COLUMBUS, Ohio – Youngstown native James Harker, the leader of the Columbus-based rock band Spirit of the Bear, is battling cancer.
“I’ve started a full treatment course of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia this week,” Harker posted on Facebook Sunday.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay for his expenses.
“We’re totally overwhelmed by the support and already have exceeded the goals of the campaign,” Harker posted, but donations are still being accepted for “[medical] bills, expenses, food, you name it.”
As of this morning, $24,704 has been raised, surpassing the goal of $15,000. To donate, HERE.
Harker has been sick for over a year and finally received a diagnosis last week. In addition to leukemia, he is also afflicted by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, an immune system disorder.
Spirit of the Bear will be on hiatus for several months as he completes his treatment. The band played West Side Bowl in Youngstown in November.
“Thanks again for so much love and support, everyone,” Harker posted. “Hoping to get this life back on track finally after a long, long year.”
Harker is the singer, guitarist and songwriter of Spirit of the Bear, which was formed in Youngstown in 2014. The other members of the band are Jamie Vitullo, Ethan Schwendeman and Danny Svenson.
Oakland Sets Auditions for ‘Beauty and the Beast’
WARREN, Ohio – Auditions for The Oakland Center for the Arts Kids First theater program’s production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the theater’s new home, the First United Church of Christ building, 280 E. Market St.
The musical will be performed at Harding High School at the end of February.
Children ages 8 to 19 are needed, especially high school-age boys for the lead roles. Auditionees should be prepared to sing in the Broadway style, or a number from the show.
A rehearsal schedule will be developed after the show is cast. Rehearsals will take place at the church. For information, email oaklandcenter@gmail.com or call 330 406 0606. There is no charge to appear in the show.
The congregation is closing in the second half of this year. It sold the building to The Oakland for $1 in December.
The Oakland will begin presenting plays in the former church building later this year, once the congregation has moved out.
The auditions and rehearsals will mark The Oakland’s first usage of the church building.
The youth theater company also will present “The Lion King” and “Mean Girls” this year. Children who participate in “Beauty and the Beast” will be given special consideration for parts in the productions that follow.
The Oakland’s Kids First program is accepting applicants for its youth board of directors, who will help decide each season’s lineup and learn every position at a theater. One graduating senior board member will receive a scholarship from the David El’Hatton scholarship spaghetti dinner every year. Those interested should email oaklandcenter@gmail.com. Board seats are open to students ages 12 to 18.
Davis YMCA Seeks Entries for Art Show, Sale
BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Davis Family YMCA on McClurg Road has retired its FIVE Squared art show and sale fundraiser.
Instead, it will replace it with FS/PS, aka Postscript, which will make its debut Feb. 2.
PostScript is open to artists in the Mahoning Valley and beyond.
There are three ways to participate:
- Artists of any age and living anywhere can donate one piece of original art, 4 inches by 6 inches. No need to frame or mat, but heavier pieces will need a sawtooth or wire for hanging. Art will be priced individually, hung together and sold throughout the show. Proceeds benefit The Y’s ARTreach program.
- Any adult artist may enter two larger pieces into a juried show. Pieces must conform with size/weight specifications listed on the prospectus and be framed and wired for hanging. The entry fee is $20 plus one donated 4-inch-by-6-inch piece of art.
- Any adult artist may enter two larger pieces into the juried show. Pieces must conform with size/weight specifications and be framed and wired for hanging. The entry fee for one to two pieces will be $25 (no smaller donation necessary).
Art intake for the juried show is 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 24 and 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 25 at the YMCA, 45 McClurg Road. Donations of art may be dropped off through the end of January.
PostScript will be judged by a professional, and cash prizes will be awarded.
For more information, email Suzanne Gray at sgray@youngstownymca.org or visit the Arts & Humanities Gallery at the YMCA website.
Program to Teach Students the Business of Art
NEW CASTLE, Pa. – Arts + Education at The Hoyt wants to make business skills stick through KickstART, a free entrepreneurial program for high school students.
The 10-week program teaches young creatives how to cash in on their artistic skills through the design, marketing and sale of stickers. They will also gain a basic understanding of how to run a business.
“Artists are so often focused on creating their art that they don’t learn how to price, promote or package their product to sell it at a fair price,” said Kimberly Koller-Jones, executive director of The Hoyt. “This program is designed to teach teens how to think of their art as a business, whether they just want to make some extra cash with their talent or are someday thinking of running their own business.”
Prior to coming to The Hoyt, Koller-Jones ran her own art business, Artistic Attitudes, a partnership with her mother that provided murals, faux finishes and other artistic services for residential and commercial clients. She later painted portraits to stave off mounting medical bills after her first husband was diagnosed with cancer.
“Like most artists, I undervalued my work but learned over time how to price my time, negotiate contracts and promote it to the extent that it made a difference,” she said. “If we can shortcut that learning curve for young people, perhaps we can contribute to their future livelihood, as well.”
Classes will meet in The Hoyt’s Digital Media Lab on Wednesdays, Jan. 22-March 26. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Snacks will be available, and instruction will run from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Though the program is free, space is limited and advance registration is required online HERE. The eadline to register is Jan. 18.
Open House for Younger Students at Art School
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Students Motivated by the Arts (Smarts) will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 (snow date: Jan. 25) for children ages 18 months to 5 years old and their families.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
At the celebration, children and their accompanying adults will team up to explore four exciting stations: visual art, music, dance and theater. Each activity is designed to spark creativity and connection between children and their parents, helping them work together to learn, play and create. Families will play an active role in every station, supporting their child’s creativity and modeling curiosity and imagination.
This fun-filled afternoon will help these young minds discover the joy of the arts.
To learn more and register for classes, go to SMARTSArtSchool.org.
Film About McGuffey to be Screened
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – “William Holmes McGuffey (1800-1873), America’s Schoolmaster & Author of the Eclectic Readers,” a professionally produced documentary, will be screened at 10 a.m. Jan. 18 in the meeting room of Denny’s Restaurant, 4020 Belmont Ave.
Local historian and author Richard S. Scarsella of the McGuffey Historical Society will be the narrator.
Admission is $15 ($10 for nonmembers), which includes refreshments and live entertainment. A 50/50 raffle will be held to benefit the society’s education mission. Reservations are suggested. Walk-ins will be admitted, based upon limited seat availability. A membership drive is underway.
For information, call 330 726 8277.
Scarsella was recently elected the Mahoning County recorder and serves on the governing boards of the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio, Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, Mahoning County Regional Council of Governments and the Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District.
Lecture on Youngstown Physicians at the Tyler
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Cassie Nespor, curator of the Melnick Medical Museum, will give a lecture on “Caring for the Sick: Youngstown Physicians, Nurses and Hospitals, 1910-1920” at noon Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown.
Measles, scarlet fever, pneumonia, influenza and tuberculosis were some of the challenges facing local health care workers in the early part of the 20th century.
Nespor will discuss the modernization of the two hospitals in Youngstown and the home care provided by doctors and nurses in the city. Her presentation will also include a summary of Base Hospital 31, which operated in eastern France during World War I and was funded and staffed by people from Youngstown.
The lecture will take place in the Thomas Ballroom, and guests can bring their lunch.
Monday Night Writers Group to Meet
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – The next meeting of Monday Night Writers will take place at 5 p.m. Jan. 20 at Leana’s Books and More, 4317 Kirk Road, Austintown. Area writers, both published and unpublished, are invited to attend.
Led by author Nancy Christie, the meetings offer an opportunity for writers to get group feedback on works-in-progress.
For information, contact Christie at nancy@nancychristie.com.
Pictured at top: James Harker, a Youngstown native and founding member of Spirit of the Bear, is battling leukemia.