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Selah seeks viewers for ‘Three Viewings’

Selah Dessert Theater invites theatergoers to a funeral — three funerals, to be exact — but director Mary Ruth Lynn promises it won’t be a sad occasion. “Three Viewings” by Jeffrey Hatcher opens its 2025-26 season tonight in the performance space above Selah Restaurant in Struthers. That wasn’t the original plan. Lynn originally scheduled “Ripcord” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire as the opener. Before that, it was slated to close the 2024-25 season, but in both cases casting difficulties forced her to find an alternative. “Three ...

Vampire Circus combines spooky characters and acrobatics

Acrobatic feats combine with horror imagery in Vampire Circus, which comes to Powers Auditorium the day before Halloween. The touring show was created by Francisco Santos, who comes from a long line of entertainers and circus performers. And he grew up watching B&W horror movies with his grandmother on weekends. Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” was the first one that made a lasting impression on him. “I’m a fanatic and crazy fan of horror stories and movies, and with my circus background, I wanted to bring both things together,” Santos said during a telephone ...

Planetarium, society plan Skywatch event in Canfield

The Youngstown State University Ward Beecher Planetarium and the Mahoning Valley Astronomical Society will have a Skywatch event at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The outdoor event at Williamson Innovation Park, 8399 Tippecanoe Road, Canfield, will include telescope viewings, stargazing opportunities, and educational discussions led by astronomy enthusiasts from YSU and the society. Admission and parking are free, and telescopes will be provided. Guests are encouraged to dress for the weather. The rain date is Tuesday.

Youngstown library hosts award-winning author

Author John Schu will speak Tuesday at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s main library. “Louder Than Hunger!,” a novel in verse about a young teen with anorexia, was a New York Times bestseller. Schu’s other books include “This Is a School,” illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison; “This Is a Story,” illustrated by Lauren Castillo; “Ruthie Rose’s Big Idea: A Poetry Story,” illustrated by Holly Hatam; and “The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life.” “Lily-May’s Joyful Day,” illustrated by Holly Hatam, is ...

Jo Dee Messina to play Packard

WARREN — Jo Dee Messina will play Packard Music Hall on April 24, 2026. Between her 1996 debut and 2007, Messina had about 20 top 40 country hits, including “Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright,” “Stand Beside Me” and “Bring on the Rain,” a duet with Tim McGraw. Messina is a two-time Grammy nominee and an ACM, CMA and Billboard award winner. Her first new album in more than decade is slated for release next year, according to her website. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show start at $39.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. An online-only presale runs 10 a.m. ...

YSU Jazz Ensemble honors jazz figures

The Youngstown State University Jazz Ensemble will pay tribute to three local and international jazz figures who died this year with its Monday concert. The ensemble, directed by Kent J. Engelhardt, will play “Feels So Good” and “Land of Make Believe” by flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, who died July 22. Mangione, who had a top-5 single in 1977 with the instrumental “Feels So Good” and a double platinum-selling album of the same name, helped establish a jazz scholarship at YSU. In 1994 he played three concerts in Youngstown — a duo with Tony Leonardi, who taught at YSU ...