Community Calendar

YSU Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee presents the Hispanic Heritage Month Opening Ceremony, on Thursday, September 12, at noon, at the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County, on Wick Avenue, in Youngstown. The keynote speaker is Mr. Christopher Colon, Executive Director of Thrive Mahoning Valley and the Northeast Ohio Regional Director of Ohio Environmental Council and OEC Action Fund. He is a Youngstown native and YSU alumni.

There will be many special guests dignitaries in attendance as well. For more information, contact Ana Torres at amtorres02@ysu.edu or 330-941-1717.

Thrive Mahoning Valley presents Welcoming Immigrants in the Workforce Dinner, on Friday, September 13, 5:00–7:00 pm, at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, on Wood Street, in Youngstown. The dinner kicks off Welcoming Week. The event includes a speaker and a panel discussion. The event is free. Registration is required. More information available at 330-333-8294 or info@thrivemv.org.

OhWow! presents the 14th annual STEAM Festival on Sunday, September 15, from 11 am - 4 pm at Wean Park, in downtown Youngstown. OH WOW! and partnering organizations and exhibitors will be on display at Wean Park, in downtown Youngstown, for a festival focused on hands-on, interactive STEAM displays and activities. Admission is free.

The YSU Ward Beecher Planetarium celebrates its re-opening with an Alumni Preview Event, on Tuesday, September 24 - 6:00 - 8:00 pm, at the Planetarium, on the YSU campus. The event will be hosted by Dr. Patrick Durrell, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at YSU, and Curt Spivey, Planetarium Engineer. The evening begins with a social hour at 6:00 pm, on the 5th floor of Maag Library followed by the Lecture and Q&A at the Planetarium at 7:00 pm. Reservations are required by Friday, September 20th. More information available from Allison Bye at arbye@ysu.edu.

The event is free, but space is limited.

Attend an exclusive YSU alumni and friends behind-the-scenes event of the newly renovated Ward Beecher Planetarium! Learn about the changes made to the Planetarium. New state-of-the-art equipment includes a Chronos Star Projector, SkyScan 4k fulldome video system, a new Spitz NanoSeam dome, and 5.1 digital surround sound. This will be one of the first shows in the newly renovated space.

Audubon/Mahoning Valley is holding its monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 24, at the Austintown Senor Center, 112 Westchester Drive. Social Time starts at 6:30 pm, and the program starts at 7:00. Harvey Webster of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will present a program on the Passenger Pigeon. It is free and open to all.

The YSU Skeggs Lecture Series presents a talk by Hank Green, The Internet's Science Guy, on Thursday, September 26, at 6:00 pm, at Stambaugh Auditorium, on Fifth Avenue, in Youngstown. Green is also a bestselling science fiction writer, and co-founder and CEO of Complexly. The lecture is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available at stambaughauditorium,com, and at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown.

Columbiana Women’s Club presents Color in the Autumn Garden, with Ornamental Horticulturist Keith Kaiser on Saturday, October 5, at noon, at Idabelle Firestone’s Gathering Place & Garden in Harvey S. Firestone Recreational Park, Columbiana. Reservations are required, and available at 330.207.1470.

With nearly five decades of experience, Kaiser serves as both Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and Chief Horticulturist for the Restoration & Beautification Committee of Columbiana. Locally, his work can be seen in the Pocket-Park nestled on Main Street, as well as throughout Harvey S. Firestone Recreational Park where he and his small team design and maintain beds around the pavilions, pool, Mirror Lake and along The Legacy Trail.

The expert holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture from The Ohio State University and an Associate’s degree in Nursery Management from The Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute.

RSVPs required: 330.207.1470. Two options available: $25/person for noon lunch and 12:3 0pm program; or $15/person program-only at 12:30pm. Please make checks payable to Columbiana Women’s Club, 121 North Main, Columbiana, OH 44408. *Guests must include the number of attendees for their program choice when sending in payment.

The Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past hosts the Simeon (SIM-ee-un) Booker Award for Courage Ceremony, on Tuesday, October 8th at 7:00 pm at the Tyler History Center, in downtown Youngstown. The Simeon (SIM-ee-un) Booker Award for Courage will be presented to Senator Doug Jones and to Community Activist Victoria Allen. Jones will speak about bringing to justice forty years later two members of the K K K who bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in 1963. The ceremony is open to the public. More at Ohio non violence week dot org.