FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Mahoning Valley’s Most Haunted Night: “Under a Steel Moon” Invites Audiences Into a Living Ghost Story
BOARDMAN, OH – October 2025 – On Saturday, November 1st, the Mahoning Valley’s artistic underground will rise beneath Under a Steel Moon: A Rust Belt Gothic Experience, a one-night immersive event at Studio South Art Exchange and Home Again Consignment + Design (7687 South Ave, Boardman).
Blending performance art, music, folklore, and speculative fiction, the event marks the release of Rust Belt Gothic: Volume I, the debut short story collection by Bill O’Rly. The book, illustrated by Rachel Lynn Clifford with cover photography by Nea Bristol, chronicles a haunted Mahoning Valley where “steel mills collapsed into silence, slag heaps groan in the dark, and old neighborhoods remember more than they should.”
“This isn’t imported horror,” says O’Rly. “It’s born of the Valley itself-our ruins, our memory, our ghosts. Every story is forged in rust.”
A One-Night Experience Across Art, Performance, and Ritual
Guests will step into the eerie world of the book through:
– Performances by Steel City Sirens Burlesque and Ms Waskin and The Radio
– A dramatic reading by Starlett O’Hara (Rob Joki, Rust Belt Theater Co.)
– Victorian Paper Moon portraits by Nea Bristol
– Fortunes and numerology readings by Nef M. and Sheila Russel of AEtheric Alchemy / The Emerald Tablet
– A haunted tea service and curated vendor market featuring rocks, crystals, curiosities, and local art
The evening benefits Full Spectrum Community Outreach and The Rust Belt Theater Co., two local organizations supporting inclusive art and community wellness.
Event Details
What: Under a Steel Moon: A Rust Belt Gothic Experience
When: Saturday, November 1, 2025 | 6–10 PM
Where: Studio South Art Exchange, 7687 South Ave, Boardman, OH 44512
Admission: Free with a $5 suggested donation benefitting community partners
RSVP: https://forms.gle/P1Ry9JEDpGA5dv1y6
VIP Presale: https://square.link/u/trOYT4El