Event held at Penguin City Brewing Co. in Youngstown breaks statewide attendance record

A record number of participants in Mahoning County residents and neighbors gathered at Penguin City Brewing Company for a sold-out event hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.

It’s a statewide event series called Banned Books Bingo, hosted by Nicole Curet, senior development officer, at the ACLU of Ohio, with support from Red Wine & Blue.

Eighty participants signed up for Banned Books Bingo which recently took place at Penguin City Brewing Company, the most tickets Curet has sold for a banned books event this year in Ohio.

The first 50 tickets sold out, but so many people were interested in getting a seat that Curet ended up selling more.

“Youngstown really showed up, and people want to be a part of it,” Curet said. “We had so many people interested, up until even the day of, and we have not had that happen anywhere else.”

Curet said she admired how everyone at the event didn’t know one another but still found connection through the literature.

“When you can find other people you know in your town or your city that have those same interests and maybe you didn’t know before, it can be very comforting and connecting,” she said. “At Penguin City, people were energetic, they were having fun, they were talking to each other, which I think is the most important part.”

Curet explained there are three rounds of bingo, and every card that’s pulled is a different book on the banned book list. Participants then match the book with a reason why the book was censored.

“There are a million reasons why books are banned, and they’re being banned for reasons other than what we might think. We try to educate, but also make that education fun,” Curet said. “It could be immigration or language; it could be racism or LGBTQIA issues.”

According to the ACLU and the American Library Association, banning books is a form of suppressing Americans’ rights to accessing information.

“Protecting that First Amendment right for us is enormous; it’s why we’re here,” Curet said. “This is a fun way to get people involved, and it reflects the deepest parts of our mission - making sure that those rights aren’t being violated.”

Curet said she partnered with Red Wine & Blue to start the event, which has become a “unifier” for community members across the state.

“We were looking for a way to bring a fun and engaging event to different communities throughout Ohio that was based in the work that we do,” Curet said. “So much of our work is focused on protecting your rights, civic engagement and protecting the First Amendment.”

The event started in North Canton, and Red Wine & Blue provides the supplies for bingo the bingo event and helps with advocacy.

“We’ve been in Cincinnati and Columbus. Next, we’ll be in Athens, then next month we’re going to Dayton,” Curet said. “Red Wine & Blue is a completely grass roots-founded organization of mostly women. Red Wine & Blue is a fantastic partner, and I’m so grateful that they want to work with us.”

Learn more about banned books on the ACLU website.

This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Kelcey Norris

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