Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:

• We may have to endure “Rust Belt” slurs living in the Mahoning Valley, but at least we have great pizza.

Our tomato pie supremacy will be on display March 5 at the Eastwood Expo Centre in Niles for the Rotary Club of Warren’s annual Slice of the Valley.

Ten area pizza makers will be serving up slices — Amen Corner, Cocca’s Pizza, Gionino’s Pizzeria, Ianazone’s Homemade Pizza, Pizza Joe’s, Pymatuning Pizza, Salvatore’s restaurants, St. A’s Bistro, St. Anthony’s Brier Hill Pizza and Marco’s Pizza.

They’ll be judged by a panel that includes food experts like former White House Chef Guy Mitchell, Station Square owner / chef Ottavio Musumeci and food sensory panelist Fred Young as well as celebrities such as Butch Patrick (Eddie on “The Munsters”), Cleveland Cavaliers announcer Sean Peebles and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mike Tomczak.

I get to be on the panel, too, although I certainly stretch the definition of the term “celebrity.” I feel a bit like the ugliest mutt at the pound on that dais while watching autograph seekers line up in front of the athletes and actors. But there certainly are worse ways to spend a winter Sunday afternoon than sampling pizzas.

And it’s all for a good cause. The event raises $35,000 to $45,000 annually and proceeds have benefited such organizations as Animal Welfare League, Warren Family Mission, St. Vincent de Paul and Cadence Care Network.

Entertainment will be provided by the Joe Augustine Trio. Seven area breweries (Biker Brewhouse, Birdfish, Modern Methods, Noble Creature Cask House, Ohio Brewing Company, Paladin Brewing and Penguin City Beer) will sell their products and The Mocha House will sell desserts.

The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults (which includes three slices of pizza) and $5 for children (two slices of pizza). Extra slices can be purchased for $2 each. Tickets are available in advance online at

sliceofthevalley.com.

• Hot, sweaty clubs and bars more commonly are associated with live music.

Brite Winter offers a different experience — an outdoor music festival in February in unpredictable and often inhospitable northeast Ohio weather.

The event on the West Bank of the The Flats in Cleveland features three outdoor stages of music and public art installations.

Welshly Arms (a former Federal Frenzy headliner) is the main attraction this year. The band has Cleveland roots but has achieved international success and accumulated more than 350 million streams of songs like “Legendary,” “Sanctuary” and “Indestructible.”

Youngstown’s Labra Brothers will be one of the first acts on the main stage, scheduled to play 5 p.m. Saturday. The rest of the lineup includes Signals Midwest, Fox Royale, Grumpy Plum, Skuff Micksun, Detention, Free Black!, Angela Perley, The Rosies, Shoreline Funk All-Stars, Tobyraps, Indre, Big Pop, Simon & the Apparatus, Honey Pocket, Rubix Groove, Da Land Brass Band, Sadhu, Cellophane Jane and School of Rock Headliners.

Music runs from 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday. General admission is $10 for adults and free for children, and concertgoers can pay extra for tickets that include a Brite Winter hat and koozie ($30) or access to Fluri’s Clubhouse ($75), a new addition that includes access to a heated tent and private restroom trailer.

According to the forecast, the drive to and from Cleveland should be snow-free, but the predicted high is only 37 degrees. I can’t make it this year, but I’ve gone in the past. It’s a fun event, but trust me when I say you can’t wear too many layers of clothing.