SMARTS Family Dinner 2024

THANK YOU for making our 2024 Family Dinner a success!
Over 300 of our SMARTS family members shared a wonderful spaghetti dinner with us last night (Wednesday, November 20) at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – thank you for being a part of this special night! 

As they arrived, guests were immersed in Arts in Non-Arts Spaces experiences with live painting, drums, and dance demonstrations from our teaching artists. Chef Christopher Bonacci and his team catered the delicious meal, with beer sponsored by our family at Modern Methods Brewing Company, wine from long-time friend of SMARTS Marty White, and cookies from the amazing folks at One Hot Cookie. In addition to the fresh designs (created by Program Coordinator Liberty Long) in the Merch Booth, we had a number of exciting raffles: an Arts-Rich Gift Card Basket with over $300 in gift cards to arts-related retailers, a SMARTS Merch Madness basket featuring several of our new items, and a “With Love from Youngstown” basket that included many generously donated gift cards, vouchers, tickets, and experiences from our friends throughout the area with a total value of over $1600!

Our students were the stars of the evening, delighting the audience with the demonstrations. The Band kicked things off with one of their original songs, and the Steel Band had everyone clapping along with their rendition of “Buffalo Solider.” After our Children’s Choir received several rounds of applause with their performance of “Roar,” the students of the Liberty High School Theater Club shared a scene from their recent production of Hadestown: Teen Edition. 

William Mullane’s keynote speech reminded us all of the importance of arts education, and of how the arts are integrated in all areas of life. We are grateful for his support over the years, and for sharing his perspective with all in attendance. To close the evening, SMARTS President Rebecca Keck shared the state of the SMARTS union, celebrating the successes of 2023-2024.