125 years ago, 1895

St. Ann’s Catholic Church was robbed by an unholy hand. The Brier Hill church was shocked by the news that a team of thieves whisked away some of its most sacred pieces. The church’s sexton had made his rounds through the building the night before and noted that everything seemed in place, all of the doors were locked and the windows fastened closed. Across the street, Father J. P. Barry was getting ready for bed when he looked out the window towards the church, as he always did, and saw nothing wrong.

Just before 6 a.m. the following day, the sexton made his way back to the church to ring the morning Angelus prayer and found the back door unlocked. It was clear that something had gone amiss through the night. He immediately called for Father Barry, who assisted in the investigation. The sacrilegious robbers entered the sacristy and a gold and silver chalice and paten were taken. The room also contained the priest’s vestments and while they were moved from their regular location, they had not been taken. The church’s sanctuary was their next stop, where they found that the thieves wedged the tabernacle door open.

From the tabernacle, the thieves took two ciboria, containers which hold the consecrated Eucharist of the sacrament of Holy Communion. These vessels were made of solid silver with one-eighth of an inch of gold plate on the inside. The items were worth about $150 (more than $4,500 in 2020). Father Barry noted that he would gladly lose the monetary value if he could recover possession of the sacred contents. The crime was reported to police headquarters and several officers visited the church to investigate. Father Barry said that he had some suspicions as to who the thieves might be and made sure to share that information with the police. It was the first robbery of its kind in Youngstown and caused considerable consternation in Catholic circles.

50 years ago, 1970

A little mud, cold and court-ordered injunction couldn’t stop music fans from attending the Piper Rock Festival in Newton Falls. The festival was attended by about 10,000 people and “everybody took at least a little of the cow pastures and lanes out with him on clothes and shoes.” The site, Newton Falls’ Lightner Farm, had been heavily damaged by rain and festivalgoers found their cars stuck in ditches or themselves sinking into the ground. While a few groups had to drop out due to the weather conditions, including The Byrds, Glass Harp and Cold Blood, several toughed it out. Performing were Smith, Marble Cake, Good Earth, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Alice Blue and Pig Iron. Along with the music, the ARA Chuckwagon made its way from Cleveland with food and drink.

All of this was done despite a court injunction to stop the festival by Trumbull County Sheriff Robert Barnett. The injunction, signed by Judge George Buchwalter, cited a lack of adequate sanitation but was never enforced. The sheriff simply did not have enough manpower to stop the crowds. Gary Gardiner of Piper Promotions waited all day for the sheriff’s department to come, but they never did. Sheriff Barnett stated that it would be up to the prosecutor to move forward with any action.

While sheriff deputies were not seen at the festival, many were helping to maintain a flow of traffic nearby. Neighbors did not seem to mind what was happening as long as no serious damage was done. Some even noted that “this is the way kids enjoy themselves.” And enjoy themselves, they did. Several young people had camped out the previous night and stripped down to swim in a nearby stream. It was also reported that drugs were being freely used on the grounds “and many people were affected by something — if only the weather and the loud sounds of the music amplified by speakers elevated on stands up to 25 feet high.”

40 years ago, 1980

The Idora Park Ballroom played host to a large crowd supporting Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Edward Kennedy. Youngstown Mayor George Vukovich welcomed Kennedy and presented him with a key to the city. More than 3,000 people were on hand to listen to Kennedy speak, a speech that focused on the steel industry and reopening local mills. The crowd roared with support as Kennedy spoke, “John Kennedy came here and said the steel industry will not be abandoned by the U.S.; and now, 20 years later, his brother comes here and says the same thing. I know I’m an underdog, but I’m in this fight all the way. June 3rd is the date, Ohio is the state, and Kennedy is the candidate!” Several political observers noted that it was likely one of Kennedy’s best performances.

• Compiled from the archives of the Youngstown Vindicator by Traci Manning, MVHS curator of education.