The Update | City’s Christmas Tree Arrives; Hot Dog Shoppe Opens Boardman Location

YOUNGSTOWN – The city’s Christmas tree was transported downtown this morning and erected in its traditional place on Central Square by a crew of parks department workers.

The tree will be decorated in anticipation of the city’s annual holiday parade, light-up night and holiday market on Friday, Dec. 2.

Activities will begin at 4 p.m. on Central Square.

The parade will begin at 6 p.m. and run the length of Federal Street.

The holiday market will run from 4 to 8 p.m. on the Phelps Street walkway, with many vendors and unique gifts.

The lighting of the Christmas tree will take place after the parade, at approximately 7:15 p.m.

Hot Dog Shoppe Opens in Boardman

BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Hot Dog Shoppe of Warren has opened a second location at 154 Boardman Canfield Road, in a building that was formerly a Denny’s Restaurant.

The location is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

A longtime landmark on Warren’s west side, The Hot Dog Shoppe’s Boardman store offers hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders and sandwiches, french fries, chili, soups, mac and cheese, custard and milk shakes. It also has a dine-in area and a drive-thru window. It will soon offer online ordering at hotdogshoppe.com.

The Boardman location is the chain’s fourth. In addition to the original location in Boardman, the chain includes Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe in Girard, and East Liverpool Hot Dog Shoppe and Beanery.

Greg Vojnovic is president and CEO of Hot Dog Shop Holdings LLC.

Canfield High Presents ‘Play That Goes Wrong’

CANFIELD, Ohio – Canfield High School’s drama department will present “The Play that Goes Wrong” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17; 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Nov. 19; and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the school auditorium.

The previously scheduled performance on Friday, Nov. 18, has been canceled because the Canfield Cardinals football team has a playoff game that evening.

Tickets for the comedy “The Play that Goes Wrong” are $15 ($10 for students), cash only.

Ice Skating Rink at Boardman Commons Opens

BOARDMAN, Ohio – The ice-skating rink at Boardman Commons, at Southern Park Mall, has opened for the season and will remain open through Jan. 15.

The cost to skate is $12 for adults, $10 for children; guests can bring their own skates or rent for $4. Season passes will be available until Dec. 1 for $100. Skate rentals are not included in season pass.

There will be special events at the rink throughout the holiday season. Every Monday in December will be princess skate nights. From 6-8 p.m, with a purchase of a skate pass, guests can skate with their favorite princesses and superheroes.

Every Wednesday in December from 4-8 p.m., guests can enjoy free horse and carriage rides throughout The Commons.

For information, go to https://southernparkmall.com/events-news/event/2022/11/19/default-calendar/the-rink.

Alternative Gift Market at Westminster

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Students and faculty at Westminster College will present the 19th annual Alternative Gift Market, a nontraditional way for sharing meaningful gifts that make a positive impact.

The market, to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, in McKelvey Campus Center, gifts that inspires change through regional and international social service agencies. It is open to the public.

The Alternative Gift Market will showcase the research and service learning of Westminster students in Inquiry, Cultural Anthropology, Environmental Science and Broadcast Communications courses as they educate visitors and advocate for global and regional social and environmental causes.

Shoppers will learn about efforts to restore native lands in New Mexico, to reuse medical supplies in Bolivia, to provide clean water in South Sudan, to support indigenous female farmers in Nepal and to promote literacy in Ethiopia, among other causes. Some of the international organizations students are supporting include Nurturing Native Lands (United States), Mobility Matters (Congo), Water for South Sudan, Ethiopia Reads, Burma Humanitarian Mission (health care) and Haiti Education Foundation.

Visitors also can support regional environmental and special needs organizations, including by purchasing honey from the Westminster Bee Company. 

Westminster College’s market supports Alternative Gifts International (AGI)—a non-profit organization that inspires support for humanitarian and environmental causes—and represents service learning for its students.

Shoppers can make donations to specific organizations at a pay station at the Alternative Gift Market. Visitors can also support other causes from the more extensive catalog.

Sharon, Pa.-based restaurant Haitian Sensation will provide pastries and coffee. 

Pictured at top: Workers put up the Christmas tree on Central Square in downtown Youngstown this morning.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.