Ellwood City Arts Crafts and Foods Festival

Joe Ferrara—A Founding Father—to be Inducted into Festival Hall of Fame

Joe Ferrara is no stranger to the stage, and that charisma and charm is what made him the perfect person to lead and organize the entertainment at the Festival. Ferrara one of the Festival’s founders was there from day one and even before that. Festival Chairwoman Raylene Boots revealed a little history and told a story of a pre-Festival entertainment event that Ferrara helped to organize. It was a musical revue thought up by 2018 Hall of Fame Inductee Mary Wiley. She presented the idea to Denny Schill and Ferrara, who gave a thumbs up. She suggested that the revue…


Festival Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

The Ellwood City Festival Committee has announced this year’s 2019 Festival Hall of Fame Inductees. Honored will be: Joe Ferrara, nominated by his daughter Lauranne Ferrara Pat Marinaccio, nominated by his son Lee Marinaccio Larry “Hoss” Crable, nominated by his niece Jillian Court Eric Rayner, nominated by Blanche Novak Ellwood City Wolves First United Methodist Church Ellwood City Rotary Also recognized will be the 2018 Hall of Fame: Mary Wiley, Tom Martz, Dom Viccari, Brok’n Pic, and No Money Down The Hall of Fame ceremony will be Saturday, June 29, at 1:00 following the awards for the 10K race. Nominations for…


Donation Collection Begins For Fireworks Fundraiser

Eric Rayner has officially began his Fireworks Fundraiser. He will be updating the public on the progress of his efforts as well as the amount of money collected on a regular basis on his “Save the Ellwood City Fireworks 2019” Facebook page. “I will update the Facebook page every night with updates on how much was raised,” Rayner said. He has already seen support from the community “The initial donations I received when meeting with Mayor Tony Court, Lt. David Kingston, council members Marilyn Mancini and George Celli, and Justin Neupauer of Alborn Tire Sales totaled $325,” Rayner said. Community…


Local Man’s Quest to Save Fireworks Ignites

Eric Rayner’s plan to rally the community to save the festival fireworks has been officially backed by the Ellwood City Arts Crafts and Foods Festival Committee. Rayner, 26, of Ellport, met with the committee on Wednesday evening to present his plan of action in the hopes of getting the committee’s “approval.” Although the committee offered Eric their support they are not hosting or leading the fundraiser. They have however agreed to host the fireworks, pay for the insurance, traffic control and grounds keeping for the fireworks event if the community raises the money needed to implement the display. Upon hearing…