STRUTHERS — Jim Fabry fondly remembered when the late Margaret Williams used to carefully and traditionally prepare barbecue spare ribs in a washtub that was complemented with a small flame and accompanying griddle.

“It would take her all day to make the ribs, but it was well worth the wait,” Fabry, 78, of Simi Valley, California, said.

Back then, he didn’t have far to go to taste Williams’ delicacies, because she was among his close-knit neighbors.

Fabry took advantage of the opportunity to have a few ribs of his own while reuniting and reconnecting with many others from where he grew up, courtesy of an annual Struthers North Side Neighborhood reunion Saturday afternoon in the 300 block of Woodbine Avenue. For 21 years, Fabry lived on neighboring Oakview Avenue.

A few dozen people of all ages gathered for the all-afternoon celebratory, family-friendly reunion to share tidbits of their past and present. For Fabry, Saturday was extra special, because he also attended his Struthers High School Class of 1965’s 60-year reunion.

In addition, while he’s in the Mahoning Valley, Fabry plans to attend the Canfield Fair for the first time since he and his wife married more than 50 years ago.

“The neighborhood is about the same. It’s nice visiting people we know,” said Fabry, who retired after having worked 30 years for Pacific Bell and 11 years as a bus driver for the Simi Valley School District.

The impetus for moving 2,400 miles from Struthers 57 years ago was visiting his wife’s parents on Fabry’s honeymoon, “and we never came back,” he said.

For Ed Cox, the reason for helping to organize the reunion — which he began doing five years ago — was about as straightforward as the rice and baked beans, pulled pork, hamburgers and hot dogs, pizza, cake and beverages were plentiful.

“I love my neighborhood and I love the people here. The neighborhood is quiet and serene,” said Cox, who got married in his grandparents’ home at 117 Woodbine Ave., now lives on the same street and works for Duquesne University’s information-technology department.

Between when he came to Struthers in 1961 at age 1 and when he found his way back to the old stomping ground years later, Cox had moved to Cleveland in his 10th-grade year. Cox added that his grandfather, Herb Tinsley Sr., was the best man at his wedding.

“It’s great coming back to the city of Struthers and seeing the old neighborhood and friends,” said Larry Allen of Youngstown, who retired after having worked for Packard Electric and Trivium Packaging.

Allen, who grew up near West Washington and Grant streets in Struthers, recalled when his family was among 14 families who had to relocate in the late 1990s when the Union Truss Railroad Bridge was built over the Mahoning River next to Bob Cene Way.

“It’s great to see kids who I grew up with are with older folks, who helped raise us,” Allen, who is part of the 7th Ward Citizens Coalition’s board of directors, said about the mix of attendees Saturday.

Also filled with recollections and memories of the neighborhood was Mildred Irvine Turner, 92, who came to the city from Weirton, W.Va., when she was in third grade. The 1950 Struthers High graduate lamented that many people she knew have moved or are deceased, though that failed to dampen her enjoyment at Saturday’s get-together.

One of those with whom Turner shared memories was Velma Williams-Miller of Cleveland, who moved to that city at age 11 and returned to Struthers when she was 18.

“Things like these are important and keep Struthers family-oriented,” Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller said, adding, “Everybody makes you feel like you’re at home.”

The gathering also featured plenty of music. Perhaps fittingly, one of the selections was the 1985 R&B hit song “Saturday Love” by Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal.