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AUSTINTOWN -- What started with a conversation between two women and an idea to bring people affected by cancer together has grown into a community-wide celebration filling Austintown Township Park with music, food, vendors and, most importantly, people supporting one another.
Now in its fourth year, the Pink Out grew from approximately 20 vendors during its first festival to about 50 this year. The event has expanded beyond the park's band shelter, added food trucks and activities, and attracted musicians willing to donate their time to perform.
But even as the event has grown, its original purpose has remained the same: give people affected by cancer a day to simply be together.
Jenah Shank, one of the Pink Out organizers, said the idea began about five years ago when she was performing at the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life in Boardman.
Shank, a musician who plays guitar and piano, met breast cancer survivor Sheila Crowe Dickinson there. Dickinson had been involved with numerous fundraisers, walks and other efforts supporting people affected by cancer, but she had something different in mind.
"She said, 'I'd like to do something that isn't a fundraiser, but more a gathering and a celebration,'" Shank recalled.
Dickinson envisioned bringing together survivors, current patients and those who had lost someone to cancer and giving them a day when treatments, bills, appointments and the other realities of serious illness could take a back seat.
That conversation eventually became the Pink Out.
Planning began five years ago, with the first festival taking place the following year. After seeing the response to the first two events, the organization became a 501(c)3 nonprofit approximately two years ago.
Each year, more of the community has become involved.
This year marked the first time the event expanded into an additional building at Austintown Township Park rather than operating exclusively from the band shelter. Along with approximately 50 vendors, the festival included food trucks, live music, a basket raffle, survivor bags, children's bags and other activities.
Some of that growth wasn't necessarily planned. People simply started asking how they could help.
When community members began donating baskets, the organizers added a basket raffle. Musicians volunteered to perform. Vendors continued signing up. What started as a relatively small gathering continued to take on a life of its own.
"It's a beautiful thing that people just want to give," Shank said.
This year's growth carried additional meaning following Dickinson's death in early September after a 15-year battle with cancer.
"This was her baby. This is what she wanted -- her vision," Shank said.
Dickinson's niece, Ashley Kroll, has watched that vision expand firsthand.
Kroll now serves as the Pink Out's vendor coordinator, a role her aunt previously held. She said the event had only about 20 vendors during its first year. This year, she coordinated approximately 50.
"I'm super proud to have gotten that many vendors this year," Kroll said, noting that the turnout was particularly meaningful because other major community events were happening the same day, including the Pink Lights the Way Cupcake Walk at 7 17 Credit Union Field at Eastwood in Niles.
For Kroll, continuing the work is also a way to honor her aunt.
"My Aunt Sheila was the co-founder of Pink Out," she said. "So I am just here to honor her memory."
Despite the festival's growth, Kroll's hope for those who attend remains simple.
"I'm hoping that people will just get peace and happiness from this day," she said. "The sun is out, and just joy, and being able to enjoy their day."
Dickinson's sister, Brenda Crawford of Austintown, also sees the growing event as a continuation of her sister's work.
Crawford is herself a two-year breast cancer survivor who completed her final treatment in November. She said much of this year's Pink Out was held in Dickinson's honor.
"She would love this -- all the work that has gone into this," Crawford said.
Crawford emphasized that while breast cancer is an important part of the Pink Out's story, the gathering is intended for people affected by all types of cancer.
"It's a celebration," Crawford said.
The event gives survivors and families a chance to meet others who have faced similar experiences -- but in a setting far removed from hospital rooms and medical appointments.
"You'll find there's so many people that have been through similar things that you've been through," Crawford said.
She also hopes the event serves as a reminder about the importance of cancer screenings.
"Get your testing," Crawford said. "Don't put it off, because it truly can save your life."
That message is echoed by Austintown resident Roberta Simeone, a two-time breast cancer survivor.
Simeone was first diagnosed in 2007 and then again in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because she has faced breast cancer twice, she continues to receive checkups every six months.
Her reason for celebrating at the Pink Out is straightforward.
"I'm still here," Simeone said.
For her, the event is an opportunity not only to celebrate survivors but to educate people about the importance of early detection and advocating for their own health.
"You have to be your own advocate," Simeone said. "You have to do your own homework. You have to pursue it. Or I wouldn't be here."
Music also has remained an important part of the Pink Out as the festival has expanded.
Shank has seen firsthand what music can provide for people dealing with serious illness. She has performed for a woman receiving hospice care in her home, a young child with brain cancer and elderly people who were unable to get out.
During one visit, she performed for a hospice patient who had once sung in her church choir. The woman joined in as much as she was able. During another, Shank brought children's music and shakers to the home of a child battling brain cancer.
Shank would eventually like to expand that concept, creating more opportunities to bring musicians directly to people who are seriously ill, homebound or otherwise unable to attend events.
For now, that connection happens each year at the Pink Out.