National entertainers once played former Youngstown club damaged by fire
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A Youngstown City Councilman calls the fire and partial demolition of the Torch Club Bar a blow to the city’s West Side.
That location was home to several entertainment businesses for almost nine decades and was once a stop for national acts.
The Torch was formerly Cherol's Banquet Hall and before that was the iconic Club Merry Go Round which was a destination for musicians.
“It’s very sad that a historic Youngstown landmark for the west side's Steelton neighborhood is no longer. It was the torch club and Cherol’s banquet hall and before that, we all know the Merry-Go-Round club where lots of famous national acts played so this is a sad weekend for the neighborhood,” said Fourth Ward Councilman Mike Ray.
Acts to play at the Merry-Go-Round include Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Haines, Frank Yankovic, and Johnny Desmond.