Correspondent photos / Sean Barron . .. Dan Martini, who co-owns The Federal in downtown Youngstown, begins to prepare hot dogs and sausages for those who planned to take in evening entertainment that was part of Saturday’s The Open event to celebrate the city’s comeback.

YOUNGSTOWN — The 1989 Janet Jackson hit song “Come Back to Me” begs for the return of a lost love to mend a broken heart, but if you flipped the lyrics and their meaning, you might have something that resembled the recent atmosphere in the city’s downtown.

“It helped a lot. We see a difference in foot traffic,” Eddie Moses, who co-owns V2 Wine and Trattoria on West Federal Street, said.

He was referring to the uptick in customers who patronized the popular downtown restaurant, courtesy of the all-day The Open event Saturday in much of the corridor and beyond.

Key sponsors and contributors were 7/17 Credit Union, the city of Youngstown, Premier Bank, the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, the Youngstown Foundation, the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and JAC Live.

The fun-filled extravaganza of live entertainment, special events and activities celebrated the opening of the downtown corridor while assisting the business community, which has been struggling with fewer customers and lost revenue largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a seemingly endless and frustrating series of road closures, detours and infrastructure repairs and the May 28 natural gas explosion in the Realty Tower building’s basement that killed Akil Drake, a 27-year-old Chase Bank employee. The 13-floor building has been razed.

Moses said he hopes Saturday’s gathering will be a catalyst for downtown to be “like the old days” of businesses filled with patrons and the corridor being a vibrant arts-and-entertainment center.

If The Open proves to be an accurate forecast of the future for V2, which opened about 13 years ago, the restaurant and gathering place likely will do well. Outdoor tables were filled, and few were unoccupied inside on a cloudless, 70-degree afternoon.

Downtown life and commerce have been adversely affected by factors beyond anyone’s control, but Moses hopes to see “a big turnaround,” he said while stressing that he feels the area is safe for everyone.

“We have to give people a reason to come down here,” Dan Martini, who co-owns The Federal next to V2, said.

The road closures have been detrimental to the business because it saw a 60% decrease in revenue between May and July, compared to the same time last year, Martini added.

“Hopefully, now this will all be behind us,” said Martini, who spent part of Saturday afternoon grilling hot dogs and sausages for those who planned to stay for the evening’s entertainment on a nearby large stage that covered the width of West Federal Street.

A major driver for increasing visitors to the corridor will be to schedule a greater number of concerts and events at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater beginning next year. Doing so will create a ripple effect, because many people who attend the entertainment venue also will take advantage of other downtown offerings, including restaurants, he said. Martini added that the amphitheater hosted only four or five major acts this summer.

Also happy with the high volume of visitors was Katie Detoro, executive director of OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Center for Science & Technology.

“This felt really good today. We have definitely had over 500 visitors,” Detoro said, adding that, absent special events, a typical Saturday brings in about 100 people.

An enticement for at least part of the fivefold increase was that the center offered four hours of free admission, thanks to 7/17 Credit Union’s sponsorship and donations, Detoro noted.

OH WOW! took a financial hit this summer, but the situation improved last month, she said.

Detoro added that during The Open, she not only showcased the center’s offerings, but promoted the city to people who came from Stow, Pittsburgh and elsewhere — a move “that’s a win for everybody, because they’ll be back, you know?” she said.

In addition, many of the downtown businesses are looking out for one another to promote the fact that, despite the hard times, the city is open to everyone, Detoro continued.

Moses, Martini and Detoro were united in their hope that Saturday’s huge gathering will continue the process of Youngstown’s transformation – and contribute to encouraging more people to take advantage of its diverse offerings.

Also leaving no doubt regarding their feelings for and loyalty to the city were numerous visitors who wore dark-blue T-shirts on which was emblazoned “Forever Youngstown Ohio.”

“We are waiting for the city to take off again. This is a great start, I can tell you that,” said Jim Kinnick, who made, then donated, about 1,500 such free shirts to those who work downtown.

Kinnick, the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments’ executive director, added that funds for the T-shirts were taken from Eastgate’s community investment fund. He also intends to order more of them in the next few weeks for the same purpose.

A top priority for Eastgate is to see continued investment in the city and to grow the region with its partnerships. It’s vital to invest in Youngstown and grow outward from there, Kinnick explained.

To that end, ERCG plans to roll out a housing assessment strategy next year aimed at addressing the region’s housing needs, said Kinnick, who also worked 30 years as an engineer for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Saturday’s entertainment lineup included Howard Howell, as well as Blaq Rose, both of which preceded headliner Red Wanting Blue, a rock ‘n’ roll band that debuted in the mid-1990s in Athens before relocating to Columbus. Their studio releases include “Souvenirs of City Life,” “Pride: The Cold Lover,” “From the Vanishing Point” and “Sirens,” dedicated to the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Many people converted West Federal Street to a makeshift dance floor as they swung and swayed to Howard Howell’s renditions of a mostly R&B-laced repertoire that included the popular standard “Fly Me to the Moon,” along with the Bill Withers hit “Lovely Day” and the 1976 George Benson instrumental “Breezin,'” as well as songs from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and others.

Among those who were uninhibited in displaying a few moves was Hannah DiCristofaro, who returned to the city six years ago after having lived in North Hollywood, California, and Seattle.

“I love this event,” said DiChristofaro, who came with her sister, Emily Datchuk of Girard, and niece, Rory Datchuk, 4. “It’s cool to have everyone come together to make sure people know we’ll come back and come back stronger. My heart is here.”

Also part of the celebratory day was a Youngstown Phantoms hockey game vs. the Lincoln Stars at the Covelli Centre, the showing of the 1975 popular cult film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at Penguin City Brewing Co., the Youngstown Film Festival at The Vault and the Youngstown State University Penguins football game vs. the South Dakota Coyotes at Stambaugh Stadium.