Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival begins in Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The 24th annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival begins Thursday in Youngstown.

This year, organizers have added some new things. There are new foods to try and vendors to check out, like Yosteria, a popular eatery.

“People can expect traditional Italian food from cavatelli to pizza, to braciole sandwiches. We’ll have Italian cocktails and we’ll have our regular bar. We’ll have peaches and wine. We have lots of lots of traditional pastries,” said Festival Chairman Scott Schulick.

Franks Cafe and Chef Christopher Bonacci will also be operating inside the social hall, as well as the main tent outside for food during the festival. They will also be open for lunch Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to offer a lunch option for downtown.

They say they want to do something positive for the area after everything it’s been through recently. This will be the only stand open during that time.

The children’s area has also expanded.

Another thing that is unique to this year’s festival is the theme. It’s “La Tavola,” meaning Italian table, so this year’s festival focuses on families around the table.

Schulick said the theme is both relative to their faith, as well as their family.

“In our historical area, we’ve asked parishioners to contribute pictures of their families having a good time, and also the church is about celebrating our feast day of our lady of Mount Carmel,” Shulick said.

Several singers and bands will also be taking the stage like Moreno Fruzetti, The House Band, Butch Nicols, the Jim Frank Combo and more.

For those planning on going, there is limited parking near the church grounds, but the bulk of the parking will be downtown in the IBM and Commerce Building parking lots, the Social Security Lot, the Levinson Tire Lot and the lots by Choffin Career Center.

The festival will also provide two buses and golf carts that will serve as shuttles.

The festival kicks off at 5 p.m. It’s $5 per person and kids under 12 get in for free.

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