YOUNGSTOWN — By its size, composition and overall appearance, it was a typical marble cake.

Even though it lacked the space to hold 226 candles, the writing in the frosting told a story that added uniqueness as an ingredient for the dessert.

“That is the most important part of the (Youngstown) story, the people,” H. William Lawson, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s executive director, said.

Lawson gave a brief history of the city at Mahoning Commons, 530 Mahoning Ave., shortly before the cutting of the cake, on which was written in frosting, “Happy birthday, Youngstown, 226 years.”

The ceremony also was among the events and festivities that made up Saturday’s Celebrate Healthy Community Activity Day and Happy Birthday Youngstown gathering at Mahoning Commons.

A major sponsor was the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.

As far as historical records can tell, John Young, the city’s founder, traveled west across the Pennsylvania mountains before reaching the Beaver River, where he took a canoe to the Mahoning River then landed near the Spring Commons Bridge downtown, Lawson explained.

Young expressed an interest in buying more than 15,500 acres before establishing a purchase agreement in February 1797 with the Connecticut Land Co. Later, he returned to sell some of the property back to make a profit, though it’s unknown how well he did financially on the deal, Lawson said.

The executive director noted that Young settled in the area only from 1798 to 1804 before moving to Whitesboro, N.Y., where his wife’s family lived.

Young, who was a surveyor by trade, made only a handful of additional trips to the Mahoning Valley before he died in 1825, Lawson said.

Later, Youngstown became a major center for iron and steel production for nearly 80 years of the 20th century. Decades later, the area is populated by many people committed to continuing the work of making it a better city, Lawson continued.

The daylong event included bicycle rides and walking tours to historic sites in the city, along with learning the history of longtime Youngstown businesses such as the Western Reserve Transit Authority, Adam Lee, Youngstown CityScape program director, noted. Also included was a guided tour along the Mahoning River, as well as cooking demonstrations and the availability of healthful foods, he added.

One of the stops was the Calvin Center for the Arts, 755 Mahoning Ave., which the renowned architect and bricklayer P. Ross Berry built in the 1800s and was used as a city school until the 1940s.

“I like showing people what’s cool about the Mahoning Commons,” Erin Timms, the Calvin Center’s owner and a vegan chef, said.

After treating attendees to her vegetarian oyster mushroom po’ boy treats, Timms took her guests on a detailed tour of the three-story building.

In addition to the center, Berry, who was one of the region’s most successful businessmen, constructed about 60 buildings in the area, said Timms, who also was an urban archaeologist.

The top floor was used as an auditorium mainly for children, but plans are in the works to convert it to hotel space. Another priority is to turn part of the building into an air bed and breakfast, she explained.

Timms also took a few dozen people through the first floor, which has several yoga studios and mixed-use space. Her tenants have included the Rust Belt Theater Co., which vacated the building in February largely because of pandemic-related struggles, she said.

The business is now at Club Switch in Youngstown, part of which was converted to theater space.

The center also has several spacious rooms often used for a variety of events, all of which have large windows that allow in an abundance of light, Timms continued.

Also happy to be part of the festivities was city Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, who said it was “heartwarming” for the community to reconnect after a two-year absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is all made possible by a strong sense of community,” she said before cutting the first slice of the birthday cake.