Commentary: Events Are Drawing Crowds to Downtown Youngstown

By Debora Flora

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Visitors were drawn to Covelli Centre for the Ohio Athletic Conference Wrestling Championships in March, home games by the playoff-bound Youngstown Phantoms hockey team and three sold-out shows: the Professional Bull Riders on Feb. 27-28; comedian Bert Kreischer on March 8; and Christian rock band Third Day on April 3.

Beyond that, a St. Patrick’s Day bar crawl, a dance competition at the DeYor Performing Arts Center and the regional spelling bee at Stambaugh Auditorium, all on March 14, drew about 18,000 more people to downtown Youngstown. That rivaled attendance for the Youngstown Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting on Dec. 5.

This is not sheer luck. Downtown and its businesses thrive by offering can’t-miss events in atmospheres that encourage people to gather, mingle and linger. 

In addition to JAC Management Group, which also manages and promotes shows at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, others are invested in elevating the visitor experience.

David Labra, Youngstown’s special events coordinator, wants to maintain and improve legacy events that bring people downtown.

Labra is one of The Labra Brothers, a band that blends Latin, rock and soul. His event planning background has been formed by the band’s activities in music recording and production, touring and opening for major acts that include Los Lobos.

Ignite the Night, a free concert by the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra with a fireworks display on July 5, is “potentially a new legacy event,” Labra said. It will be at the amphitheater and adjacent Wean Park. The Rotary Club of Youngstown is the presenting sponsor.

Ignite the Night is one reason Labra wants to further activate the Phelps Street Gateway, which is between a city-owned public parking lot on Commerce Street and the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre entrance on Front Street. Restaurants and shops are along the gateway. Phelps also is within the Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area (Dora).

The annual Y Live concert series is returning to YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium in July. Downtown will be the place for pre- and post-concert entertainment. Labra said.

Downtown isn’t only for weekends or big-ticket events, Labra said. Pilates sessions will be offered in Wean Park on three Thursdays: June 18, July 23 and Aug. 27. The free Youngstown Movie Series will be on Monday evenings from June 22 through Aug. 3 outside of Covelli.

Labra encourages exploration of the local arts scene. “It’s vibrant and cool and a few pieces are underground right now,” he said. He cited the Varsity Club on Commerce Street, which hosts jazz nights on Wednesdays and features artists such as local guitarist Rick Ward, a member of the Ohio Players funk/R&B band.

“Being involved in the community is just as important, if not more important, than putting on events,” Labra said.

The Downtown Youngstown Ambassadors, created by the city of Youngstown and Economic Action Group, assist visitors and businesses. They have cleaned and cleared icy sidewalks, collected hundreds of gallons of trash, helped visitors with wayfinding during events, and cultivated working relationships with businesses and patrons.

Jessica Robinson McNees, the Downtown Ambassadors coordinator, says she, Joe Jadue and Vash Penn balance short-term solutions with long-term planning.

The Ambassadors are coordinating pop-up events on Thursdays along Phelps Street. “It gives people an opportunity to influence and change the downtown experience,” said McNees. “Paint murals with us. Play some cornhole. Stop for five minutes if you want – you do not have to commit” a lot of time.

Asked for his advice to visitors, “There is more versatility here than people know” among the venues, bars and restaurants, Jadue said.

During special events, the Downtown Ambassadors answer calls and texts at 330 501 9516. Contact them for directions and parking advice or to request escort services.

“We are all here because we care about the community. We love Youngstown,” Penn said.

The First Fridays monthly events series began in 2024 through the Downtown Youngstown Partnership, a committee within Youngstown Cityscape, said Martha McCorkle Morgan, Cityscape development director. First Fridays supports businesses and institutions by “bringing people back downtown,” she said.

The most popular events thus far have been the downtown ghost walks in October and extended hours on Friday evenings in November and February at museums, said Adam Lee, Cityscape program director.

First Fridays will have a Cinco de May theme on May 1 and coincide with weekend graduation activities at YSU. The First Fridays committee applied for a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Placemaking Grant in support of live music and event organizing for Ignite the Night. A Youngstown Foundation grant will support music performances in more downtown spaces, Lee said.

Strong attendance at Covelli Center and prior Y Live concerts in and around Wean Park shows that downtown parking options do not drive participants away. “Create something people want to come to, and they will figure it out,” Lee said.