Hundreds of people gathered in Downtown Youngstown today for the fourth annual Pig Iron Community Street Festival. Jason Vinkler explains why this gathering has much more to offer than your average street fair.

What event can possibly bring together clowns?

Poets?

Bands?

And even artists.......The Pig Iron Community Festival in downtown Youngstown has been doing it since 2004.

"ON THE STREET WE HAVE ARTISTS. WE HAVE CRAFTS PEOPLE. WE HAVE COMMUNITY INFORMATION EXHIBITS. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF WEB SITES EXHIBITING. WE'VE GOT ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE."--Jim Villani Event Organizer

One of those people is Bob Barko Junior...who owns Steel Town Studios. Bob got his start more than ten years ago with artwork highlighting Youngstown's Idora Park since then its taken off to include history from all around the city. The largest piece in his collection is a six by twenty four foot mural. It highlights events of Youngstown from its founding in 1796 to the present.... .

"THAT LITTLE BIT JUST LED INTO MORE AND MORE STORIES FROM MY DAD ABOUT THE MILLS. AND BOTH MY PARENTS ABOUT ISLAYS' AND THE THEATERS. THERE IS ALL THESE THINGS. IT'S JUST A FANTASTIC HISTORY WE HAVE HERE AND THE MURAL REALLY ENDED UP BEING A CULMINATION OF THAT."--Bob Barko Jr. Local Artist

A culmination of the arts is what the festival stresses. Organizers say they're hoping that they can help identify Youngstown as an Arts Center.

"THE ARTS ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL THING THAT PEOPLE LOOK AT IN RETROSPECT TO DEFINE A CULTURE. AND WE WANT TO DO THAT FOR YOUNGSTOWN. WE WANT TO SAY HEY THIS IS AN ARTS COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS A WORKING COMMUNITY AND A SERVICE COMMUNITY."--Jim Villani Event Organizer