YSU Summer Festival of the Arts marks 20 years

Art, music, comics, dance, food and much more are on tap July 5 to 8 as Youngstown State University and several other organizations across downtown celebrate summer with a variety of events, including the 20^th annual YSU Summer Festival of the Arts.
 

Events include:

• The 20th annual YSU Summer Festival of the Arts, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 7 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 8 on campus. The heart of the festival is the artists’ marketplace that showcases the work of more than 85 local, regional and national artists selling original, hand-crafted pieces such as jewelry, paintings, sketches, sculptures, glass, wood and textiles. The Festival also features dozens of music, theater and dance performances and the Festival of Nations, an ethnic festival welcoming more than 20 clubs and churches that provide ethnic memorabilia, performances and food. Free admission.
• The St. Nicholas Greek Summerfest, 220 N. Walnut St., includes music and dancing, Greek food and pastries, and a display of cultural memorabilia. Thursday, July 5, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, July 6 and 7, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, July 8, noon to 6 p.m. Take out lunch service is available Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.
• Youngstown Comic Con, Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8, at the Covelli Center. The event, presented by All American Cards & Comics, includes comics, art and cosplay. The convention includes more than 125 vendors, with guests Jim Steranko and Jim Shooter among others. Admission is $15 per day; tickets available at www.youngstowncomiccon.com or at the gate.
• The Fabulous Flashbacks, a classic rock band, reunion concert on stage near Central Square in downtown Youngstown, Friday, July 6. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets $12 in advance at the Covelli Centre Box Office and at Ticketmaster.com, or $15 at the gate. The Flashbacks rose to fame as a classic rock and roll band, performing during the 1980s and ‘90s in and around Youngstown.
• Youngstown Wine and Jazz, Saturday, July 7, near Central Square, downtown Youngstown, featuring Grammy Award-winning Jazz fusion keyboardist Jeff Lorber. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the stage on Boardman Street near the Central Square. Several wineries and breweries will attend. Tickets $10, available at the Covelli Centre Box Office, at www.ticketmaster.com or at the gate.

Other special events include: Opening ceremony, 10 a.m., Saturday, July 7 at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor (Steel Museum), where the rededication of the Sen. Harry Meshel Classroom will occur; 10:30 a.m., Sunday, July 8, a Youngstown MASS Mob will at St. Columba Cathedral; 11 a.m., Sunday, July 8, YSU’s Office of Alumni Engagement hosts Ladies’ Day Out at the Williamson College of Business Administration.

For more information on all events, visit www.youngstownlive.com, www.ysu.edu/sfa or email Lori Factor, Festival coordinator, at lafactor@ysu.edu.