The Update | ‘Wine with Patsy Cline’ at Stage Left; The Vindys at Mr. Anthony’s

LISBON, Ohio – Stage Left Players will present “Wine with Patsy Cline and Friends,” featuring Niki Slaven-Rettig, from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3.

Slaven-Rettig will sing the country music legend’s songs, including “Crazy,” “Always,” “Why Can’t He Be You?” and “I Fall to Pieces.” Her backup trio of Tyler Stouffer, Brady Duncan and Jacob Ward will add their voices to “Love Letters in the Sand,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.”

A piano-drum duo of Jodine Pilmer and Stephen Ley will accompany the vocalists.

Admission is $20 per person and includes a glass of wine, appetizers and a Patsy bingo card with chances to win bottles of wine, show tickets or the grand prize of a couples massage at Just Breathe Studio in Lisbon.

Reservations can be made HERE or by emailing [email protected]. The theater is at 234 E. Lincoln Way.

The Vindys at Rock the Rich Center

BOARDMAN, Ohio – The Rich Center for Autism will present Rock the Rich Center on Jan. 27 at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center, featuring a performance by The Vindys.

The evening will also include a silent auction that includes memorabilia from high-profile athletes, actors and musicians.

Items open for bidding include a Kansas City Chiefs jersey autographed by star tight end Travis Kelce, a drumhead signed by Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, a CD autographed by Taylor Swift, a helmet signed by Bernie Kosar and a chance to party with golfer John Daly.

Other items include designer handbags, jewelry, clothing, home goods, cigars and bourbons.

“One of my favorite items is the Louis Vuitton key pouch,” said Jake Ellis, event coordinator. “It comes with a mystery cash prize inside. Only the winning bidder will find out just how much cash is in there, but I can tell you it’s over $500.”

Although ticket sales to attend the event are almost closed, bidding can be done online by creating an account at rocktherichcenter.com. Donations can also be made at the site.

Charity Basketball Game at Hubbard High

HUBBARD, Ohio – Shoot for a Change, a charity basketball game featuring student-athletes from Hubbard and Potential Development high schools, will take place at Hubbard High School, 350 Hall Ave., at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3.

Tickets, available at the door, are $7 for adults, $5 for students and free for children under 5.

In its second year, Shoot for a Change is the brainchild of Hubbard junior Isabella Williams, whose cousin, Christoph Rhoads, is a student at Potential Development.

Originally designed to fulfill the project requirements for her Community and Career Exploration class, Williams decided to continue the event in 2024 due to wide community enthusiasm.

The event will include junior varsity and varsity basketball games. During intermission, senior athletes and pep club students and families will participate in Potential Development Senior Night. A basket raffle, 50/50 raffle and concession and T-shirt sales will complete the evening. All proceeds will benefit Potential Development.

Hubbard High cheerleaders and Potential Development Pep Club will also participate.

Potential Development is a pre-K through 12th grade school for students with autism.

Grove City Orchestra Earns Award

GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Grove City College Symphony Orchestra captured third place in its division for Orchestral Performance at the 2023 American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts. 

The college’s orchestra is made up of approximately 80 students from all majors and conducted by Jeffrey Tedford, professor and chair of the Department of Music. 

The ensemble earned its award for performances recorded during spring 2022. Included in those recordings were: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, movement 1, “Danse Bacchanale” from Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah and Elmer Bernstein’s “The Magnificent Seven” symphonic suite.  

The GCC Symphony Orchestra is the largest orchestra on campus and performs classical, modern and new works. It competed in the College/University Smaller Program division for the 2023 calendar year, which required submission in late 2022.

Experimental Drawing Exhibit at Westminster

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Westminster College’s Foster Art Gallery is hosting a drawing exhibition, “Other-Worldly,” which presents experimental, traditional and multimedia drawings that explore how the mystical and spiritual can be captured within art. The exhibition runs through March 1.

Curated by Westminster art faculty member Paige Stewart, this national exhibition features the works of nine artists from seven states.

Artists featured include Lisa Devore of Virginia; Ronald Gonzalez, Miriam Kurman and Gary Sczerbaniewicz of New York; Susanna Herrmann of Utah; Liza Lynch of Massachusetts; Ellen Petruzzella of Ohio; Leeann Rae of Florida; and Rachel Ryan of Connecticut.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The Foster Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m.- to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Drawing with Light Workshop at Campus

SHARON, Pa. – Penn State Shenango will present “Drawing with Light: Creating Community with Movement, Light, & Time,” an artmaking workshop featuring 2023-24 Penn State laureate Lori Hepner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, in the campus auditorium, 147 Shenango Ave.

Hepner, a professor of integrative arts at Penn State Greater Allegheny, will lead a hands-on workshop where everyone is invited to “draw with light” using programmable LED light devices, including wearable LEDs and a 6-inch-tall light stick, to visualize movements in real-time projections.

The movement- and light-based digital artmaking requires no prior skills in either visual art or technology. It is intended to bring communities together to create imagery collaboratively that will be used by Hepner in public art displays across Penn State campuses.

Hepner’s “Drawing with Light” practice was featured in the 2018 WQED documentary “Visible.”

The “Drawing with Light Workshop” is a drop-in style event that is free and open to the public.

Lit Youngstown Winter Gala at Concept Studio

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lit Youngstown’s second annual Winter Gala will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, at Concept Studio, 217 W. Federal St. 

The event will feature readings by Eric Alleman and Nikki Robinson, music by Susan Wojnar and Tom Mechling, a costume contest and light refreshments.

Alleman is a writer and artist who enjoys writing and making art. Robinson is author of the poetry collection “Without a Field Guide” (Unbound Edition Press).

For information, go to LitYoungstown.org.

Exhibition of Cut Paper Hearts at Hospital

NEW CASTLE, Pa. – An exhibition of hand-cut paper hearts by Pittsburgh-based artist Tiffany Budzisz is on display at UPMC Jameson hospital through April 18. The show is presented by The Hoyt.

Budzisz’s “Hearts & Healing” series features several small, dimensional anatomical hearts dressed with different combinations of greenery and flowers to symbolize love, growth and renewal. 

The paper sculptures are formed by layers and layers of intricately hand-cut papers supported by foam. The layers add not only depth but shadows that change with the moving sun over the course of the day.

A public reception will take place at UPMC Jameson from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 1. Admission is free. The show is part of the hospital’s programming for American Heart Month.

Holocaust Writing, Art Contest Seeks Entries

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation is inviting students in grades seven through 12 in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties and western Pennsylvania to enter its annual Holocaust writing, art and multimedia contest.

The contest is in conjunction with Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), an internationally recognized day set aside for remembering all victims of the Holocaust and for reminding society of what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred and indifference reign. This year, it will be commemorated May 6.

The theme for the 2024 contest is “Righteous Among the Nations,” an official title awarded by Yad Vashem, the world Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, Israel, to courageous non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Contest submissions must relate to the people who rescued Jews in Nazi Germany and Europe, focusing on the years 1933 to 1941. Topics may include, but are not limited to, how the righteous can serve as role models for future generations, how their acts of great humanity were carried out in the most dire and difficult circumstances and what dilemmas they faced.

Contest guidelines are available HERE. The entry deadline is April 12. Submit submissions via email to Nancy Sentelik at [email protected].

Presentation of contest awards will be made during the Yom Hashoah Community Commemoration at noon May 7 at the Mahoning County Courthouse.

Pictured at top: Niki Slaven-Rettig as Patsy Cline in Stage Left Players’ upcoming fundraiser event.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.