225 reasons to celebrate: Warren marks birthday with downtown party
Warren marks birthday with downtown party
Trending
WARREN -- Warren celebrated the New Year and Warren's 225th birthday Sunday night in and around Courthouse Square with a "Dancing Light Show" synchronized to music spanning more than 200 years.
The event, sponsored by the Warren Rotary, called Opening Night, also featured tours of the Trumbull County Courthouse led by Mike Wilson portraying Niles-born President William McKinley and other events at several locations.
The 20-minute laser and music show was created and narrated by DJ Tom Angelo, who played music that has had people dancing throughout the decades -- from "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" from the World War II era to Michael Jackson's iconic "Billie Jean."
Angelo, former director of Warren's water pollution control department, choreographed laser versions of whales, doves, kangaroos, penguins and people moving to the beat across the face of the iconic Trumbull County Courthouse.
Angelo narrated as short clips of songs representing the different eras played to a large audience.
"1861, Civil War breaks out," Angelo said as a snippet of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" was played. "Warren, Ohio, became the site of Camp Hutchins, where over 800 soldiers were trained," Angelo said.
"1942, America enters World War II," Angelo said before several World War II era songs came along, followed by sixties hits like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles and the sing-along "Sweet Caroline" and "Rocky" theme song. Then came "YMCA" by the Village people, along with a figure on the courthouse making the letters with his hands.
When it was over, Luciano Vennitti of Warren pronounced it a successful venture and a nice way to get his kids out on New Year's Eve, even if there was a little rain.
"We loved it," he said. "It gave us something fun to do with the kids," he said of Guiliana, 12; Giancarlo, 11; and Georgio, 8. "The kids loved the music."
On the other side of the Courthouse, the First Presbyterian Church on Mahoning Avenue allowed the public inside its grand sanctuary built in 1870 for music by the Chosen Vessel Worship Band.
It featured five high school performers from Champion, Bristolville, Newton Falls and Warren singing music to help spread the Gospel and be an example to lead other young people to do the same, they said.
They attend Life Church in Leavittsburg and Grace Fellowship Church in Niles.
Ken LaPolla, Rotary of Warren president, said the Opening Night 2024 celebration and birthday party was "going great" with the large attendance at the opening of three performances of the Dancing Light Show and entertainment at other venues.
"It's great to see the support of the community," he said. "We're happy to be a part of it. As a club, we try to build community, and this is one of the things we are doing. Rotary's intention is to bring hope to the world."
At the SCOPE Warren senior center on North Park Avenue, children enjoyed a karaoke led by two young women with Heroes & Tiaras, a Canfield company that provides entertainment from employees dressed in over 100 types of costumes.
WARREN'S HISTORY
Warren was founded in the late fall of 1798 when Ephraim Quinby bought 441 acres of land from the Connecticut Land Co. and named the land after Moses Warren, surveyor of the Connecticut Western Reserve.
In 1801, Warren was established as the seat of Trumbull County, which at that time encompassed the entire Connecticut Western Reserve, which was 120 miles wide across the northern part of the state starting at the Pennsylvania line.
For more than 30 years after its settlement, Warren was the largest and most prosperous town in the region.
Warren did not grow into a center for manufacturing and transportation as early as Cleveland and Pittsburgh and remained a handsome town known for its beauty for the remainder of the 19th century, according to the city website.
Warren would not see considerable industrialization, urban growth, or immigration until the beginning of the 20th century, when Trumbull Steel, later known as Republic Steel and WCI Steel, was created.
The Packard family also was a key driver of manufacturing in Warren with W.D. and J.W. Packard starting a lamp business in 1890, leading to the development of their wiring and automobile businesses, called Packard Electric and the Packard Motor Car Co.
Warren's population grew by 300% between 1904 and 1924 through immigration and the growth of industry in the city.
Warren became a manufacturing powerhouse of steel mills, automobile producers, and electric companies, creating a community of industry and innovation that led to Warren's motto, "The City of Modern Methods," according to the book Warren: Images of America, by Josh Nativo and Meghan Reed.
erunyan@vindy.com