Calling All Youngstowners (present and former)
I have been looking at a lot of sites lately dedicated to Youngstown. I am pleased with the pride that all of these people have for their community.
I grew up in Y-town, and even though I left, I carry my small town, working class, ethnic and religious pride with me wherever I go. My family visits Youngstown about once a month. I have to say, in a good way, that there is no place like it in the world. Every time we visit my parents’ church, everyone knows us, kisses our kids, makes us feel as though we live down the street. It’s hard to find that sense of community these days!
Please visit this link to find something truly unique about the Y-town area:
http://shoutyoungstown.blogspot.com/2008/07/return-of-baby-doll-dance.html#links
You’ll see video from the annual Mount Carmel Festival in Lowellville (down the hill, literally, from my parents’ house). There is a very unusual ritual called the Baby Doll Dance. If I try to describe it to you, you won’t believe me. But it’s incredible. There is definitely a story there waiting to be written! I hope to take my family to see it next summer.
Although I’m not in Youngstown anymore, I am very committed to singing its praises and helping in anyway I can with its revitalization.
In fact, I’ve had this crazy idea lately: What if you could create a public relations campaign that would tout Y-town for its small community, sense of pride, friendly neighbors, strong faith, etc.? Aren’t a lot of people hungry for this stuff? It would take some pioneers to settle in from elsewhere and keep the flavor going, but I think it could work. Am I crazy?
Recognizing Who You Strive to Be in a Well-Known Journalist
(I have been meaning to write this for awhile, so please forgive that it’s not so timely.)
I was trying to figure out why Tim Russert’s death so greatly affected me. Honestly, I was not a devoted fan of “Meet the Press.” Sunday is typically not a TV day for me, and usually it would be about ten minutes before the program ended when I would say, “Oh, I should watch ‘Meet the Press.’”
I knew about Russert’s affection for his dad and his son, and his love for the Buffalo Bills. I also knew he graduated from John Carroll University. From what I saw of him on TV, he seemed like an affable guy with whom you could share a beer or two while learning a lot about politics.
Following his death, I found myself scanning the Internet, reading newspaper articles and watching TV segments that talked about Russert’s life. I was obsessed, as those around me would agree. What I couldn’t get enough of were the accounts of Russert’s religious fervor, his unwavering love for his roots and his indefatigable commitment to his craft.
Delving further into those aspects of his life made me realize how much I had in common with this man, and how I still had a ways to go before I could match his strengths.
Keeping your faith while broadening your horizons is not easy to do, as many will tell you. The thing that has inspired me about Russert is that his faith actually seemed to move him into new territories and protected him from the snares that can so easily trap people. That faith is what took him from Buffalo to Washington but kept his heart in his hometown.
So this partially Catholic-school reared girl from Youngstown, who spent a decade in New York City only to return fairly close to her roots, is inspired to keep broadening her horizons and reaching for the gold. And now I will try to remember to take my faith along with me.
