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McGuffey series hosts Twain, Serling scholar

Mark Twain and Rod Serling will be the focus of the next William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society’s Memories of a Lifetime program. Mark Dawidziak, an author and former television critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, will discuss the parallels between 19th century humorist / author Twain and 20th century writer and “Twilight Zone” creator Serling in a program called “Moralists in Disguise.” Dawidziak, a Rod Serling Memorial Foundation board member and the author of “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone,” also has written five books about Twain. ...

Emissions from the Monolith festival returns in 2026

YOUNGSTOWN — The Monolith will start emitting again in 2026. Emissions from the Monolith, a music festival that attracted bands and fans from around the world to Youngstown from 2000 to 2006, will return to Youngstown for four days from Oct. 8 to 11, 2026, at Westside Bowl. Westside Bowl owners Nate and Jami Offerdahl will partner with Greg Barratt, who started the festival when he owned the former Youngstown music venue Nyabinghi, which hosted the festival. Emissions catered to fans of doom metal, stoner rock, sludge metal and adjacent sounds. Those genres don’t dominate pop ...

Fest brings blues to Warren

No one will need to take out a loan to attend the first 7 17 Credit Union Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival at the Warren Community Amphitheatre. The day-long event features a lineup ranging from local favorites to national blues headliners, a BBQ cookoff, children’s activities and free ice cream for those ages 12 and younger. Admission is $10. The event was conceived by Dorian Smith, senior vice president of business development for the credit union. “One of the things, as we go about expanding our reach in the community, is how do we live out our mission more?,” Smith said. “And ...

WPO opens season with Fall Masterworks

The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra will return to its chamber origins for the opening concert of its 2025-26 season. For his inaugural season as music director and conductor of the orchestra, Christopher Cicconi programmed some music that required an expanded ensemble, such as the larger horn section needed to perform Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8. “This year I took it back to sort of its roots, because the orchestra was founded as a chamber orchestra,” Cicconi said. “I was really trying to get that intimate feel with the orchestra, like you can only get with a chamber ...

Gray Areas: Costello makes great memories, if not always great music

The concerts we love, the ones that stick in our memories, often have little to do with the actual music. It’s the adventure getting there, the people you were with, the circumstances in your life at that moment that made the music hit in a certain way. I have a long history with Elvis Costello. He was my third concert (the Victory Theatre in Dayton on St. Patrick’s Day in 1979). He also was my most recent concert (Akron Civic Theatre on Saturday). In addition to being my third concert, that was the first show I got into for free as “working media,” writing for the teen ...

Mahoning Valley arts and entertainment

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Jim Soppelsa: Abstract Variations” and “Dan Droz: Hidden in Plain Sight,” both through Nov. 6. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown: “Fred Staloff: Origins of a Modernist,” through Nov. 16; “Kim Novak: Tribute on the Occasion of Her Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award,” through Nov. 23; “Julio Larraz: A Prayer for Peace,” through Nov. 23. ...