Hi YoTown Friends! 👋
Two weeks out from the 180th Canfield Fair, and you can already feel Youngstown changing gears. So this week we're doing two things: handing you the insider game plan for six days of fair, and then starting a fight. A friendly one. Fifteen of them, actually.
Grab a coffee. Pick your side. Hit reply and tell us we're wrong. 🍟
This Week's Edition
🐾 Good Dog Roll Call
Every animal at the fair is going home to somebody. These ones are still waiting.
This week's roll call comes from Mahoning County Dog Warden & Adoption Center. They've got dogs of every size, age, and energy level, including the calm older ones everybody overlooks in favor of puppies. If you've been thinking about it, fair season is a good excuse to drive out and just look. Looking is free.
Mahoning County Dog Warden & Adoption Center
The Fair Runs Six Days.
Your dog wants to play too…
Canine Cove Pet Resort · Austintown
Fair week is a beautiful, exhausting, twelve-hour-days kind of week. Add a long Labor Day weekend, a wedding, a cabin trip, or the last real vacation before school swallows the fall, and somebody at home is spending a lot of hours alone by the door. That's what boarding at Canine Cove is for. Overnight stays, short trips or long ones, with playtime built right into the nightly price instead of tacked on as an extra. Kennels and the play yard get sanitized daily, cat boarding is available, and multi-pet families get a discount. Book your Labor Day week now, because everybody in the Valley is going somewhere. 🐾
🐝 The Only Thing at the Fair With Six Legs
Should Be in a Show Barn
Complete Pest Solutions · Boardman
Late August is peak yellow jacket season in Ohio, and they know exactly where your cookout is. They also know about the trash can, the pop you set down, and the funnel cake in your kid's hand. At the fairgrounds that's somebody else's problem. In your own backyard, it's Complete Pest Solutions. They're headquartered right on Roche Way in Boardman, so these are neighbors, not a call center, and they handle the whole late summer lineup: wasps and yellow jackets, mosquitoes, ticks along the wooded edges, carpenter ants, and the rodents already scouting your garage for fall. 4.8 stars from 400+ customers. Call before the party, not during it.
Call them. 4.8 stars, 400-plus customers.
YoTown Scoop helps you survive the fair….check out our ultimate game plan below:
The 180th Canfield Fair Is Coming!
Here's Your Game Plan…
Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 7. Six days. One hundred and eighty years of practice. Gates open at 8 a.m., buildings at 10, rides around 11, and parking is free, which is the single most underrated fact about this fair.
Anybody can look up the hours. This is the other stuff….
🍟 Foods You Are Legally Required to Eat
There is no appeals process. The list:
A milkshake from the dairy building. Cold, thick, made by people who are not in a hurry. This is the correct first purchase of the day.
Hand cut fries. The bucket, not the cup. Malt vinegar if you know, ketchup if you don't, and we're not judging either way.
Italian sausage with peppers and onions. The Valley requirement.
Eat it standing up.
An elephant ear roughly the size of a hubcap. Powdered sugar will end up on your shirt. That's not a risk, that's the receipt.
Roasted corn rolled through butter like it owes you money.
Something from a 4-H or FFA stand. Cheaper, better, and the money stays with kids who spent all summer on a project.
One dessert you cannot name. It's fried, it's on a stick, it's $9. Buy it anyway.
🐄 Things You Have to Do at Least Once
Walk the livestock barns end to end. Not a lap, the whole thing.
This is the actual fair.
Sit through ten minutes of a junior fair sale. Watch a kid hand over an animal they raised. It'll get you.
Wiener Dog Derby. Yes it's real, yes it's on the grandstand schedule, and yes it is the most joy per minute available anywhere in Ohio.
Mutton Busting. Little kids rodeo-riding sheep. That’s all. lol
Mule racing. Also real. Also on the schedule. No further questions.
The Pig Iron Derby. Draft horses pulling. The ground moves a little.
Ferris wheel at dusk. The whole fairgrounds lights up under you. Worth the line.
Let a booth guy demo something. The mop. The gutter guard. The miracle knife. Give him four minutes, it's the deal you make with the fair.
🚗 When NOT to Arrive Unless You Enjoy Sitting in Traffic
The fair has a rhythm, and you can beat it.
Avoid: Saturday from about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. That's the crush!
Also avoid: Labor Day Monday mid afternoon, when everyone realizes it's the last day.
Golden windows: a weekday morning before 10, or any evening after 5 when the day crowd is heading out and the lights are just coming on.
The local move: Wednesday and Thursday. Same fair, half the people, all the food.
Parking is free, so the only thing you're paying is patience. Have a gate in mind before you turn in instead of following the car in front of you and hoping.
🎢 What's Worth the Money
Worth it: the ride pass, if your crew is going to ride more than four or five times. Buying single tickets ride by ride is how a fun afternoon quietly turns into a car payment. Watch canfieldfair.com for this year's advance pass price and grab it before you go.
Worth it: a grandstand show. You are getting a national act for less than a night at most amphitheaters, ten minutes from home, with free parking.
Worth it: anything a 4-H kid is selling.
Think about it: the midway games. You will not win the giant banana. Nobody has ever won the giant banana. If you're going to play anyway, budget for it like a ride, not like an investment.
Underrated: the free stuff. Bands, demos, exhibits, the entire agriculture side of the fair. You could have a full day and never buy a ticket to anything.
🎤 Who's Playing This Year
Sunday, Sept. 6 · Grandstand
Big & Rich with Diamond Rio and Cowboy Troy.
Tickets run $39 to $125 plus fees.
Monday, Sept. 7 (Labor Day) · Grandstand
Bret Michaels with Donnie Iris & The Cruisers and The Clarks. Tickets run $25 to $99 plus fees. All three acts are Pittsburgh area, all three have played here plenty, and Labor Day night is going to sound like every good bar in the Valley circa whenever you were 22.
Grandstand shows are through Ticketmaster, and you still need fair admission to get in the gate. Also on the grandstand this year: the World's Largest Demolition Derby, the Championship Truck & Tractor Pull, harness racing, the high school band show, the tractor rodeo, and the aforementioned wiener dogs.
👟 The Shoes You Will Regret Wearing
You are going to walk somewhere between four and eight miles. On grass, gravel, blacktop, sawdust, and one mystery surface near the animal barns. So:
Brand new sneakers. Breaking them in at the fair is a choice, and it is the wrong one.
Anything white. Say goodbye now.
Flip flops. Zero support, zero protection, and you are walking through a cattle barn. Think about that for a second.
Heeled boots because it's technically September and you're excited about fall. September in Ohio is still August wearing a flannel.
Correct answer: broken in running shoes you already like, plus socks you don't love. Both are going in the wash either way.
🐓 The Weird Little Corners You Probably Walk Right Past
Everybody finds the midway. Almost nobody finds these.
The poultry barn. Chickens that look like they were designed by committee. The noise alone is worth it.
The honey and beekeeping display. Quiet, cool, and somebody in there will happily talk to you for twenty minutes.
Antique tractor row. Men who have been restoring the same machine since 1987, waiting for you to ask one question.
The fine arts and photography building. Actual talent from your actual neighbors, hanging on pegboard.
The flower and vegetable competition. Giant pumpkins. Suspiciously perfect tomatoes. Ribbons that meant everything to somebody.
The 4-H project displays. Not the animals, the poster board projects. A twelve year old spent four months on that.
Sheep shearing. Faster and more mesmerizing than anyone imagines.
💰 What a Fair Day Actually Costs a Family of 4 in 2026
Let's be honest about it. Two adults, two kids, one full day, no grandstand show:
Gate admission, 4 people | about $30 to $40 |
Parking | $0 🎉 |
Ride passes, 2 kids | about $56 |
Lunch for four | about $50 |
Milkshakes, elephant ear, fries | about $30 |
Two games nobody wins | about $20 |
The thing your kid finds at 8 p.m. | about $15 |
Realistic day | about $200 |
Want to cut it in half? Go on a weekday, eat one real meal instead of grazing all day, buy ride passes in advance, and lean hard on the free side of the fair. Families do the whole thing for under $100 every single year, and they're not having less fun. They're just walking a different route.
🏆 The YoTown Scoop "Perfect Fair Day"
If you only go once, go like this.
9:00 a.m. Arrive. Park close because you're early. Milkshake immediately, no debate.
9:30 a.m. Livestock barns while they're cool and quiet and the kids showing animals are still awake. Best hour of the fair and it's free.
11:00 a.m. Commercial buildings. Let one guy demo one thing. Buy nothing. Or buy the mop, we're not your boss.
12:00 p.m. Real lunch. Sausage with peppers, fries to share, sit in shade for twenty minutes like a person with sense.
1:00 p.m. The weird corners: poultry, honey, fine arts, giant vegetables. This is the part you'll actually talk about later.
2:30 p.m. Grandstand, whatever's running. Pull, derby, mules, dachshunds, doesn't matter. Sit down and let somebody else make noise for a while.
4:00 p.m. Rides, before the evening rush and after the metal has stopped being lava.
6:00 p.m. Second dinner. Elephant ear.
7:30 p.m. Ferris wheel at golden hour. Take the picture. It's the one you'll keep.
8:30 p.m. One lap of the midway with the lights on, then leave before the parking lot turns into a parade. Drive home with your feet aching and a bag of kettle corn in your lap. That's the day.
🧼 You Brought Home the Fairgrounds
All Spruced Up Cleaning Co
All Spruced Up is ready to spruce up your home after the fair.
Sawdust in the entryway. Powdered sugar on the couch. A trail of gravel from the door to the laundry room, and a smell in the car that you cannot identify and do not want to. Fair week is glorious and it absolutely wrecks a house, right as the school year and the holiday hosting season line up behind it. Let All Spruced Up hit reset. They'll get you back to a clean, calm house so you can spend September enjoying it instead of chasing it. They book a few weeks out, especially this time of year, so grab your spot now. Free online estimate. 🧼
The Valley's Leveling Up.
It’s Your Turn.
Six Days of Fair Sun. Your Skin Is Going to Need a Minute.
Fair week is sunscreen at 8 a.m. and then eleven hours of sun, sweat, fryer air, and dust you can taste. By Labor Day night your skin has been through a demolition derby of its own. Come see us after. A hydrofacial resets everything summer piled on, and it feels like an actual hour of peace, which after six days of midway noise is its own blue ribbon. Thinking bigger? Ask about laser wrinkle removal while the holiday season is coming, because fall is the smart time to start. Free consultation, and gift cards are always available for the person in your family who worked the fair instead of enjoying it. 🎡
💫 Free consultations, gift cards available, and yes, we'd love to see you after the fair.
🕯️ After the Grandstand, Your Hair Deserves Its Own Front Row Seat
Six days of loudspeakers, tractor pulls, a rock show, and somebody's kid screaming on the Zipper directly behind you. Your ears have been through it. So has your scalp, which spent the whole week under a ball cap in ninety degree heat. A head spa session is sixty minutes of quiet, warm water, and somebody else doing the work while you do absolutely nothing. No midway, no lines, no fried dough smell. Just the hush. It's the best gift in the Valley for the person who packs the bag, drives the crew, holds everybody's stuff, and never once sits down. Book it for the week after the fair. You'll have earned it. 🎢
🥊 Only People From Youngstown Will Have Strong Opinions About These 15 Things…Reply to this email with your answers
Here's how this works. We ask, you answer. Hit reply with your takes, all fifteen or just the one that made your jaw tighten. We're printing the best answers, the funniest answers, and the tally on the ones that turn into a bloodbath.
No fence sitting. This is a fair week issue and we want blood ribbons. 🎀
1. Handel's or Dairy Queen?
One of these was born here and one of these is fine. We know which side you're on, but say it out loud.
2. Brier Hill or regular pizza?
Green peppers, red sauce, romano, no mozzarella. Either you just got hungry or you have some learning to do.
3. Boardman traffic: actually terrible, or are we being dramatic?
Somebody who has driven in Cleveland is about to reply to this and we are ready for them.
4. Is Canfield part of Youngstown? 😬
We're just going to leave this here and step back. lol
5. Best Italian restaurant nobody is allowed to criticize?
Not the best food necessarily. The one where criticizing it gets you uninvited from things.
This is a border war and you live on the border. Pick a flag.
7. Who has the best wedding soup?
Restaurant, church, or a specific person's kitchen. Grandma counts. Grandma probably wins.
8. What's the ONE restaurant you wish would come back?
The one you still think about. The one you'd drive across town for tomorrow if somebody flipped the sign back on.
9. East Side, West Side, North Side or South Side?
Not where you live now. Where you're from. Those are different questions and you know it.
10. What's the most Youngstown sentence ever spoken?
Real ones only. Something you have actually heard a person say out loud in this town.
11. Church festival plate: chicken paprikash, haluski, or pierogies?
You get one. The line is long. Choose.
12. Mill Creek: Lanterman's Mill or the Rose Garden?
Both are gorgeous. Only one is right, and it's the one you take out of town visitors to first.
13. Southern Park Mall in its prime, or the Eastwood in its prime?
This is a nostalgia question disguised as a geography question, and it's going to get emotional.
14. Friday fish fry: church basement or corner bar?
Folding table and a paper plate, or a booth and a basket. There is no wrong answer, and yet.
15. Is it "the Valley," "the 330," just "Youngstown" or the “YO”?
What you call it says exactly how long you've lived here and roughly what year you graduated. You know our choice.
🔥 And then the one that actually matters:
You moved away from Youngstown 20 years ago.
You're pulling back into town right now. What is the FIRST food you are getting?
Not the fanciest. Not the one that photographs well. The one you've been describing to people in other states who did not understand. Hit reply and name it. We're printing the list, and somebody is going to cry.
The One Ride at the Fair You Don't Want Surprises On
Preston Moore | Moore Family Insurance
Everybody's happy to get flipped upside down on the Zipper. Nobody wants that feeling from a piece of mail. Labor Day weekend is the Valley's last big push: campers out, boats out, kids driving themselves to the fair, the whole family caravanning to Canfield and back after dark. It's a great weekend and a busy one, which is exactly when the boring paperwork turns out to matter. Preston is right on North Broad in Canfield, five minutes from the fairgrounds, and he'll walk through auto, home, boat, camper, and life without making your eyes glaze over. One conversation now, then go ride whatever you want.
🚨 Your House is About to Host the Whole Fair Crew
1-800-Plumber +Air Youngstown
Everybody comes back to somebody's house after the fair. Six people, six showers, a washer running nonstop, and an AC unit trying to cool a kitchen full of folks who just walked four miles in the sun. That is the exact week a tired water heater, a slow drain, or a struggling air conditioner decides to quit. 1-800-Plumber +Air is licensed, fast, and fixes it right the first time, whether it's a drain, a water heater, or the AC limping toward the end of a long Ohio summer. Get it looked at before the crowd shows up, not while everybody's standing in your kitchen. 🔧
🔧 Save 330-234-9402 in your phone right now, before you need it.
🏡 Fair Weather Neighborhood
Hailey Ditullio, Realtor · Howard Hanna
Every year somebody drives home from the fairgrounds down a back road in Canfield or Poland, looks around, and thinks: I could live here. Hailey helps people turn that thought into an address. She works Poland, Boardman, and Canfield, she knows which streets are quiet and which ones you'll hear the grandstand from on a good night, and she's straight with you about what your money actually buys in each. Start the conversation now and you could be handing out candy in a new neighborhood by Halloween. Buying or selling, it costs nothing to ask her what your options look like. 🍂
180 Years of Walking the Fair.
Try Something With Wheels.
After six days of fair, your legs are going to file a complaint. Give them a better deal: Mill Creek Park on an e-bike, where the hills stop being a decision. Pick the Trailside Journey if you want flat, paved, and easy enough for anybody in the family, or Unleash Your Adventure if you want the wooded, hilly version and you know what you're doing. It's the best date night in the Valley and one of the few outings where nobody is looking at a phone. September light through Mill Creek is the good stuff, so book it before the leaves beat you to it. Text to reserve. 🍁
More Scoop Between Issues
The newsletter hits Thursdays. The Facebook group? That's where the magic happens all week long — last-minute event adds, reader tips, breaking good news, and the best kind of YoTown conversation.
🔗 YoTown Scoop on Facebook ·
🔗 yotownscoop.com
Local events bring people out… but YoTown Scoop helps local businesses stay in front of them all week long. If you want Mahoning Valley locals to know who you are, what you do, and why they should choose you, newsletter sponsorship is a simple way to show up where the community is already paying attention.
🎪 The Weekend Event Guide · Aug. 20 to 23
Ninety-two reasons to leave the house before fair week gets here. Right here at home and a few worth the drive.
🗓️ Multi-Day & Ongoing
Cleveland Skydiving Center Canopy Coaching
📍 Cleveland Skydiving Center · Garrettsville, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 to Sun, Aug. 23
Three days of hands-on canopy training for jumpers.
Ascent Summer Bash
📍 Ascent Pickleball · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 to Sun, Aug. 23
Weekend-long pickleball tournament, food, and end-of-summer party.
WPRHA Hometown Heritage Reining Series 2 & Green Reiner Shootout
📍 WPQHA Arena · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 to Sun, Aug. 23
Reining horses sliding, spinning, and competing all weekend.
Summer's Last Stand 🏆 Dock Wars
📍 2 Painters Path · Washingtonville, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 to Sun, Aug. 23
Dock diving dogs launching for distance all weekend long.
🌤️ Thursday, Aug. 20
Senior Art & Learn 2026
📍 524 Wick Ave. · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 10 a.m.
Free art class and gallery morning built for seniors.
Charity Sewing Day
📍 405 S. Linden Ave. · Alliance, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 10:30 a.m.
Bring a machine, sew items donated to local charities.
Bowling With Friends
📍 Sims Lanes · Beaver Falls, PA
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 11 a.m.
Easygoing midday bowling meetup, no league skills required.
Storytime with a Farmer
📍 394 State Route 7 SE · Brookfield, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 2 p.m.
A real farmer reads to kids, then answers everything.
4th Annual Trumbull County WIC Baby Shower
📍 258 E. Market St. · Warren, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 2:30 p.m.
Free supplies, resources, and support for expecting families.
NSSF First Shots Rifle Intro
📍 505 Constitution Blvd. · Beaver Falls, PA
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 5 p.m.
Beginner rifle safety and marksmanship with certified instructors.
Konflikt '47 Open Play
📍 900 N. State St. · Girard, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 5 p.m.
Tabletop miniatures war gaming, walk-ins genuinely welcome.
Simple Meditation Techniques
📍 McKinley Birthplace Home & Research Center · Niles, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 5:30 p.m.
Beginner-friendly meditation hour in a beautiful historic space.
Summer Band Concert Series: Cortland Dixieland Band
📍 303 N. Mecca St. · Cortland, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 6 p.m.
Free outdoor Dixieland jazz, bring your own chair.
Singo! at SSBC
📍 232 N. Market St. · Minerva, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 6:30 p.m.
Music bingo night where knowing the songs pays.
August Book Club: Till Summer Do Us Part
📍 Bullseye Brewing Company · New Brighton, PA
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 6:30 p.m.
Beer, books, and opinions about a summer romance novel.
Reverse Painting Acrylic Lantern Workshop
📍 307 5th St. · Ellwood City, PA
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 6:30 p.m.
Paint a glowing sunset lantern, take it home.
Guided Labyrinth Walk
📍 4280 Shields Rd. · Canfield, OH
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 6:30 p.m.
A slow, quiet walking meditation as the sun drops.
Trivia Night
📍 1015 Leesburg Station Rd. · Mercer, PA
🕰️ Thu, Aug. 20 · 7 p.m.
Weekly pub trivia, bring the friend who knows geography.
🎶 Friday, Aug. 21
15th Annual Bill Roux Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing
📍 Knoll Run Golf Course · Lowellville, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 8 a.m.
Scramble benefiting Potential Development scholarship students.
Celebrity Guests: Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller, Julie McCullough & Todd Bridges
📍 45625 State Route 154 · Rogers, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 8 a.m.
Eighties sitcom stars signing autographs at Rogers Market.
28th Annual Drive for the Blind
📍 Black Hawk Golf Course · Beaver Falls, PA
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 9 a.m.
Charity golf outing supporting local blind services programs.
13th Annual HOPA Foundation Golf Outing
📍 Beaver Valley Golf Club · Beaver Falls, PA
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 9 a.m.
Foursomes, prizes, and a good cause all morning.
Food Giveaway
📍 6954 Chestnut Ridge Rd. SE · Hubbard, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 12 p.m.
Free groceries distributed to anyone who needs them.
RDNA: Concerts in the Courtyard
📍 Firestone Farms · Columbiana, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6 p.m.
Outdoor courtyard concert with food and drinks nearby.
Live Music: Leanne Binder
📍 2400 NE River Rd. · Lake Milton, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6 p.m.
Acoustic sets by the water on a Friday evening.
Silent Book Club
📍 Hartford Hill Winery · Fowler, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6 p.m.
Read your own book, drink wine, talk after.
Ice Cream with the Cows
📍 22 Jackson Rd. · West Middlesex, PA
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6 p.m.
Farm-fresh ice cream served next to the actual cows.
Cool Breeze Live
📍 9645 Kinsman Pymatuning Rd. · Kinsman, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6 p.m.
Classic covers outdoors on a late-summer Friday night.
Yoga Church
📍 1843 S. Union Ave. · Alliance, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6:30 p.m.
Gentle yoga paired with scripture, all levels welcome.
Buhl Park Summer Concert Series (Free Show)
📍 Buhl Park · Hermitage, PA
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 6:30 p.m.
Free park concert, lawn chairs and blankets encouraged.
Live Music with Ava Leone
📍 Castaway Craig's Pub & Grub · Lake Milton, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 7 p.m.
Local singer-songwriter playing the lakeside pub.
Canfield Football Alumni Night
📍 Bob Dove Field · Canfield, OH
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 7 p.m.
Cardinals football plus every alum who ever played.
Old Skool at Erie Canal
📍 Erie Canal Bar & Grille · Sharpsville, PA
🕰️ Fri, Aug. 21 · 8 p.m.
Party band debut, dance floor open all night.
🎉 Saturday, Aug. 22
1st Annual Bill Mackovick Memorial Tournament
📍 Mosquito Lake State Park · Cortland, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7 a.m.
Early-morning memorial fishing tournament out on Mosquito Lake.
New Castle Drive-Up Food Distribution
📍 200 S. Jefferson St. · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 8 a.m.
Stay in your car, volunteers load the groceries.
Lake-to-Lake Paddle Challenge: Covered Bridge Edition
📍 Kidd's Mills Covered Bridge · Greenville, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 8 a.m.
Kayak and canoe paddle past a historic covered bridge.
5th Annual Golf Scramble
📍 Sylvan Heights Golf Course · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 8 a.m.
Four-person scramble, prizes, and a full breakfast.
Poker Run Benefit
📍 Ellwood City, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 9 a.m.
Motorcycle poker run raising money for a neighbor.
Tour of Duty Ride: Charity Poker Run
📍 2242 Greenville Rd. · Cortland, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 9 a.m.
Inaugural Ohio ride supporting veterans, all bikes welcome.
2026 TJR Junior Rodeo
📍 49053 Fredricktown Clarkson Rd. · Negley, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 9 a.m.
Kids riding, roping, and barrel racing all day.
2026 Lawrence County Fair Pull
📍 Lawrence County Fairgrounds · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 9 a.m.
Truck and tractor pulling, loud and gloriously unnecessary.
Carrie's 18th Annual Naughty Nurse Memorial Run
📍 YeagerBaum's Bar & Grill · Burghill, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 9:30 a.m.
Long-running memorial bike run with food and music.
4th Annual For the Vets Run
📍 2855 Highland Ave. SW · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 10 a.m.
Benefit ride for local veterans, ending with live music.
Backpacks & Burgers Bash
📍 12 E. Dewey Ave. · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 10 a.m.
Free backpacks, school supplies, and burgers for kids.
BookBag Giveaway
📍 12 E. Dewey Ave. · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 10 a.m.
Loaded book bags handed out while supplies last.
Demolition Meet & Greet at Niles Retro Toy Market
📍 Niles Retro Toy Market · Niles, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 10 a.m.
Vintage toys, collectors, and a wrestling meet-and-greet.
Back to School Bash
📍 2640 Parkman Rd. NW · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 10 a.m.
Games, giveaways, and supplies before the first bell.
Kids Summer Wreath Making
📍 222 E. Market St. · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 10:30 a.m.
Kids build a summer wreath to hang at home.
25 JAM 5K Run & 1 Mile Walk
📍 Cascade Park · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 11 a.m.
Race through one of the prettiest parks around.
Intro to Crochet
📍 307 5th St. · Ellwood City, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 12 p.m.
Absolute beginner class, hook and yarn provided.
90's Fest 2026
📍 Nelson Ledges Quarry Park · Garrettsville, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 12 p.m.
All-day nineties tribute bands at the quarry.
4th Annual Carnival Fundraiser
📍 Ewing Park · Ellwood City, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 12 p.m.
Carnival games, food, and prizes for a cause.
Pop-Up Skatepark at Lincoln Park
📍 Lincoln Park · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 1 p.m.
Ramps and rails rolled in for a free session.
Build Your Own Pasta Bar
📍 East Side Civics & Athletic Club · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 1 p.m.
Pick your noodle, pick your sauce, eat happily.
LMC BookBag Day at Tod Park
📍 David Tod Memorial Park · Girard, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 1 p.m.
Free bookbags, food, and family fun until four.
Getting Your Energy Along the Food Chain
📍 12798 Echo Dell Rd. · East Liverpool, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 1 p.m.
Hands-on nature program about who eats whom.
Historic Storytelling with Alan Irvine
📍 1301 7th Ave. · Beaver Falls, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 1 p.m.
Three days, three stories, celebrating the nation's 250th.
Bluegrass Jam
📍 1015 Leesburg Station Rd. · Mercer, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 1 p.m.
Open bluegrass jam, bring an instrument or listen.
The Tropiholics at Castaway Craig's
📍 Castaway Craig's Pub & Grub · Lake Milton, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 2 p.m.
Island party music on the deck all afternoon.
Pimp Bizkit: Limp Bizkit Tribute at 90's Fest
📍 Nelson Ledges Quarry Park · Garrettsville, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 2 p.m.
Nu-metal nostalgia performed extremely loudly at the quarry.
Reading the Room
📍 McKinley Birthplace Home & Research Center · Niles, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 2 p.m.
Historic house program on what old rooms reveal.
Ember Obsidian Protocol Open Play
📍 900 N. State St. · Girard, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 2 p.m.
Open tabletop gaming afternoon, newcomers taught on site.
Class of 1976 50th Reunion
📍 The Maronite Center · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 5:30 p.m.
Fifty years later, same jokes, better stories.
Rick Bruckner Live, Dock Side on the Deck
📍 2802 Lake Rd. · Clark, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 6 p.m.
Live music on the deck overlooking the lake.
Libations Winery Welcomes Hair Supply
📍 Libations Winery · Grove City, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 6 p.m.
Eighties hair-metal tribute band plus a full winery.
Agrivahr at Steve's Backroad Bar & Grill
📍 Steve's Backroad Bar & Grill · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 6 p.m.
Live rock closing out the 4th Annual Vets Run.
Cheeseburgers in Paradise: Jimmy Buffett Tribute
📍 Firestone Farms · Columbiana, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 6:30 p.m.
Courtyard concert with margaritas and questionable shirt choices.
The Southern Outlaws Band at Bushwicks
📍 446 South St. SE · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7 p.m.
National recording southern rock act plays Warren.
Toys at Night, 25% Off
📍 4501 Belmont Ave. · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7 p.m.
After-hours collectible toy shopping at a quarter off.
Southside Fiasco at The 1547 Project
📍 The 1547 Project · Cortland, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7 p.m.
Local rock band in a small listening room.
Rockwood Drive Returns to Up a Creek
📍 Up a Creek Bar · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7 p.m.
Crowd-favorite cover band back by popular demand.
Lawrence County Fair Demolition Derby
📍 Lawrence County Fairgrounds · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7 p.m.
Cars crashing into cars. Warm-up for Canfield.
Free Movie in the Park
📍 1928 E. Washington St. · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7:30 p.m.
Free outdoor movie, blankets and bug spray recommended.
BANG BANG
📍 220 W. Boardman St. · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 7:30 p.m.
Downtown Youngstown night out with live entertainment.
The Look at Beaver Falls Turners
📍 Beaver Falls Turners · Beaver Falls, PA
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 8 p.m.
Dance-floor cover band at a classic club.
AC & The Heat
📍 8942 Youngstown-Pittsburgh Rd. · Poland, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 8 p.m.
Blues and soul band playing late in Poland.
Fyath, Øutlier & Singled Out
📍 Westside Bowl · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sat, Aug. 22 · 8 p.m.
Three heavy local bands in the bowling alley.
☀️ Sunday, Aug. 23
24th Annual RoboCat Booster Golf Outing
📍 Bedford Trails Golf Course · Lowellville, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 8 a.m.
Golf outing funding a high school robotics team.
Shaker Woods Festival
📍 Shaker Woods · Columbiana, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 9 a.m.
Handmade crafts in the woods, plus incredible festival food.
2nd Annual Trading Card Event
📍 St. Marguerite's Club Mahoningtown · New Castle, PA
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 10 a.m.
Buy, sell, and trade cards with serious collectors.
Brunch with Sorry for Interrupting
📍 Westside Bowl · Youngstown, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 12 p.m.
Live band, brunch food, and bowling in one room.
Up a Creek Bike & Car Show
📍 4793 E. Market St. · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 12 p.m.
Bikes, classic cars, food, and trophies all afternoon.
Steel Valley Women's Ladder Match
📍 419 N. State St. · Girard, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 12 p.m.
Independent pro wrestling with a title hanging overhead.
Ayurvedic Yoga Workshop
📍 109 E. Market St. · Mercer, PA
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 1 p.m.
Afternoon workshop pairing yoga with ayurvedic practice.
Bayou Blue Band: CCR & Linda Ronstadt Tribute (Free)
📍 Firestone Park · Columbiana, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 2 p.m.
Free park concert covering two absolute legends.
Solo Sixstring at The Vineyards at Pine Lake
📍 The Vineyards at Pine Lake · Columbiana, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 2 p.m.
Acoustic guitar, wine, and a lake view.
Candywood Summer Fest with Chris Higbee
📍 Candywood Wine Cellar · Vienna, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 3 p.m.
Fiddle-driven country party at the winery.
Music in the Park: Humble Music
📍 Bazetta Park · Cortland, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 4 p.m.
Free evening concert, bring a chair and cooler.
LaBrae Marching Band at the Scrappers Game
📍 Eastwood Field · Niles, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 4:05 p.m.
Baseball plus a high school band performance.
Music in the Park with RTR
📍 Howland Township Park · Warren, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 6 p.m.
Free Sunday evening concert under the park pavilion.
New Frontiers ~ Next Journey Summer Concert
📍 Waterworth Memorial Park · Salem, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 6 p.m.
Journey tribute closing out Salem's summer concert series.
Music in the Park
📍 Tod Park · Girard, OH
🕰️ Sun, Aug. 23 · 6:30 p.m.
Girard's free park concert to end the weekend.
🔭 Looking Ahead
Ohio School of Falconry
📍 12798 Echo Dell Rd. · East Liverpool, OH
🕰️ Sat, Sept. 5 · 1 p.m.
Meet working hawks and owls up very close.
The 180th Canfield Fair
📍 Canfield Fairgrounds, 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Rd. · Canfield, OH
🕰️ Wed, Sept. 2 to Mon, Sept. 7 · Gates 8 a.m. daily
Six days, free parking, and everything up above.The Canfield Fair brings the whole Valley out for six days. YoTown Scoop keeps local businesses in front of those same people all week long, every week, in an email folks actually open on purpose. If you want your business in front of the Valley this fall, hit reply and let's talk. We keep the list of sponsors short and local, and we write your ad so it reads like the rest of the newsletter instead of an interruption.
🌟 P.S.
The fair is the one week a year when the whole Valley agrees on something: show up, eat too much, walk too far, and stay until the lights come on. The other fifty-one weeks, we argue about pizza. Both of those things are why this place is home.
So: hit reply. Give us your fifteen answers, your first-food-home, and anything we should be covering. The best tips come from people paying attention. 🎡
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