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Saturday's Grey to Green points to future 
Posted on: September 10, 2009
Saturday in Wick Park, a unique assemblage of vendors, entertainment and family-friendly fun, headlined by urban farmer and MacArthur "Genius" Award winner Will Allen.
Allen will present at the pavilion at 11:00 am and will participate in a 3 pm panel discussion titled "Economics, 'Food Racism' and Urban Agriculture" at the Unitarian Church across from the park, on Elm Street.
The Grey to Green festival schedule includes musical performances at 10 am (Caledonia Mission), 2:30 pm (YSU Gospel Choir), 3 pm (McKelvy Raygun), 3:30 pm (U.N. Act) and 4 pm (Sam Goodwill). There are nature walks and theater and lots of good stuff.
The list of Grey to Green vendors is nearly endless, so there is plenty to discover, like deconstruction, energy audits, clothing, jewelry, art, sculpture, gems, writing and much more.
Come out and learn about urban farming and how you can be a part of it, or just come to be entertained, or just come out to hang in historic Wick Park.
More than that, you can volunteer to help make the event a success:
- Assisting Vendors as needed in setting up canopies and tables and also helping them dismantle at the close of the festival.
- Directing the public to various exhibits, entertainment, and activities located at the festival throughout the day. Offering assistance to the public as needed.
- Handing out programs to the public.
- Cleaning–up during the day as well as after the festival is over.
- Assisting the entertainment committee as needed in stage set up, etc.
- Assisting the children’s committee by helping children make various projects in the children’s activities area.
- Assisting at the Drop and Shop to help the public carry items to and from the area.
- Serving as general volunteers for whatever area needs assistance at any given time. Examples include: Children’s activities tent, Farmers Market, Recreate Drop and Shop, Art Youngstown, Main Stage, Vendor’s area, Command Central, Exhibition area, Food area, Guest Speaker, etc.
The festival hours are from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Volunteers are not required to stay for the duration of the event and are encouraged to participate in two hour shifts from:
8AM to 10AM (set-up), 10AM to Noon, Noon to 2PM, 2PM to 4PM, and 4PM to 6PM.
Volunteers should report to Command Central located at the registration tent the day of the festival for further direction.
Call or email:
Susie Beiersdorfer at 330-881-1050 or slbeiersdorfer@neo.rr.com
or
Jack Daugherty at 330-518-9227 or jndaugherty@student.ysu.edu
- Requires free registration.
Comments
I am pleased to see that agriculture is being brought forward in Youngstown. This conversion will be the beginning of the area accepting that heavy industry of the past is not our future.
Today the highest price real estate in Ohio is not lakefront property, it is Holmes county. The Amish have made their land bloom. They never let anyone take away their love for the land. This has been missing in the Mahoning county. Alas! I think we are beginning to get it. We must no longer look to the smokestacks in the sky, but rather the soil and the water on the ground.
As a south sider, I would love to have a drop off area for the Grow Youngstown http://www.growyoungstown.org/ organic share to take place. Wish more south siders would sign up for this great opportunity for a ton of fresh, local, organic food. They will be at this festival & I hope more people sign up for next year. All in all, can't wait to stop by, bang on some drums, get a tie-dye shirt & mingle without artery clogging fried foods in the air. ;)
What disturbs me about urban agriculture in Youngstown is that our leaders seem to run from a once in a lifetime opportunity which will slam shut by April 2010. This opportunity is so significant, that it would free up majority of the vacant land in Youngstown. If Youngstown does not take advantage of this window, all the abandoned land will be tied up legally for decades. If Youngstown is serious in converting vacant land, tax delinquent land, I will provide a lawyer who has cleaned up more land than any entity other than ATF.
This was a fantastic event, by my estimate there were over 700 people in attendance throughout the day. Lots of networking, fun for kids, people of all persuasions laughing and hanging out together enjoying the music, art and discussions, and display booths.
This is what Youngstown should be about! and this is why I moved here!
Last night I had my first green Youngstown shrimp dinner. I honestly have to say it was more satisfying than the euphoria felt when closing a real estate deal. Maybe something akin to cutting the time when playing "impressions", like Elvin Jones.
The feeling hardly can be explain when you sit down do partake in something that you have grown on your own soil and water. Now I know why the American farmer feeds the world, the land makes him do it.