CANFIELD, Ohio – Dinosaur Adventure, a nationally touring family event, will come to the Michael Kusalaba Event Center at the Canfield Fairgrounds for one weekend only, Sept. 26-27.
The experience features life-size animatronic dinosaurs, hands-on fossil digs, themed obstacle courses, dinosaur rides and interactive raptor training sessions designed for young children.
General admission tickets are $25 for adults and $35 for children. The Child Adventure Pass includes unlimited access to most children’s activities, including dinosaur rides, themed bounce houses, Jurassic scooters, fossil digs, the coloring station and live entertainment. Optional extras include face painting, gemstone mining, green-screen photos and souvenir packs. VIP experiences are also available.
Complete ticket details are available online. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. A sensory-friendly Sunday access will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Tickets Available for Doris Kearns Goodwin
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Tickets are available to a lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Goodwin was awarded with a Pulitzer Prize in history for her book “No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.”
In Spring 2024, Goodwin’s eighth book, “An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s,” became a New York Times bestseller.
With her specialized knowledge on presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, as well as the Kennedy family, Goodwin has been a go-to consultant for decades and has been interviewed for Ken Burns’ “Baseball” and “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.” She has also worked with Laski’s Pastime Productions on the documentary miniseries “Washington” for the History Channel.
The lecture is part of Youngstown State University’s Skeggs Lecture Series.
Admission is free, but tickets are required and can be obtained at the Stambaugh Auditorium box office or online at the Stambaugh Auditorium website.
Author Creates Midlife Moxie Day
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – Is it ever too late for a woman to dream a new dream, find a new goal or reinvent herself?
Award-winning author Nancy Christie doesn’t think so, and that was the impetus for her to develop her Midlife Moxie Novel Series and create “Midlife Moxie” Day, taking place annually on Sept. 25.
“You can develop moxie at any age and at any stage of life, but it’s most needed when you’re at midlife and you’re asking yourself: ‘What now? Who can I be now? What do I want to do with the rest of my life?’ Those can be scary questions,” Christie said. “Sometimes you don’t even know what the questions should be. Yet deep inside, you realize you want something more: be someone else besides the person you’ve been, do something else besides what you’ve been doing thus far. And that means finding your moxie and using it as you explore different options.”
A self-described poster child for midlife reinvention – “My first book, “The Gifts of Change,” was published when I turned 50 and marked my entry into being an author,” she said. Christie had already published three nonfiction books and two short story collections when she decided to broaden her writing career to include novels. She released the award-winning “Reinventing Rita” in 2023 – “with more than a little trepidation,” she adds wryly – and the enthusiastic response from readers and reviewers encouraged her to keep going.
She followed that novel with three more – “Finding Fran” in 2024, “Moving Maggie” in 2025 and “Transforming Tessa” in 2026 – and all four books have met with positive feedback from readers and reviewers.
Through the creation of “Midlife Moxie” Day, Christie hopes that those women already on their midlife reinvention path will keep moving ahead, while those who have yet to take their first steps will be encouraged to see what new goals and plans they can discover.
Christie is holding a special “Midlife Moxie” Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Books A Go Go, 220 W. Main St., Ravenna. The event will include a drawing for a $25 store gift certificate, giveaways and refreshments.
Trumbull Historical Society Oktoberfest
WARREN, Ohio – Trumbull County Historical Society’s 11th annual Oktoberfest will return from 4-8 p.m. Sept. 26. It will take place at a new location – 7 17 Credit Union Field at Eastwood.
Attendees can expect beer from 10 regional breweries, German-inspired food, grape stomping, face painting, a stein hoist contest and German music from the Youngstown Saxton Band. Adult tickets are $30 and include a meal and two alcoholic drink tickets; Young Adult tickets (ages 12-20) are $15 and include a meal ticket and two soft drink tickets. Children under 12 will be admitted free.
Tickets can be purchased online.
Presidential Author Coming to McKinley Museum
NILES, Ohio – A national road trip presentation on presidential history, led by author Bill Clevlen, will come to the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Museum, 40 N. Main St., on Saturday, Sept. 26.
The event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Admission is free.
Clevlen will share stories and behind-the-scenes discoveries from his newest book, “Presidential Road Trips.”
Niles holds a unique place in American presidential history as the birthplace of William McKinley, who was born there in 1843. Today, visitors can experience that history at the National McKinley Birthplace Museum and the nearby McKinley Birthplace Home.
Clevlen’s presentation includes everything from George Washington’s birthplace to presidential homes, libraries, museums and other unexpected historic sites.
The St. Louis-based journalist and broadcaster is the author of eight travel-themed books. His weekly “Bill On The Road” travel reports are also heard nationally on the syndicated radio program America at Night, which airs on more than 300 radio stations across the country.
Mahoning Valley Books Bazaar Scheduled
BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Mahoning Valley Books Bazaar will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Holiday Inn, 7410 South Ave. The event will feature more than 70 authors, bookstores, publishers and other book-related vendors.
Tickets can be purchased at MVBookBazaar.com or at POP! Art Books Culture, 6949 Market St., Boardman.
The event brings together independent bookstores, creators, small presses and passionate readers for a one-day book marketplace.
Red Mass for Legal Profession at St. Columba
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Most Rev. David J. Bonnar, bishop of Youngstown, will preside at the annual Red Mass at 12:10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Saint Columba Cathedral.
A luncheon and program will follow at Saint Columba Hall. The annual event is for all men and women involved in legal and judicial professions in the six counties of the Diocese of Youngstown and is sponsored by the Thomas More Society.
The cost of the luncheon is $30, and registration is required. Checks should be made payable to the Diocese of Youngstown and note any special dietary needs. For additional information and to RSVP, contact Mary Fioramonti at 330 744 8451, ext. 225.
Pictured at top: A scene from Dinosaur Adventure, which will come to the Canfield Fairgrounds this weekend.