YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The First Fridays celebration on May 1 will have a Cinco de Mayo theme.
The free event will take place along Phelps Street and other locations downtown from 5-8 p.m.
It will include vendors, food trucks, a community art mural by Gaby Fernandez in progress, a kids fun zone, pop-up skate park, art activities and live music with Romero Norteno at Twisted Roots and Seasons of Swing at Penguin City.
Downtown bars and restaurants will offer specials.
Wrestling Show Coming to 717 Field
NILES, Ohio – Northeast Wrestling and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers will present Wrestling Under the Stars at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11.
The lineup of wrestlers will include The Hardyz, Mickie James, JBL, WWE Hall of Famers Lex Luger and Ron Simmons, Northeast Wrestling Champion Matt Taven, Matt Riddle and Davey Boy Smith Jr. More will be announced.
Tickets start at $20 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at MVScrappers.com or by phone at 330 505 0000. A limited number of field seats and VIP packages are available. A limited number of suites are available for the event for $510 (includes 12 tickets and three parking passes.
There will be a special fan meet and greet for all in attendance prior to the event. Fans will have the opportunity to take pictures and get autographs from the superstars for an additional charge. For meet and greet preorders, go to NortheastWrestling.com.
Free Comic Book Day Is Saturday
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Free Comic Book Day will take place Saturday, May 2.
Several Mahoning Valley shops are taking part, including All American Comics in Warren and Boardman, Liberty Comics in Austintown, Bennie’s Comics and Cards in Sharon, Pa., and Dawson’s Geek Comics in Hermitage, Pa.
Each shop will have up to 24 new comic books to give away during regular store hours.
Free Comic Book Day is a national event that aims attention at comic books and the stores that sell them. Titles from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, Image and other makers will be available.
Mini Artists Show at the JCC
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The ELC and JCare Mini Artists Show will take place May 5-29 in the gallery at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, 505 Gypsy Lane. A milk and cookie reception will take place from 4-6 p.m. May 6.
The exhibit will feature artwork created by students in the Early Learning Center at the JCC and the JCare afterschool program.
Historian, Novelist Will Speak at Event
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Valley historian Ben Lariccia and Cleveland novelist Abby Vandiver will be the guests at Lit Youngstown’s reader series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave.
The reading will take place on the main stage, which is fully accessible. An open-mic session will follow, and ASL interpretation will be provided.
Lariccia is a native of Youngstown who taught for 30 years in Philadelphia schools. With co-author Joe Tucciarone, he has written two studies on early Italian immigration: “Coal War in the Mahoning Valley: The Origin of Greater Youngstown’s Italians” and “Italians Swindled to New York: False Promises at the Dawn of Immigration.”
Vandiver, who also writes as Abby Collette, is an internationally best-selling author who has had success in both self-publishing and traditional publishing. She has penned more than 30 books and short stories. A former lawyer and visiting college professor of economics, she lives in South Euclid.
Zip Line Park Opens This Weekend
GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ohio – Lake Erie Canopy Tours will open its 2026 season on Friday, May 1, with daily golf cart rentals, e-bike rentals and e-scooter rentals, along with half-zip line tours and adventure courses Thursdays through Mondays. Kids Adventure Course tours will be open on Saturdays and Sundays starting May 2.
All Lake Erie Canopy Tours attractions are open for the season beginning May 29:
- Dusk and night half-zip line tours every Saturday from May 30 through Oct. 31.
- Full-zip line tours.
- Half-zip line tour and combo packages.
- Double zip.
- Adventure course.
- Kids Landlubber’s Adventure Course.
- Golf cart, e-bike and e-scooter rentals will run daily through Nov. 1.
- Kayak rentals.
Reservations for 2026 Lake Erie Canopy Tours can be made online HERE.
Walk-ins are welcome and subject to availability with possible wait time.
Harry Potter Movie at the Robins Theatre
WARREN, Ohio – The Robins Theatre continues its Ohio Goes to the Movies series with a special screening of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” directed by Mahoning Valley native Chris Columbus, at 7 p.m. July 10.
This event is free, but a ticket is required for entry. Go to RobinsTheatre.com.
Columbus grew up in Champion, Ohio, and graduated from JFK High School in Warren. He helped bring the magic of Harry Potter to life as director of the first film in the series, introducing audiences to Hogwarts and launching a global phenomenon.
Ohio Goes to the Movies is a series that celebrates filmmakers with ties to Ohio, highlighting their work and connection to the region through special screenings at the Robins Theatre.
Cover Down Fund Awards Scholarships
WARREN, Ohio – The Cover Down Fund has announced the 2026 recipients of the Purple Heart Gary Guteilius Memorial Scholarship, while also inviting the community to take part in its fundraising event, the America 250 Golf and Celebration on July 2.
Established in 2022 by Herm Breuer during his tenure as commander of Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 606, the scholarship honors the legacy of Purple Heart recipient Gary Guteilius while investing in the future of local students. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $55,000 in scholarships to deserving students pursuing higher education.
Now administered by the Cover Down Fund Board, the scholarship recognizes academic achievement, community commitment and dedication to service – values that reflect both the spirit of the Purple Heart and the mission of the organization.
The 2026 scholarship recipients are:
- River Bryan, Niles McKinley, Youngstown State University.
- Emma Bundy, McDonald, Walsh University.
- Alexis Cornelius, Mathews, Kent State University.
- Olivia Hetson, Cardinal Mooney, University of Kentucky/Miami University.
- Ava Kuntz, McDonald, University of Akron.
- Margaux Malloy, Poland, Ohio University.
- Dante Marsco, Howland, The Ohio State University.
- Addison Odille, Warren JFK, La Roche University.
- Sierra Ryan, Niles McKinley, Florida Atlantic University.
- Ava Timko, Canfield, The Ohio State University.
- Daina Wagner, Warren Harding, Kent State University.
In its first year, the Cover Down Fund made a meaningful impact across the Mahoning Valley. It hosted a free performance of “Modern Warrior Live” at the Robins Theatre, provided more than $10,000 in food assistance to local veterans and continued hands-on service efforts like decorating veterans’ graves at Pineview Cemetery.
The America 250 Golf and Celebration will take place July 2 at Avalon at Squaw Creek.
It will include a day of golf and an evening celebration dinner party with live music by French Blue.
Participants can register as golfers, attend the evening celebration or provide support through sponsorship opportunities. Proceeds from the event directly fund scholarships, emergency assistance and wellness initiatives for veterans throughout the Valley.
Additional fundraising support will come from the ITAM 30 bocce tournament, scheduled for May 23-24.
Go to CoverDownFund.org.
Pictured at top: Romero Norteno.