YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Easy Street Productions will present its holiday song-and-dance revue, “Miracle on Easy Street,” for three performances in December at Powers Auditorium.

The perennial favorite will feature public performances at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 and 20 and at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Tickets range from $35 to $19 (plus fees) and can be purchased in advance at ExperienceYourArts.org or by calling the DeYor box office at 330 259 9651. Tickets will also be sold at the box office before each performance.

There will also be two performances for schools only.

Easy Street co-founders Maureen Collins and Todd Hancock will once again host the extravaganza, showcasing more than 100 singers, dancers and youth performers.

Featured performers will include Colleen Chance, Katy Collins, Candace Campana, Cortney MacKay, Natalie Kovacs and Finn O’Hara.

Under the direction of Don Yallech, the Easy Street Little Big Band will provide the music. The show features holiday classics with fresh and modern arrangements. Choreographer Megan Cleland will lead dancers from studios across the Valley in high-energy routines.

Fall Fire Fest in New Location on YSU Campus

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University’s Fall Fire Fest will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Becker Family Fountain commons on campus.

It’s a new location for the annual event, which previously took place across campus in the Stambaugh Stadium parking lots. 

The public is welcome to attend the free event.

Fire Fest, now in its 12th year, will kick off homecoming weekend. It will feature live music by local rock bands, a pep rally for the football team featuring the marching band and addresses by school officials.

Negative Zen will perform from 7-7:45 p.m., and Nineteenth Paradise will take the stage from 8-8:45 p.m. Negative Zen blends grunge and alternative rock, Nineteenth Paradise’s style is hard rock and punk. 

The pep rally will begin at 8:45 p.m., with speeches by student-athletes, the homecoming court and the school’s president, Bill Johnson.

For the first time, Fall Fest will include vendors from the Penguin City Brewing Night Market and student organization activities. Treats will be available for purchase from AVI Fresh. 

Parking will be available at the M-30 Wick parking deck ($5 cash only for those without parking passes) at 459 Wick Ave.

Ballet Western Reserve’s Nutty Night Out

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Ballet Western Reserve’s annual Nutty Night Out will take place from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at The Varsity Club, 131 W. Commerce St., downtown.

The event will raise funds for the ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker.” It will feature basket raffles, a 50/50 raffle, specialty drinks and live music by Mike Rich.

Prizes include tickets to “The Nutcracker,” wine and spirit baskets and gift cards. “The Nutcracker” will be produced Dec. 6-7 at Powers auditorium.

It will feature more than 100 local students and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. 

WaterFire Sharon Will No Longer Take Place

SHARON, Pa. – WaterFire Sharon, the annual festival that took place downtown since 2013, has come to a permanent end, according to a post on its Facebook page.

WaterFire was launched in Providence, R.I., and takes place in multiple cities worldwide. Sharon’s was always the smallest of the sites.

It was a success from its first year, when it attracted over 15,000 people. The festival took place twice or three times each summer in later years and attracted more than a half-million visitors.

“However, after 29 successful, and free, events in downtown Sharon, the group has decided it’s time for something new to replace it,” the Facebook post reads.

The event relied on up to 200 volunteers for each event and spurred economic growth through arts and culture.

Looking ahead, a new group has been formed to support further arts and culture initiatives in downtown Sharon. 

“As a fine artist, I’ve always supported WaterFire,” said Alane Jewel, board secretary of WaterFire Sharon and a small business owner. “Now I’m excited to see what’s next for our artist community as we celebrate each other’s art and create new events for downtown Sharon.”

To honor all those who made WaterFire a reality, a dinner for volunteers and financial supporters will take place Dec. 18. Anyone who had registered as a volunteer or made financial donations is asked to RSVP to Karen Anderson about the event. Contact her by email at kanderson@waterfiresharonpa.org.

YSU Jazz Ensemble in Free Concert

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The YSU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Kent J. Engelhardt, will perform at 7:30 p.m. today in Ford Theater, lower level of Bliss Hall. Admission is free.

The concert will open with “Now’s The Time” by Charlie Parker, as arranged by Dave Morgan, as a tribute to longtime WYSU jazz radio host and YSU history professor Martin Berger. 

A tribute to Chuck Mangione, one of the initiators of the YSU Jazz Scholarship known as the Tony Leonardi Jazz Scholarship, will follow with “Feels So Good” and “Land of Make Believe.” Elizabeth Jadue will sing vocals for the Mangione compositions. 

Joy of Christmas Seeks Gingerbread Houses

COLUMBIANA, Ohio – The Joy of Christmas light show is seeking community involvement for its gingerbread house display.

The show will take place on select nights from Nov. 20 to Dec. 28 at Firestone Park.

Groups and residents are asked to create “Candy Land”-themed gingerbread displays. The houses  can be crafted by children, families, businesses or organizations, including professional bakeries/chefs, and take the shape of homes, scenes, storefronts and more:

  • Each display must be listed by individual, family or business name.
  • The gingerbread display must be on a base no larger than 12 inches by 24 inches.
  • Registration is required by Nov. 7 ($5).
  • Houses and business cards, or signage, must be brought to the Gingerbread House (Spruce Tunnel Pavilion near Funland) between 2-5 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18.
  • The base and gingerbread house will be disposed of after the season unless it is picked up from 2-4 p.m. Dec. 29.

Pictured at top: The toy soldier scene from “Miracle on Easy Street.”