Simply Slavic Celebrates
Tradition in the Mahoning Valley
Our Mission
Youngstown is known for its rich and storied ethnic heritage. With its large number of Slavic descendants, the Mahoning Valley and Shenango Valley are cradles for Slavic hospitality, food, music, dance, and unique customs.
Simply Slavic strives to celebrate these traditions and highlight the people who keep them alive. By preserving the history and customs of our families, we expand the knowledge of Slavic culture, honor our ancestors, and enrich lives in our community.
History Of Simply Slavic
Simply Slavic began in 2011 as a single-day summer festival to educate and entertain attendees in one place about the region’s many diverse Slavic cultures and traditions. Today, Simply Slavic is a non-profit organization which organizes multiple celebrations over the year, sponsors educational events with partnership organizations, and invests in scholarships and cultural preservation.
Who is a Slav?
At 300 million people, the Slavic peoples constitute the largest ethnolinguistic group in Europe. The modern-day European nations representing the origins of Slavic ancestry are Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine (see map).
Although Slavs share common ancestral roots, the individual peoples feature a unique cultural diversity. Major religious influences include Orthodox and Byzantine Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Paganism, and Roman Catholicism. You’ll find distinct Slavic cultures in fertile plains, near the sea, across the mountains, from frigid tundras to tropical coasts, and in major metropolitan cities.
Cultural Preservation & Charity
Simply Slavic Scholarship
Simply Slavic proudly provides scholarships to students enrolled at Youngstown State University (YSU). Presented at our annual volunteer banquet, this award can support tuition, books, or study abroad experiences for sophomores or higher, including graduate students, who demonstrate a passion for Slavic heritage.
Slavic Collection at the MVHS
The Mahoning Valley Historical Society preserves, protects, and documents the region’s diverse ethnic, industrial, and cultural history. Housed at multiple locations, these collections, which include photographs, documents, and artifacts, highlight the impact of Slavic immigrants in the local steel industry, the traditions of diverse Slavic ethnicities in the region, and their vital role in the area’s development.
Slavic Endowment Fund
Managed by the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, the Simply Slavic Cultural Preservation Fund supports the annual festival’s mission to educate, celebrate, and preserve Youngstown’s rich Slavic heritage.
Rodina Beer
Brewed exclusively for Simply Slavic by Modern Methods Brewing Co., Rodina is a Czech amber lager named for the Slavic word meaning family and homeland. Created to honor the traditions our ancestors carried to the Mahoning Valley, each limited batch is ceremonially tapped during the festival’s opening night, inviting the community to celebrate heritage with every shared toast.