Weekend Entertainment, Plenty of Room for Booms at Fireworks

The nation’s semiquincentennial celebration will reach an explosive peak this Fourth of July weekend.

Fireworks will be seen just about anywhere you go.

The most spectacular celebration will be at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre on Sunday night. The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert that will come to a dazzling finale, with the music punctuated by a fireworks display for 15 minutes.

Doors to the event, dubbed Ignite the Night, will open at 6 p.m.

Jackie Popovec, singer for The Vindys, will join the orchestra for a few songs in the middle of the show.

The evening will also include family activities, including free kite kits (while supplies last) and a lineup of food trucks.

Wean Park and The Amp will be open for fireworks viewing, and guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The Ignite the Night event will begin with this year’s Youngstown Walk of Fame induction ceremony, which will bring Youngstown-born musicians Billy Beck and Rick Ward, both of the Ohio Players, into the fold. The Beck Ward Project – their band – will take the stage at 7 p.m. for a one-hour show.

The YSO will start its concert at 8:30 p.m., with a 15-minute intermission starting at 9:15 p.m. The second half will start at 9:30 p.m., with the fireworks-filled finale beginning at 9:50 p.m.

To learn more about the concert, check out this story.

Free parking will be available in the Covelli Centre lots, and the parking lot at the south end of Champion Street.

Free parking will also be available in the M70 lot on Wick Avenue on the Youngstown State University campus; and at the Stambaugh Auditorium lots. Free shuttle service will transport folks from these lots to The Amp and back.

For a complete guide to Ignite the Night, click here.

MORE FIREWORKS, FUN

Here’s a partial list of other events this weekend. Admission is free to each one.

• Mesopotamia Ox Roast, intersection of state Routes 534 and 87, Mesopotamia. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• First Friday, Phelps Street in downtown Youngstown, Friday from 5-8 p.m. The fun will begin with the dedication of a new mural at 107 W. Federal St. There will also be an art marketplace, live music by Bustin’ Loose at the Apollo Event Center on Champion Street, DJ Bopman on Phelps Street, and guided historical walking tours. Click here.
• Fireworks at the Fairgrounds, with live music and free admission, at the Canfield Fairgrounds. Doors open at 5 p.m. Admission is free.
• Fourth of July Bash at Firestone Park in Columbiana, on Saturday. A full day of fun, with skydivers at 6 p.m., a watermelon contest at 7 p.m., The Houseband at 6 p.m. The Freebird Tribute Band at 8:30 p.m., and a drone show and fireworks at 10 p.m.
• Independence Day celebration, Warren Community Amphitheatre, Friday, 5-10 p.m.

For a complete look at everything going on in the Mahoning Valley, check out The List.

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