YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The newly renovated Spring Commons Park will reopen Saturday with the Block Party, a festival that will include live music and comedy, food trucks and a fancy flea market.
The riverside park at 534 Mahoning Ave., opposite the B&O Station, got a complete makeover this summer, thanks to funding from the Appalachian Community Grant program.
It now has a terrace with retaining walls that faces the river, with a large pergola and a seating area at its forefront. The park also received a newly paved and partitioned parking lot, sidewalks, lighting, restrooms, a dock and a riverside walkway that leads to a kayak launch.
The city is unveiling the park with a ribbon cutting ceremony today.
Adjacent to the park is the privately owned B&O Station building, a former train station that is now a banquet hall. That structure also recently received facade improvements, funded partially by a city grant. Its permanent outdoor stage received a stone staircase that leads to the front of the stage and new floor tiles. An old wooden walkway in front of the stage was removed, creating a more open space for the audience.
The Block Party is presented at the site every year by The Neighborhood, a community group led by Mikey Caraballo, Alison Green, Brandon Cappelli, Danny Svenson and Kayla Hay. Launched in 2018, it is the group’s signature event. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at a “name your own price” HERE or for $10 at the gate the day of the event.
The event will feature vendors from the Youngstown Flea, food trucks, interactive installations, outdoor games and flash tattoos (while supplies last).
There will also be a full schedule of live music and comedians on two stages and on “the big blanket.”
The Block Party stage will be at the new pergola. The big blanket will be just what it sounds like, according to Alison Green of The Neighborhood.
“We are making a huge picnic blanket for the park area that two performers, Indig0Forest and Moestunes, will be performing acoustic sets on,” she said. “People can sit on the big blanket and relax in the park while listening.”
Here is the performance schedule:
- 4-4:40 p.m.: DJ Stu (Block Party stage).
- 4:40-5 p.m.: Indig0Forest (big blanket).
- 5-5:40 p.m.: Honey Brother (main stage).
- 5:40-5:55 p.m.: DJ Stu (Block Party stage).
- 6-6:45 p.m.: Rent for Cheryl (main stage).
- 6:45-7 p.m.: Moestunes (big blanket).
- 7-7:10 p.m.: Matt O’Nesti, comedian (Block Party stage).
- 7:10-7:30 p.m.: Jo Rou, comedian (Block Party stage).
- 7:30-8 p.m.: Tim Wolfe, comedian (Block Party stage).
- 8-8:30 p.m.: DJ Stu (Block Party stage).
- 8:30-8:50 p.m.: Antonio Labra Drum Experience (main stage).
- 9-9:45 p.m.: The Nightcap (main stage).
- 10-10:30 p.m.: Dan the Admin (main stage).
- 10:30-11:30 p.m.: Ursa (Block Party stage).
The Boxcar Lounge on the site, which is also owned by the B&O Station, will be open as an indoor bar. An outdoor bar specializing in local craft beers will also be set up, Green said.
The lineup of bands was assembled by Svenson, who is a member of Spirit of the Bear and The Labra Brothers bands and operates a recording studio.
Unlike in past years, there won’t be a headliner bolted into the final slot of the night. Instead, the schedule was designed to suit each band’s preference and how their style would fit into the day.
“We worked closely with all performers to shape a shared experience throughout the day, flowing from act to act,” Green said. “From DJ sets to comedians and even an interactive percussion drum experience led by Antonio Labra, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and to discover something new.”
The most prominent band in the lineup might be Rent for Cheryl, which will take the main stage at 6 p.m.
The five-piece act, whose members hail from Akron, Kent and Cleveland, has an alluring jazzy indie-pop sound that flows from the powerful vocals of Isabelle Post.
Rent for Cheryl recently returned from a tour of Europe, which included gigs in London, Paris and Glasgow. The band headlined the PorchRokr music fest in Akron on Saturday.
The name started as a joke, according to an article in IdeaStream Public Media. Two of the members living in a Kent apartment created a musical beat about their need to come up with enough money to pay Cheryl, their landlord.
Rent for Cheryl has already released four albums, including 2025’s “Past Midnight,” and has another one planned for fall.
Closing the evening will be Ursa, which is led by Jamie Vitullo, drummer for Spirit of the Bear. Vitullo is a Youngstown native and Cleveland resident. The show will be Vitullo’s premier set under the moniker.
Pictured at top: Rent for Sheryl will perform at The Block Party on Saturday at Spring Commons Park. The band is shown performing at the PorchRokr music festival, which took place Saturday in Akron.