Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve Event in Downtown Warren

WARREN, Ohio – Opening Night, an evening of family-friendly performances, history and arts, will return to downtown Warren this New Year’s Eve for the first time in 20 years.

Wristbands, which grant admission to all venues, are $10 ($5 for age 3 to 10) and can be purchased here in advance. The wristbands will be held at the will call window at the Log Cabin on Mahoning Avenue across from the Courthouse fountain, and can be picked up the night of the event.

Wristbands can also be purchased at the Log Cabin the night of the event but must be paid for in cash.

The Rotary Club of Warren is producing Opening Night, which will begin at 7 p.m. with the lighting of a 9-foot-tall ice and fire tower that has been erected on Courthouse Square.

The John Reese Trio will perform at Brite Energy Innovators starting at 7 p.m., with its music amplified around the square. Firepits will be stationed around the square to warm revelers.

There will be a host of other unique performances at eight venues on and around the square, including steel drums, symphony orchestra strings and comedian/magician Eric Thompson.

Tours of historical buildings and the library are also part of the schedule.

There will be a balloon drop at 8 p.m. at the library for families with small children, and fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m.

There will be free parking at Franklin Street parking deck; the lot across from the post office on High Street; and at the parking lot on Harmon Avenue.

Here is the schedule:

• Warren-Trumbull County Library: Family activities, 7:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. (balloon drop at 8 p.m.)
• City Hall: Guided tours, 30-minutes each, at 7:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• Harriet Upton House, 380 Mahoning Ave. NW: Warren Philharmonic Orchestra, 30-minute performances at 7:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• First Presbyterian Church, 256 Mahoning Ave. NW: Steel drum trio, 30-minute performances at 7:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
• Trumbull Family Fitness, 210 High St. NW: Eric Thompson, comedian-magician, 30-minute performances at 7:15 p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
• Trumbull County Courthouse: Guided tours (30 minutes) at 7:15 p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
• Brite Energy Innovators, 125 W. Market St.: John Reese Trio, 7 to 10 p.m.
• Scope Senior Service Center, 375 N. Park Ave.: Speed Limit band, 30-minute performances at 7:45 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

Pictured at top: The John Reese Trio will be one of the groups performing at Opening Night in downtown Warren on New Year’s Eve.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.