YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A new and improved version of a documentary about Idora Park’s era as a rock showplace will soon be released.
The film was originally released in 2024 and premiered at a Left End concert that summer.
The updated version – which is 15 minutes longer, has more interviews and uses animation – will premiere at Left End’s Oct. 10 concert at Powers Auditorium.
Idora Park was a proving ground for local rock bands hoping to hit it big, and a stopping point for national stars on tour, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The amusement park that once stood on the city’s south side closed in 1984.
The film was produced by Mahoning Valley residents Ray Timlin and Dave Terpak. Terry Grimm is the director and co-writer, and Thomas John is the narrator and co-writer.
The producers offered the original version to Western Reserve PBS to air but were told it had to be made longer. That’s when the production team, led by Grimm, got back to work.
“Terry Grimm took the bull by the horns, reengineered it, remastered it and went to Nashville to get more interviews,” Timlin said. “He changed a lot of things, too.”
As one example, each interview includes a photo of that artist from his rock days, creating an amusing contrast.
Thomas Gregory Jr., a videography teacher at Choffin Career & Technical Center, and his students created animation for the film that depicts the former ballroom at Idora Park, and Mark Miles created animation of the park’s exterior.
The expanded version made by Grimm increased the running time from 42 minutes to 57 minutes.
Timlin has forwarded the updated version of the film to Western Reserve PBS for possible usage.
The station has had early-stage discussions regarding the documentary but has not yet decided if it will air it, according to Madeline Myers, spokesman. Western Reserve, she said, is currently focused on its pending merger with Ideastream Public Media.
The new version of the film will premiere immediately before Left End takes the stage at Powers Auditorium on Oct. 10. Doors will open at 6 p.m. that evening, with the film starting at 7 p.m.
Left End will then perform two sets: 8:15-9 p.m. and 9:30-10:15 p.m. The concert will include a 30-minute intermission.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster and the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office.
Timlin is encouraging fans to be in their seats by 7 p.m. so they can watch the film from its start.
“I want as many as we can get to come in early and appreciate the film,” he said.
Timlin cannot sell distribution rights to the film or even sell tickets to viewers at a separate screening. “I cannot monetize it in any way,” he said, because compensatory issues will arise for the many songs that were used in the film.
Youngstown was a hotbed of rock bands in the 1970s, and Idora Park’s ballroom and its outdoor space were its biggest and best venues.
The most popular concert of the year was dubbed Spring Thing and took place every summer at Idora Park. Left End, which was the king of the local scene, headlined the outdoor show 13 years in a row.
The new version of “When Idora Rocked” features interviews with several members of Left End and at least a dozen more local rockers from that era. The list is a who’s who of local rock greats from that era, including:
- Ting Markulin of Human Beinz, who achieved national fame with their hit “Nobody but Me.”
- Bob DiPiero, one of Nashville’s greatest country songwriters, but who was a rocker in his early days.
- Joe Pizzulo of Brainchild, Roadshow and, later, Sergio Mendez.
- Del Sinchak, the polka king who often wore a turban on stage when he led his rock act Del Saint and the Devils.
- Phil Keaggy, Daniel Pecchio and John Sferra of The Squires and, later, Glass Harp.
- Bill Bodine of Brainchild.
- Ray Guerrieri and Pat Palombo of Left End.
- Michael Gismondi of the Michael Stanley Band.
- Donnie Iris of the Jaggerz.
- Jim Gustafson of Poobah.
- Frank Secich of Blue Ash.
- Roger Lewis of The Poppy.
Idora Park also played host to many top national acts during that era, including Sam the Sham, the Eagles, Raspberries, Michael Stanley Band, Blue Oyster Cult, Badfinger, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Wishbone Ash, Bobby Sherman, David Cassidy, Looking Glass, The Ohio Express, The Byrds, James Gang, Bay City Rollers, Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones of The Monkeys, KC and the Sunshine Band and The Jaggerz.
At one point in the film, narrator Thomas John points out that the fans who packed Idora didn’t realize it at the time, but they witnessed the launch of several bands that would go on to national acclaim. As a DJ from radio station Hot 101, John emceed many concerts at the park.
“When Idora Rocked” provides a fast-paced history of the days when hard-edged rock music was a new and dominating entertainment force. Youngstown was still in its industrial prime in those days and produced more than its fair share of artists.
Rock radio was powerful in those days, and the film focuses on two Hot 101 DJs who helped shape the Idora concert scene: Dick Biondi and Boots Bell.
Pictured at top: A band photo of Left End from the act’s heyday in the 1970s.