WARREN - The Tribune Chronicle is commemorating the 200th anniversary of newspaper publishing in Trumbull County and is inviting the community to get in on the celebration Friday and Saturday during its Founders Festival.
The festival will fill Courthouse Square downtown with a variety of activities that Sue Shafer, Tribune Chronicle community events coordinator, described as a "relaxed walk down history lane."
"We hope the community will join us in celebrating not only the rich heritage of newspapers and journalism, but to learn more about the heritage of Trumbull County," Shafer said.
Article Photos
Tribune Chronicle / Bob Coupland
Larry Kovach, business manager at the Tribune Chronicle and coordinator of the children’s games for the Founders Festival Friday and Saturday at Courthouse Square in Warren, shows some of the games children and adults will be able to play during the celebration. Many of the games were those children played in 1812 when the newspaper had its beginnings.
"Where else can you ask President McKinley or Clarence Darrow a question, or learn how pioneer handcrafts were created? Everyone will enjoy a laugh or two while listening to the zany Burt's Eye View Live presentation (with humor columnist Burton Cole). This is one summer festival you won't want to miss."
All events are free. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
An opening ceremony will kick off the festivities at 11 a.m. Friday, when Marian Mihas, an area harpist, sings the National Anthem. Also, Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka, Warren Safety-service Director Enzo Cantalamessa and Charles R. Jarvis, Tribune Chronicle publisher, will offer remarks.
Fact Box
Founders Festival
The Tribune Chronicle will mark the bicentennial of newspaper publishing in Warren with a Founders Festival celebration Friday and Saturday in Warren's Courthouse Square Park. Following is a schedule of the planned festivities. All events are free, and the public is invited. For more information, call 330-841-1696.
Friday:
* Events open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Courthouse Square Park, downtown Warren
* Opening ceremony, 11 a.m.
* 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Sutliff stories, Sally Thomas, Courthouse Square tent
* 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., Civil War diary presentation, Charles R. Jarvis, Courthouse Square tent
* 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., Trumbull Voices in the Civil War, Wendell Lauth, Courthouse Square tent
* 2:30 to 3:15 p.m., First Lady Dolley Madison presentation, Elizabeth Cole-Clark, Courthouse Square tent
* 3:30 p.m., Harriet Taylor Upton presentation, E. Carole Maxwell, Courthouse Square tent
Also:
* 7 p.m., scenes from ''Inherit the Wind,'' about Clarence Darrow, Judge Andrew D. Logan's courtroom, Trumbull County Courthouse
Saturday:
* Events open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Courthouse Square Park, downtown Warren
* 10 to 10:45 a.m., Sutliff stories, Sally Thomas, Courthouse Square tent
* 11 a.m. to noon, Meet the Editors, Tribune editorial staff, Courthouse Square tent
* Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9, self-guided tours will be available of the Sutliff Museum, Upton House, Edwards House, Women's Park, Trumbull County Veterans' Memorial, Pioneer Cemetery, The Warren Heritage Center, Trumbull County Tourism Bureau (Connecticut Land Office) and the historic Perkins House, which now serves as Warren's City Hall.
* 12:15 to 1 p.m., former Tribune Chronicle owner, Zell Hart Deming presentation, Mackenzie Leskovec, Courthouse Square tent
* 1:15 to 2:30 p.m., Trumbull County Courthouses presentation, Courthouse Square tent, followed by a walking tour of Courthouse Square, Wendell Lauth
* 2:30 to 3:15 p.m., Burt's Eye View Live, Burton Cole, Courthouse Square tent
* 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., William McKinley, portrayed by Mike Wilson, Courthouse Square tent
* 4:30 p.m., Civil War diary presentation, Charles R. Jarvis, Courthouse Square tent
Friday and Saturday
* Exhibits will include archived newspaper editions, famous front pages and historical photos, Log Cabin, Courthouse Square Park.
* Exhibits of past editorial cartoons by artist Rick Muccio published previously in the Tribune Chronicle will be on display and available for purchase.
* Historical prints of scenes from Trumbull County by local artist Jim Friend will be on display and available for purchase in Warren's Log Cabin downtown.
* Festivities will include children's games and activities, some coordinated by the Trumbull Art Gallery. They will feature early Western Reserve activities that children of that era enjoyed.
* Performances of musicians, singers and other performers, including Stephen Foster Chorus, Denise Starr, Ted Snyder, For Grace, Marian Mihas and the Friendly Squares, a square dance group, are planned for the Courthouse Square Gazebo.
* Demonstrations from the historic era, including pottery-making, weaving, spinning and quilting.
* Antique automotive displays include Packard car, antique motorcycle, antique fire engine from Warren Township, hearse from McFarland and more.
* Food will be available for purchase from local vendors.
There will be live entertainment at the gazebo, children's games and activities, displays, readings, re-enactments and demonstrations.
A self-guided walking tour features several downtown Warren historic sites, including the Sutliff Museum, Upton House, Edwards House, Women's Park, Trumbull County Veterans' Memorial and Pioneer Cemetery and the historic Perkins House - which now serves as Warren's City Hall - from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The first 200 guests to participate in the walking tour will receive a piece of anniversary cake.
Two scenes from the play ''Inherit the Wind'' will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday in the large, third-floor courtroom of Common Pleas Judge Andrew D. Logan, where Darrow, a Kinsman native and attorney, practiced law in the early 1900s. John Kiste of Canton will portray Darrow.
The play is based on Tennessee's notorious 1925 Scopes Trial, which questioned the legality of teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. Darrow was a central figure in the trial.
Also, Kip Minnick will be in a tent sponsored by the Trumbull Art Gallery with period items used by both men and women for chores in homesteads. Minnick will be available to answer questions about how the various tools were used.
Tent events each day will include storytelling and readings. There will also be an opportunity to mingle with the Tribune's editorial staff during a Meet the Editors hour from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday.
A highlight of the festival will be a display of Tribune Chronicle famous front pages, memorabilia and photographs. Historical prints by area artist Jim Friend will be on display and available for purchase.
Local historian Wendell Lauth will give presentations on the various courthouses Trumbull County had and share details about what Warren was like during the early 1800s.
Mike Wilson will give his portrayal of Niles native and former President William McKinley, and Elizabeth Clark will discuss other notables, including Dolley Madison.
Pizza Italia, located on Courthouse Square, will be open for business, with seating outside. Alex Vlahos will make gyros. Traditional fair foods, including french fries, elephant ears, lemon shakes and sausage sandwiches, will also be available for purchase.
The Founders Festival is part of a yearlong calendar of events the Tribune Chronicle has been hosting in celebration of the bicentennial of newspaper publishing here. On June 9, 1812, the first newspaper was published in the Western Reserve. It evolved through the years to today's Tribune Chronicle.
Saturday's Tribune Chronicle will include a 200th anniversary keepsake edition.
"This festival is a wonderful opportunity to relax under the cool trees on Courthouse Square, enjoy some lunch and listen to a wide variety of music," Shafer said. "It really is a community event designed to celebrate the rich history of Trumbull County and the Tribune Chronicle."