SitemapYoungstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and other organizations are trying to bring life back to the city’s West Side with a new event, the first of a four-part series that began Saturday.
The first Mahoning Avenue Better Block took place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mahoning Avenue between Steel Street and Whitney Avenue. Pop-up businesses, outdoor cafes, art galleries, performances and exhibitions lined the busy street. Cones were used to redirect traffic passing through the event.
“They’ve done Better Blocks all across the country,” said Tom Hetrick, YNDC neighborhood planner and event organizer.
The Mahoning Avenue Better Block was made possible through support from YNDC, William Swanston Charitable Fund, Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, Garden District Neighborhood Association, Mill Creek MetroParks, Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the city and Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th.
“My goal is to get some interest in the [city’s] corridors,” Hetrick said.
Among the exhibitors was Marcie Applegate of Boardman, a local artist and grower, selling homemade jam and produce in the afternoon.
“I think it’s a great thing to bring people together,” she said.
Scores of people steadily came throughout the day. Diane Herman and her daughter, Emily Herman, both from the West Side, bought some produce at the event.“I’m happy to see it’s brightening up the area,” Diane said.
And in front of the parking lot next to the Casa Ramirez Mexican Restaurant, Mike Kopsic of the West Side was playing some tunes on his guitar to bring attention to Sandra Sainto of Poland and her artwork.
“Youngstown is kind of in a dip,” he said.
He said the event brings a vibe normally seen in New York City and other larger cities with its own display of local artists and musicians.
“The coolest thing about this is that it’s only one of a few places where you can walk into and not think you’re in old Youngstown,” he said.
Hetrick said YNDC will have another better block on the city’s North Side at Elm Street, between Madison and Park avenues, Friday and Saturday.
For information about the better block project, visit www.betterblock.org.
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