The drinking and gathering space, sponsored by Penguin City Brewing Co., will host the festival’s primary bar, featuring Eastern European brews as well as Penguin City selections.

The event will run from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and noon to midnight Saturday. Admission is $5, and free for children 12 and younger.

A schedule of events can be found here.

Relay For Life set for Saturday at Southern Park Mall

The Mahoning and Columbiana Counties Relay For Life will take place Saturday at the DeBartolo Commons at Southern Park Mall in Boardman.

The daylong fundraising event will begin at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony and survivor kickoff lap.

The event will include live music, vendors, games, contests and more. A schedule of events can be found here.

Full Spectrum Pride in the Valley Festival in Warren

The 2022 Full Spectrum Pride in the Valley Festival, coordinated by Full Spectrum Community Outreach, will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday at Courthouse Square in Warren.

The event will feature live entertainment, vendors, a Pride parade, drag shows, a beer garden, food trucks, health screenings and family activities such as inflatables and carnival games.

“The festival is a way to fuse together a fun atmosphere for everyone to feel comfortable in and the message that all people — no matter their sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, HIV status, age, race, ethnicity, religion or other determining factors — have the right to live life to the fullest,” organizers said.

The festival will also raise funds for Full Spectrum’s support programs.

Dirty Deeds to pay tribute to AC/DC at Warren amphitheater

Let there be rock.

River Rock at the Amp will present AC/DC tribute band Dirty Deeds on Saturday.

Dirty Deeds will take the stage at the Warren Community Amphiteatre, 321 Mahoning Ave., at 8:30 p.m. and perform AC/DC songs from both the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras.

Huckin Fillbillys will open the show at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $8 at the gate. Children 12 and younger are admitted free.

Historical society to present Neil Armstrong discussion

Dan Mathey, co-founder of the Neil Armstrong First Flight Memorial Lunar Module in Warren, will discuss the astronaut and Ohio native who was the first person to walk on the moon.

The discussion, which is part of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society’s Memories of a Lifetime lecture series, will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday in the meeting room at Chad Anthony’s Italian Grille & Pub in Liberty.

The event will include refreshments and a 50/50 raffle to benefit the historical society’s education mission, a news release states.

The cost is $5 for historical society members and $10 for nonmembers. Walk-ins will be admitted based on seat availability. For reservations or more information, call 330-726-8277.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK …

• SCRAPPERS IN ACTION: The Mahoning Valley Scrappers will take on the Trenton Thunder at 7:05 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Eastwood Field in Niles. The Scrappers will then face the Williamsport Crosscutters at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased here, at the Chevy All Stars Box Office at Eastwood Field or by phone at 330-505-0000.
• ON DISPLAY: The work of local artist L.P. Snowe II will be shown from Monday through Aug. 1 at the Thomases Family Endowment of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Art Gallery in the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane. “Cats Infiltrate the Optic Nerve” includes 15 pencil and ink drawings. A reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
• MOVIE NIGHT: The Youngstown Summer Movie Series will show “Ghostbusters Afterlife” at 9 p.m. Monday on the lawn at Wean Park in Youngstown. Concessions will be available.
• BLIPPI IN WARREN: “Blippi the Musical” is coming to Packard Music Hall in Warren at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets, ranging in price from $32.50 to $52.50, can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Packard Music Hall Box Office, 1703 Mahoning Ave. Blippi, a character known for his signature blue and orange outfit, helps teach children colors, letters and more through educational videos.
• FARMERS MARKET: Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership’s Warren Farmers Market will be at Perkins Park from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday. The market, featuring fresh, locally grown produce and handmade products, will take place every Tuesday through Oct. 4. The market overlooks the Warren Community Amphitheatre, where live music and performers will entertain guests.
• ABBA TRIBUTE: ABBAFAB will bring the music of Swedish pop group ABBA to Packard Music Hall in Warren at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets, ranging in price from $38 to $58, can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Packard Music Hall Box Office, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW.