Downtown businesses prepare for St. Patrick's Day
It's the first St. Paddy's with the city's Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in use. Inside the Federal, employees were decked out in green and getting ready to open for the afternoon. The bar is decked out too — all for an Irish pop-up running until the 23rd.
'We have Irish specials, especially cocktails, food specials and a really fun environment. We're really excited for this weekend. Downtown Youngstown's back and better than ever,' said Sophia Martini.
It's the first St. Patrick's day where the city's DORA — designated outdoor refreshment area — is operational and businesses are looking forward to sharing the wealth as people can more freely move from bar to bar.
'People can come down here, go from bar to bar, restaurant to restaurant and participating restaurants have a special cup that you can bring in and go in and out of other businesses,' said Youngstown Events Coordinator Melanie Clarke-Panella.
Clarke-Panella says there will be public parking and extra security to make sure everyone can enjoy the weekend.
The city's newest bar and restaurant, The Varsity Club, will have an outdoor tent and live music starting at noon Saturday.
'It's our first time. We don't know what to expect but we're going to try to bring a big party downtown and see what we can do,' said John Rudy with the Varsity Club.
Over on the east end of the city, Penguin City has something for everyone. They're hosting St. Baldrick's Saturday morning, will have live music in the evening and host Irish dancers and traditional music on Monday.
'I love that we geared our St. Patrick's Day to try to fit something like Saturdays geared towards family, you know, Friday's more the college crowd. You know, Monday we do traditional Irish so it's just we really wanted something for everybody,' said Penguin City co-owner Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki.
Clarke-Panella hopes the DORA and public parking bring people together for a successful weekend in the city.
'It's a community in our downtown restaurant district, bar and restaurant district. We want to be able to go and do more than one thing when you're downtown Youngstown this season,' she said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Two years after her death, a biopic on Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor is in the works
Two years after her death, a biopic on legendary Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor is reportedly in development. According to Variety, the film will be directed by Josephine Decker, known for the 2020 feature Shirley, based on the life of novelist Shirley Jackson. Decker will work from a script by Irish writer Stacey Gregg. Helming the project is Irish production company ie: entertainment, which already executive produced the 2022 Sinéad O'Connor documentary Nothing Compares. The upcoming film has reportedly been in the works since the release of the critically acclaimed documentary, on which the singer had collaborated. Other production companies involved in the biopic include Oscar-winning See-Saw Films, known for The King's Speech, Shame, Lion and The Power of the Dog, as well as Nine Daughters, which produced Lady Macbeth and God's Creatures. Both companies previously collaborated on Francis Lee's 2020 period drama Ammonite. The film is expected to focus on O'Connor's early life and career. It will tell the story "of how one young woman from Dublin took on the world, examining how her global fame may have been built on her talent, but her name became synonymous with her efforts to draw attention to the crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Irish state." Sinéad O'Connor died in 2023 at age 56. The biggest commercial success of her four-decade career remained her 1990 album 'I' Do Not Want What I Haven't Got', which featured her hit cover of Prince's song 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. O'Connor, who self-identified as a 'protest singer', intertwined her music and activism throughout her life. She most vehemently advocated against child abuse in the Catholic Church. During a 1992 performance on US comedy show Saturday Night Live, she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II, a gesture that drew wide condemnation. In 2018, she converted to Islam and took the name Shuhada' Sadaqat, while continuing to perform under her birth name. The Irish musician released her memoir 'Rememberings" in 2021, just two years before her death. Her legacy was a subject of controversy during the 2024 US presidential campaign, when her estate asked Donald Trump to stop using 'Nothing Compares to U' at his political rallies. "Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O'Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings,' O'Connor's estate and her label Chrysalis Records said in a statement at the time. "As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump, and his associates desist from using her music immediately."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Major Sinéad O'Connor Biopic Announcement Has Fans Saying the Same Thing
Major Sinéad O'Connor Biopic Announcement Has Fans Saying the Same Thing originally appeared on Parade. Two years after the tragic death of Sinéad O'Connor at the age of 56, a biopic is officially in the it seems iconic Irish singer's fans are just as passionate as ever, as reactions to the project's announcement proved. A TikTok shared by Metro Entertainment this week featuring a vintage clip of O'Connor performing confirmed that Irish production company ie: entertainment (which executive produced the O'Connor documentary Nothing Compares) is behind the biopic, in conjunction with Nine Daughters and See-Saw Films (Slow Horses). "Who do you think could play the iconic Irish musician?" the text overlay on the video asked — and fans were quick to share their passionate opinions on the subject. "It needs to be an Irish woman. I'm hoping for Saoirse Ronan," one person wrote, as a second agreed, "It HAS to be someone IRISH. It is important to the story." "Saoirse!!!" declared another commenter, with numerous others making the same suggestion. Others, however, called Ronan "too overused," casting their votes for such Irish actresses as Katie McGrath and Lola Petticrew, while some thought an "Irish unknown" would be the best choice. Still others suggested several English stars, including Lily Collins, Emma Corrin, and Daisy Edgar Jones (who showcased her convincing Irish accent in Normal People). While fans will have to wait for any official casting news, Variety reports the biopic will "explore O'Connor's early life and beginnings in the music industry," telling "the story of how one young woman from Dublin took on the world, examining how her global fame may have been built on her talent, but her name became synonymous with her efforts to draw attention to the crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Irish state."Major Sinéad O'Connor Biopic Announcement Has Fans Saying the Same Thing first appeared on Parade on Aug 15, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Sean Kingston jailed
Sean Kingston has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. The Beautiful Girls hitmaker - whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson - and his mother, Janice Turner, were found guilty of five counts of wire fraud in March following a federal trial and faced up to 20 years in jail for each charge. But on Friday (15.08.25), Sean apologised in front of Judge David Leibowitz and said he had learned a lesson, and though his attorney asked the 35-year-old star be allowed to leave and surrender at a later date for health reasons, the judge refused and he was immediately taken into custody. His attorney, Zeljka Bozanic, told Entertainment Weekly the musician is taking the situation "as a learning experience". The lawyer said in a statement: "We respect the Court's decision and the judicial process. We are content that the Court did not go with the government's request of five years and sentenced Sean below the sentencing guidelines instead. It is important to note that most of the restitution in this case was paid back, even before these charges were brought. "Sean is taking this as a learning experience and will continue moving forward in a positive direction. We are actively reviewing all available options, including potential appeals, to ensure his rights are fully protected." Janice - who had previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud for stealing $160,000 and served more than a year in prison - was sentenced to five years behind bars last month. The mother and son had denied allegations of falsely claiming they had sent bank transfers for luxury items worth more than $1 million but were found guilty in March. After the verdict was reached, Sean was placed on home detention, though he has to meet bond requirements, including a $200,000 surety bond in cash, as well as putting up a relative's $500,000 house. However, Janice was reminded into federal custody and was taken away by US Marshals as her son cried. He told them: "Protect my mother.' While Sean opted not to testify on his own behalf, his mother did, and the judge explained she was remanded as a flight risk in part due to her testimony. He said Janice - who has similar past convictions - had shown she was the "fixer, the nerve centre" and in control of the fraud scheme but her son's defence depicted him as "a child" with no knowledge of finances. Several alleged victims had claimed to have been swindled out of items including a bulletproof Cadillac, a huge TV and expensive watches, and all items had been seized in a raid on Sean's home. The United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida, previously explained the rapper and his mother's charges stemmed from their alleged involvement in "a scheme to defraud victim sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewellery, and other goods purchased by the defendants through the use of fraudulent documents." The office went on to state the pair "unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers as payment for vehicles, jewellery, and other goods purchased by the defendants, when in fact no such bank wire or other monetary payment transfers had been executed by the purported banks, and thereafter the defendants retained or attempted to retain the vehicles, jewellery and other goods despite non-payment. Through the execution of this scheme, the defendants obtained in excess of $1 million in property." The pair were accused of having stolen almost $500,000 in jewellery, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank, $160,000 from a Cadillac Escalade dealer and $86,000 from a maker of customised beds. At the time of his arrest last year, the musician was serving two years probation for trafficking stolen property.
