Unity is the theme of a Youngstown City Schools Visual and Performing Arts project that will soon be showcased at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

“Each building is making a collaborative painting,” explained Tracy Schuler Vivo, school district Visual and Performing Art coordinator. “It brings everyone together in the district.”

Students in both elementary and high schools had the opportunity to contribute to the Unity Project, painting in their own way on 3-foot by 4-foot canvases donated by the TIMBRE Group of Youngstown.

There will be 12 paintings total.

The paintings are set to be on display at Mill Creek MetroPark’s Fellows Riverside Garden Davis Center from Jan. 9-31. An open reception to meet the students and teachers behind the project will be at the Davis Center from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16.

Each painting will be accompanied by a quote explaining each building’s take on unity.

For example, Martin Luther King Elementary’s piece titled “Creating Together” is accompanied by art teacher Christine Williams’s quote, “Together we create.”

The piece is made up of a series of lines, symbols, letters and more – each from every art student in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Quenci Duckworth, 8, said her symbol was based on her goals for the future – to be a beautician.

She was excited to share a piece of herself with everyone else.

“I like that we all get to do this together because we’ve never done something like this before,” Quenci said.

Williams echoed Quenci’s sentiment.

“The kids like seeing a visual representation of their drawing in with the whole project,” she said. “It’s just nice – the fact that everyone is included, and we get to show the community that we are all part of something together.”

Other projects include visual representations of the blending of various cultures.

Choffin Career and Technical Center’s project, titled “Unity has no boundaries,” is accompanied by the following message: “When we have unity in our neighborhoods and communities, we can move barriers, mountains and even the world.

“Streets can become endless and the fences and barriers that once divided us no longer can be seen in our sights.”

The painting displays a road, with fence posts on each side and a white and black hand joining in the center sleeved with flags from several nations.

For information about the VPA Unity Project or VPA, contact Schuler Vivo at 330-744-8830 or Tracy.Schuler-Vivo@youngstown.k12.oh.us.

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Mill Creek MetroParks just finished up a major upgrade to the Mill Creek Golf Course.

The improvements were made on the South Course bunkers, the cart staging area and the field house. The restoration project cost over $250,000.

The bunker restoration project addressed 36 bunkers throughout Mill Creek’s South Course. Work included excavation of existing sand and soil, installation of new conduit and gravel for improved drainage, and installation of new sand and sod. That part of the project was done by Golf Preservations, Incorporated for $219,870.

The cart staging area project included construction of two additional parking bays for golf carts. The project included excavation and demolition work, installation of new concrete parking bays, a concrete plaza and asphalt cart paths, along with additional soil and drainage work. The $58,787.50 project was awarded to Parella-Pannunzio, Inc.

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Santa made a stop at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield Sunday afternoon.

Kids had a chance to get their picture taken with Santa or a check out a reindeer and other animals for free.

Organizers said this event is very weather dependent.

But this year, Mother Nature cooperated and the farm got a nice crowd.

“We noticed people as they’re coming in — they’re meeting in the parking lot,” said Brenda Markley, agriculture education manager. “So it’s like grandma, grandpa driving separately, aunts and uncles, cousins. So it’s kind of a family gathering thing and they’re all coming together to watch the kids with Santa and the animals.”

For just a dollar, the kids could make an ornament to hang on the Christmas tree.

Mill Creek Metroparks hosted its annual Pumpkin Walk at Twilight event at Fellows Riverside Gardens on Oct. 15.

The gardens had pumpkins along the walkways and on ledges throughout the park. The park also had music, face painting and other events in the park and in the D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center.

The park opened workshops for pumpkin carving to the public between Oct. 12-14. More than 500 people came to the workshops. This added to the collection of pumpkins the park already had for the event, which gave them a total of more than 1,500 pumpkins.

The Ford Nature Center and pumpkin artist Ron Roberts had displays in the Kidston Pavilion overlooking Lake Glacier. The Ford Nature Center had a “Creatures of the Night“ exhibit, where they showed pictures, skins and taxidermy of different animals. Roberts had a set up of some of his extremely detailed pumpkin carvings for his display.

J.D. Eicher sang and played guitar in the gazebo for the walkers. His music could be heard all along the pumpkin paths.

The park also had events inside the Davis Center. The Kravitz’s Garden Caf had cookies and hot dogs for sale and gave away free apple cider.

In the basement, they had a panel from different people and organizations. The panel included the Mahoning Valley Dahlia Society, Audubon Society of the Mahoning Valley, the Garden District Neighborhood, Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown, zoologist and bug enthusiast Jim Smolka, artist Jim Green and author Hugh Earnhart.

The two rooms in the basement also were the locations for events. Jeanne Rees and her daughters had a face painting area in one room and the other room had a place for children to decorate small pumpkins.

Mill Creek Metroparks has run the event for 12 years.

The walk has evolved over the years, including the additions of Jim Smolka four years ago and Ron Roberts two years ago.

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“Kunkins” are what 3-year-old Owen Dobbins of Lordstown dubbed the stars of the Pumpkin Walk at Twilight 2017 on Sunday at Mill Creek MetroParks’ Fellows Riverside Gardens.

Owen particularly liked the pumpkins carved in the likenesses of Anna and Elsa, characters in Disney’s animated film “Frozen,” said his mother, Ashley Dobbins. She and her friend Cody Griffin of Austintown praised the event for being family-oriented – “something to do for kids and families.”

They were among thousands who, despite the threat of inclement weather, found their way to the 12th annual Pumpkin Walk at Twilight and strolled around the grounds admiring the scary and skillfully carved Halloween pumpkins on display.

Andrew Pratt, Fellows Riverside Gardens director, said about 10,000 attended the event in 2016 and estimated this year’s Pumpkin Walk featured about 1,500 pumpkins.

For those who missed Sunday’s Pumpkin Walk, the pumpkins will be on display for a few more days, depending on the weather, said Lynn Zocolo, a park educator.

In addition to the pumpkins, the gardens hosted several activities including a pumpkin-carving demonstration and entertainment by local singer/song writer JD Eicher, who sang and played the acoustical guitar and harmonica in the musical mode of James Taylor and John Mayer.

Mike and Mari Kocjancic of Boardman and their children – Lily and Maddy, both 6, Sophie, 5, and Deacon, 3 – were first-time visitors to the Pumpkin Walk. “The kids love pumpkins and Halloween,” Mari said.

Danielle Mellott and Shane Miller, both of New Castle, Pa., learned of the Pumpkin Walk during a visit to Lanterman’s Mill in the park earlier in the day and decided to stay for the event, which ran from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

“I like scary things,” Mellott said.

“Inspiring” is how Julie Shaw of Edinburg, Pa., described the carved pumpkins. “They give me lots of ideas,” said Shaw, who came to the event with her children – Ryder, 8, Barrett, 4, and Carter, 2 – and the children’s grandparents, Jeff and Pam Shaw of Harlansburg, Pa.

Beth and Jesse Troy of Cornersburg said they enjoyed Pumpkin Walk 2016 immensely and made sure to come back for this year’s event. They love to take pictures of the pumpkins and show them via Skype to their grandchildren in California.

“I love the ambience when the torches are lighted. The walk is beautiful,” said Beth.

Campbell Municipal Court Judge Patrick Cunning attended the event with several family members, including his granddaughters – Diana Cunning, who turned 1 Saturday, and Caroline Rankin, 6 months.

“It’s an outstanding family event. It’s magical,” the judge said.

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