SHARON, Pa. – Ryan Stevenson, a Dove Award-winning contemporary Christian music artist, will perform a free concert on the green at State Street and Shenango Avenue, downtown, at 7 p.m. Friday, July 11.

Stevenson is best known for his hits “Eye of the Storm” and “No Matter What,” blending pop and rock with personal, uplifting lyrics. 

In case of rain, the concert will be moved to  Covenant Church at 263 E. State St.

The family event will also include giant board games from ICG Hobbies and Games, interactive activities hosted by HopeCAT and the Community Action Partnership of Mercer County, and free face painting and cornhole from Communities Connect.

Waterfire Sharon will create a summer vibe with s’mores and a bonfire. Food and drink options will include Golden Tiger Tea and Coffee from Gifted at Applegate, the Haitian Sensation Food Truck, sweet treats from Allie’s Sweet Tooth and beer and cocktails from The Block for those age 21 and older.

Attendees should bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Memorial Service for Maple Turner III

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A memorial service for Maple Turner III will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at the Knox Building, 110 W. Federal St., downtown.
The internationally respected artist from Youngstown died in November at age 71.

The event will take place on the third floor; guests must enter through The Federal restaurant.

Turner’s artwork will be on display.

Turner’s sisters have announced plans to open a nonprofit children’s art studio in the artist’s name.

Turner graduated from East High School in 1973 and spent 11 years working at Youngstown Sheet and Tube as a pipe inspector. When the mills closed, he eventually went to college to study art and theater, earning a degree from Youngstown State University in 1999. He then became the first YSU student to be accepted at Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Turner earned his master’s degree from the prestigious New York Institute. He moved to Paris in 2000 where he continued his studies and returned to New York in 2003. He later returned to Paris.

His career was prolific, producing 195,000 pieces of art and exhibiting throughout the United States, Paris and elsewhere. After returning to Youngstown to care for his ailing mother, Turner continued to create and share his work.

Louis A. Zona, executive director of The Butler Institute of American Art, has called Turner, “a rare talent who seems capable of doing most anything within the art realm.”

In the past 18 months, Turner’s work has been shown at The Butler and the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Tyler History Center.

Some of his most famous art was of the Gilded Age homes, carriages and residents of Youngstown’s Wick Avenue and Crandall Park neighborhoods. 

Forty10 Restaurant to Close After Eight Years 

CANFIELD, Ohio – Forty10 Bar & Grille, 4010 Boardman-Canfield Road, will close, citing a road construction project for diminished business.

Its final day will be Aug. 3, according to a Facebook post by the Mackos family, which owns the restaurant.

The restaurant had been open for eight years.

In their Facebook post, the Mackos family wrote, “We’ve seen a decrease in sales over the last year, but this current bridge construction has plummeted our sales and has left us out of options.”

The work has reduced traffic to one lane in each direction near the restaurant’s entrance.

Those who have gift cards to the restaurant must use them before it closes.

“We hope to see you all and get a chance to say goodbye,” the family wrote in its post.

Mancini, Pavlik to Manage Celebrity Softball Teams 

NILES, Ohio – Boxing champions Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik will be managers for the teams in the inaugural Rallying for Robert celebrity softball game at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at Eastwood Field.

The event will raise funds to support the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, which are dedicated to raising awareness and support for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Presented by the Eastwood Mall Complex, the event is named after Robert Lucarell, a Brookfield resident who has battled Crohn’s disease since 2018. Lucarell has endured several hospitalizations and surgeries yet remains a beacon of hope, now leading efforts to shine a light on Crohn’s and Colitis in the Mahoning Valley.

The teams will feature local celebrities, community leaders and IBD patients.

“Having Kelly and Ray volunteer their time to be part of this event shows that anything is possible,” Lucarell said. “Even if you suffer from something like Crohn’s disease, you should never give up on your dreams.”

Those who buy tickets will be able to stay at the stadium to watch that evening’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers game against State College, which starts at 7:05 p.m.

The evening will also include a performance by Youngstown-based band Potentia.

Tickets are $35 ($25 for children 14 and under), and include a commemorative T-shirt featuring Mancini and Pavlik and a voucher for a hot dog, soft drink and chips. Go to MVScrappers.com or the box office. 

Trumbull Canoe Trails to Celebrate Anniversary 

LOWELLVILLE, Ohio – Trumbull Canoe Trails will celebrate its 50th anniversary during a July 20 gathering at Lowellville Waterfront Park.

The observance will begin at 11 a.m. at the park, which has a Mahoning River boat launch at the west end of Water Street.

The event will feature the club’s annual picnic and a canoe and kayak trip from Struthers to the Lowellville launch.

Trumbull Canoe Trails was founded in 1975 as a concerned citizens’ group interested in promoting canoeing on the Mahoning River and other Trumbull County waters.

TCT was instrumental in establishing Trumbull Canoe Park, now known as Foster MetroPark, which has a boat launch into the river at Pricetown.

A major long-term canoe club effort was the establishment of the 23-mile Mahoning River Water Trail. This state-designated water trail runs from Foster MetroPark to Packard Park in Warren.

The club erected mile-marker signs along the river and danger signs alerting paddlers to river hazards. It also donated money toward installation of the boat launch ramp at Thomas A. Swift MetroPark in Braceville.

In recent years, removal of dams in Lowellville, Struthers and Warren have been major steps toward the club’s goal of making the Mahoning River a safe and accessible recreational waterway.

Today, TCT organizes canoe and kayak trips on creeks, rivers and lakes throughout northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania from early spring to late fall.

For more information, contact Mike Danko, TCT president, at 330 766 3129 or tctnewsletter@gmail.com.

Pictured at top: Ryan Stevenson will perform in Sharon on Friday.