I had the opportunity this weekend to chat with two of my fellow Youngstown bloggers, which is always a good time. I had the honor of meeting Phil Kidd on Friday at Bean Counter's Jazz Festival (more on that event later). We spent a brief time discussing the future of Downtown and where he is going with the new Defend Youngstown shirts. I won't spoil it for him but he has some great designs coming out.
I also spent Saturday night at the Draught House talking with Pat Manning, otherwise known as Mighty Mahoning. This meeting was less by chance as we have been old North Side friends for years, both spent time at St. Ed's and have diplomas from The Academy (known to most as Ursuline). Pat is actually getting ready to move back to Youngstown after a few years in the burbs of Cleveland.
In general, it is great to talk to people who share the same vision for Youngstown that you have. Personally, it makes me appreciate what a few people can do. When I started this blog in 2004, I was I believe the first person to regularly blog about Youngstown and now there are at least a dozen solid Youngstown blogs focused on its history and redevelopment.
Anyway, if you had the opportunity to make it downtown last night (Friday), you were in for quite a treat at the Bean Counter's Jazz Festival and wine tasting. I arrived late and missed the wine tasting but was able to hang out with hundreds of people enjoying great music, wine and beer. The music was a mix of classic jazz with soul and even classic rock. A cover of The Ohio Player's Fire was a personal favorite.
After chatting with Phil, we both remarked how great Downtown is for events like this. The wide open spaces and ample parking make it very conducive for gathering large groups of people together. The success of this event and others such as Party on the Plaza is a testament to that. If you are able to, I encourage you to make it down for next year's event. I will be sure to get some advanced notice out there on this and other Downtown events in the future.
2 comments:
Joe,
Good seeing you over the weekend. Have a safe trip back to DC- we'll do the "interview" soon.
Likewise, Joe. Great to finally put a face with the blog. The Lowery Clan are great defenders of Youngstown, for certain. Please give me a heads up next time you plan to return to the homeland. We'll have a few brews at my new place on the North Side.
Post a Comment