Weekend Entertainment | Head Downtown for Italian Fest, Rick Springfield Concert

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Greater Youngstown Italian Fest returns this weekend.

So does pop rocker Rick Springfield, with the great Steve Miller Band on his heels.

Central Square and several blocks of West Federal Street, downtown, are already closed for the annual Italian festival, which will take place Friday (11 a.m. to 11 p.m.), Saturday (1 to 11 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 11 p.m.). Admission is $5 (free for children under 12).

The food vendors will be open today for lunch. Downtown office workers should feel free to stroll over for a slice of pizza appetizer, then a stuffed pepper sandwich and a bowl of pasta, and finally some ice cream and cookies for dessert. And then head back to the office for a nice long nap.

Party rock band RDNA will perform from 9 to 11 p.m. Friday. For a complete look at the entertainment schedule, click HERE.

Rick Springfield released his hit song “Jessie’s Girl” in 1980. But like the pop star himself, it hasn’t aged a day.

Springfield will return to Youngstown on Friday night to headline an all-1980s concert at The Amp.

In “Jessie’s Girl,” Springfield started with one of the most instantly recognizable intro riffs of all time and then spun it into a pop masterpiece. The real secret of the song, however, lies in the way the protagonist tortures himself by wondering what Jessie and his girl might be up to right now: “She’s loving him with that body, I just know it.”

Ouch.

Also on the lineup are The Hooters (“And We Danced”), Paul Young (“Everytime You Go Away”) and Tommy Tutone (“Jenny”).

For tickets, click HERE.

The Steve Miller Band will also return to Youngstown on Wednesday, Aug. 9, for a concert at The Amp.

Steve Miller was no one-hit wonder. He wasn’t even a two- or three-hit wonder. No, Miller cranked out a torrent of the coolest radio hits in the ’70s and ’80s, and they never quite left the airwaves.

For tickets, click HERE.

Here are some other things to do this weekend.

Columbiana County Fair: The annual agricultural celebration in Lisbon continues every day through Sunday, with the famed Combine Demolition Derby taking place at 1 p.m. Sunday. For information, click HERE.

Grassfire: This outstanding two-day festival of bluegrass and jamgrass bands will take place Friday and Saturday at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. Headliners include Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Yonder Mountain String Band, Warren native and Nashville steel guitar and dobro legend Jerry Douglas and many more. For info and tickets, click HERE.

Wings-N-Wheels: This family friendly annual show pairs historic and vintage aircraft with a car show. It takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna. Guests can get a ride on a B-25, but you have to have paid reservations. Click HERE.

The List: There is a lot more going on this weekend, including the St. Patrick’s Church Festival in Hubbard, a tribute band concert at the Warren Community Amphitheatre, Scrappers games and live theater, including “The Spongebob Musical” and “Oklahoma!” For a complete overview, check out The List.

Pictured at top: The Greater Youngstown Italian Fest runs this Friday through Sunday downtown.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.