When you are a kid, all you want to do is grow up. And once you have all of those wonderful important adult responsibilities, all you want to do is go back to being a kid. While this is pretty much impossible (except in Hollywood), nostalgia is a great way to remember what it feels like to be younger, if only for a moment. Visiting your old high school, biting into a burger from the favorite place where you grew up, or going to the county fair in the summer all can have a great rejuvenating effect.
The Mahoning Valley is steeped in memories of growing up. There are tons of places, people, foods, TV shows and landmarks on which both current and former residents can reminisce, and have a common bond. For those who like to escape Responsibility Street and Student Loan Avenue and take a walk down Memory Lane, there are many resources available to help relive those glory days.
First, one can go to where everything seems to be (at least if it is more than 144 characters), Facebook. For instance, those with happy memories of local TV can join the Tom Holden Fan Club group. The legendary anchorman, who passed away in 2005, was a familiar face to anyone growing up in the Mahoning Valley. Almost every commercial break contained a news brief from Tom Holden, reminding us to watch him for more information at six. Currently, 291 Facebook users are listed as fans on the page, which has photos of Holden and discussion boards where they can share their memories.
Article Photos
Tribune Chronicle /
Sarah Sepanek
The sign for the former Nannicola’s is a familiar and nostalgic sight to those driving along U.S. Route 422 in Warren.
Food is another nostalgia trigger. Since you can not only see it, but smell it, it is doubly effective at bringing back memories. The Canfield/Trumbull County fairs are very good at this and for committing various deep-fried sins.
When you couldn't wait until summer, many area residents looked to the Red Barn. The familiar barn-shaped fast-food restaurants were scattered throughout our area, but have long since been converted to other businesses (i.e.: a hot dog joint on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown). The restaurant featured burgers, chicken and fish, personified by the "Hungries" mascots. For those wishing they had a Big Barney burger or a box of those awesome fries, there is still a restaurant in Bradford, Pa., called The Farm that serves the Red Barn food.
Red Barn memories can be shared and conjured at www.barnbuster.net, a Web site created by former franchise owners where they share collections of Red Barn memorabilia, photos of former Red Barn buildings as they are now, and recipes for the menu items. There is also a Facebook group for fans of the former franchise.
Fact Box
What I?remember about growing up in the Mahoning Valley ...
"Tom Holden! And Hills Department Store's bag of popcorn."
- Robert Leonard, Washington, D.C., formerly of Warren
"Hills popcorn! Yes! I miss Eastside Girls Softball. Those days were the best!"
- Sarah Bokone, Warren
"When Aulizio's had a teen dance club on Friday nights."
- Dana Sulonen, Tribune sports writer, Champion
"Hills popcorn! Yes! I miss Eastside Girls Softball. Those days were the best!"
- Sarah Bokone, Warren
"Don't forget about 'Reisman's, Reisman's, downtown Niles!"
- Julian Longo, Cortland
"Hills ... actually, I remember when the entire Liberty Plaza wasn't a ghost town. Phar-Mor, Hills, the pet store, Sally's, etc. But Hills with the free popcorn was by far my fave. Also, when Stan Boney used to answer weather questions on the news. Someone from my class had one answered once."
- Glenna Fitch, Hubbard
Another TV memory for anyone in Trumbull County is the Big Chuck 'n' Lil John show. Pretty much the entire weekend was run by these two guys on the Cleveland area channel, which was also received in the Youngstown-Warren area. Whether it was "Big" Chuck Schodowski and "Lil" John Rinaldi hosting old monster movies, or showing their goofy skits like "Cuyahoga Jones," the show was on pretty much this writer's entire childhood. More memorable than the very, very tall and very, very short hosts was the giant cardboard gorilla that stood in the background as the hosts told us that "The Gate" or "The Blob" would be back after these commercials. The two are still going strong, and fans can show their appreciation at several upcoming events. Big Chuck is doing a book tour in support of his autobiography (dates are at bigchuckandliljohn.com/index.html). And fans of the show's predecessor, the late, great Ghoulardi (whose son is director Paul Thomas Anderson), can attend this year's Ghouldardifest, which is Oct. 23-25 at the Mariott at the Cleveland Airport. Fans of all ages can share their memories of local television by way of Cleveland.
Whether it is one of these things that sparks your memories of growing up in the Mahoning Valley, or any other, you can be sure you aren't alone in those sentiments. So, if you decide to stroll down Memory Lane, be sure to make it back in time to pay the rent.