YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Polish Youngstown and St. Columba Cathedral will honor the feast day of Our Lady of Częstochowa with a special Mass at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at St. Columba Cathedral, 154 W. Wood St.

A Polish lunch and reception will follow in the cathedral hall, sponsored by Krakus Polish Deli & Bakery. Entertainment will be provided by Bob Buzecan of the Chardon Polka Band. RSVP for catering is requested by calling 330 744 5233. A freewill offering of $15 per person is suggested. Youngstown State University students will be admitted free with their YSU identification card.

Known as the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Częstochowa has been a symbol of Polish identity, faith and resilience for more than 600 years. Her image, housed in the Monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, Poland, has inspired devotion worldwide. 

The Rev. Robert J. Siffrin will serve as celebrant, and other Slavic priests will be invited. The Mass will include traditional Polish hymns and a community rendition of “Czarna Madonna.”

The public is invited. Free parking is available in all lots surrounding the cathedral. Due to Panerathon, access is recommended from the north via Fifth Avenue or Wick Avenue.

In 2010, then-Bishop George Murry enlisted PolishYoungstown to renovate the cathedral baptistery into a shrine to Our Lady of Częstochowa. This was done to welcome the parishioners of St. Casimir and St. Stanislaus into the cathedral parish upon the closure of their churches. The parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka bestowed their mosaic icons as the shrine’s centerpiece. 

Stage Left Players Unveil 2025-26 Season

LISBON, Ohio – Stage Left Players has unveiled its 2025-26 season.

All performances are at Trinity Playhouse, 234 E. Lincoln Way. Curtain time is 7 p.m. (2 p.m. on Sundays).

Three-show flex passes, in which the holder picks the shows, are $39 ($33 for senior citizens and students) and on sale at StageLeftPlayers.org until Sept. 6.

Five-show flex passes are $60 ($52); family flex passes, good for 10 shows, are $110 ($95).

Youth flex passes are $25 for three shows, $40 for five shows and $75 for 10 shows.

Single-show tickets are $17 ($15 for senior citizens and students) for regular productions and $12 ($10) for youth productions.

Spark Storytellers shows are $10.

Here is the schedule:

  • “Sideways Stories from Wayside School,” Sept. 13-14.
  • “Cinderella,” Nov. 14-16, 21-23.
  • “A Trailer Park Holiday,” Dec. 5-7, 12-14.
  • “Princess Prudy’s Promise (The Frog Prince),” April 10-12, 17-19.
  • “Once Upon a Time,” classic hits by Stage Left Silver Players (age 55 and up), May 7-9.
  • “Little Shop of Horrors,” June 19-21, 26-28.
  • Spark Storytellers, Nov. 2 and March 1.

Herb Growers Guild to Present Annual Tea

BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Holborn Herb Growers Guild’s annual tea party will take place from 1-3 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Lariccia Family Community Center in Boardman Park, 375 Boardman-Poland Road.

Adults and children are encouraged to attend this year’s event, which will feature the sampling of herbal teas and both savory and sweet delicacies.

Guests will be able to tour the Summer Kitchen herb gardens behind St. James Meeting Place. Guest speaker Alice Crosetto, author of “The Cookie Table, A Steel Valley Tradition,” will share her journey of photos, family stories and interviews about this local tradition.

As a keepsake, visitors will receive souvenir tea cups and saucers.

There will also be a basket raffle and a Komara Jewelers door prize drawing.

The Holborn Herb Growers Guild was founded in 1982 to educate its members and the public in the use and enjoyment of herbs. To this end, the guild has established public herb gardens at the Western Reserve Village at the Canfield Fairgrounds and the Summer Kitchen Gardens at Boardman Park and presents educational programs. 

Tea tickets are $25 per person, cash or check. Ticket sales are limited. For information or to purchase, contact Bunny at 330 507 8565.

Presentation by Arab American Girl 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lauren Camp will discuss via Zoom her life as a first-generation Arab American girl and her Jewish-Iraqi parents at a program Sept. 8 at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane.

Coffee and dessert will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by the presentation. Lit Youngstown will livestream the conversation on its YouTube page.

Camp’s book “One Hundred Hungers” tells overlapping stories of food and ritual, immigration and adaptation, evoking her father’s boyhood in 1940s Baghdad, a time when tensions began to emerge along ethnic and religious lines.

The program is free, but registration is required at least 24 hours in advance by contacting Barb Wilson at bwilson@jewishyoungstown.org. 

Golf & Gala Event to Benefit Veterans

WARREN, Ohio – The newly formed nonprofit Cover Down Fund will present its inaugural Golf & Gala event Sept. 13 at Trumbull Country Club, with all proceeds benefiting local veterans.

The event is produced by the same team behind the Freedom Warrior Golf & Gala.

Founded earlier this year, the Cover Down Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit born of a commitment to help those who have served. Founder Herm Breuer, a U.S. Army veteran wounded in Iraq in 2004, has dedicated his post-military life to advocating for veterans and improving access to essential services. During his years of leadership – including serving as president of the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers – a critical gap was revealed: While many government and private programs exist to help veterans, they often operate in silos, leaving valuable resources underused.

“My hope is that Cover Down Fund can bring those local partners together and focus on the wellness of our veteran community,” Breuer said. “We want to turn private funding into real, tangible programs and services, while also assisting other veteran organizations doing the same work. Individual veterans will also be able to request grants for health and wellness based on available funding.”

The event will begin with a golf outing, with a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. at Trumbull Country Club, 600 Golf Drive NE.

The gala will feature hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, fireworks and an open bar. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Tickets for golf and the gala are $1,000 for four people. Tickets for the gala only are $125 per person.

Early registration is encouraged. Go to CoverDownFund.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Bicycle Tour Will Visit Two Wineries

MECCA TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Two Trumbull County wineries will be featured on the 52nd Northeast Ohio Century bicycle tour Sept. 14.

Riders from across northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania will assemble between 7 and 10 a.m. at the Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge, 6400 state Route 46, near Cortland, and cycle over mostly flat terrain.

The tour is sponsored by the Out-Spokin’ Wheelmen bicycling club.

A 10-mile route will have a stop at the Greene Eagle Winery, and a 26.5-mile route will have a stop at the Hartford Hills Winery.

There will also be two 50-mile ride options.

Lunch will be provided. The annual event is well-known for its all-you-can-eat homemade cookies.

Participants will cycle at their own pace over the marked, color-coded routes.

Helmets are required, and support vehicles will be available to assist riders until 5 p.m.

Preregistration is available at OutspokinWheelmen.com, or by mailing checks, payable to NEOC, to Out-Spokin’ Wheelmen, P.O. Box 1600, Youngstown, OH 44501.

The mail-in registration deadline is Sept. 10.

The cost is $30 for advance registration or $35 on the day of the ride.

For information, call Lori Swan at 330 550 3621.