Latest news with #DowntownAlliance
Time Out
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Downtown Alliance kicks off free lunchtime concert series at Oculus Plaza next week
Lower Manhattan's lunch crowd is getting a serious upgrade next week. Starting on Wednesday, June 4, the Downtown Alliance is reviving its "Art Is All Around" performance series with six weeks of free midday concerts designed to turn your typical lunch break into a full-on vibe. Every Wednesday at noon through July 9, a new act will take over either the World Trade Center's North Oculus Plaza or 140 Broadway, bringing everything from salsa to soul, swing to funk. The series, programmed by acclaimed jazz vocalist and producer Svetlana Shmulyian, blends live music with professional dance performances—think tap, cha-cha-cha and modern jazz, all unfolding in the middle of the Financial District. The opening show on June 4 features Lulada Club, a powerhouse group specializing in vintage tropical rhythms like bolero and salsa, reimagined for modern audiences. They'll be followed the next week by Svetlana herself and the New York Collective, whose interactive jazz performance includes both audience participation and live tap dancing by Lisa La Touche. The third concert on June 18 brings the party courtesy of Norman Edwards Jr. and his band SpinKicK, with infectious grooves inspired by Jamiroquai and Prince, and dancer Michela Marino Lerman helping bring it all to life. After that, the series shifts to 140 Broadway. Highlights include Ginita y La Orquesta Esa's Latin jazz set on June 25, a high-energy New Orleans-inspired show from Alphonso Horne and His Gotham Kings on July 2 and a rousing finale on July 9 featuring trumpeter Wayne Tucker and the Bad Mothas, joined by dancer Bianca Delli Priscoli. 'Whether you're taking a lunch break from the office or out exploring the neighborhood, these performances are an energizing and uplifting way to enjoy summer in the city,' said Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin. The concert series is part of the Alliance's larger "Art Is All Around" initiative, which brings public art and performances to the streets of Lower Manhattan. No tickets are required, and all performances are free—just show up and enjoy the show. With this much rhythm packed into an hour, don't be surprised if your casual lunch run turns into a full-on dance break.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Homecoming of Heroes' ticker-tape parade honoring post-9/11 war veterans coming to NYC next summer
A ticker-tape parade honoring war combat veterans who served in post-9/11 wars is coming to lower Manhattan next summer, according to the mayor's office. Dubbed the 'Homecoming of Heroes' and slated for July 6, 2026, the parade down the 'Canyon of Heroes' from the Battery to City Hall formally recognizes more than 2.9 million Americans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan following the September 11 terror attacks. The ticker-tape parade, set to be the first of its kind in a major US city, will offer 'a powerful opportunity to highlight the contributions that service members continue to make,' Mayor Eric Adams said during a fleet week event Thursday. 'It would pay tribute to the extraordinary service, sacrifice and resilience of the post 9/11 combat veterans who did so much to protect our city and our nation in the wake of the deadliest attack on our homeland since Pearl Harbor,' he added. More than 7,000 American troops died in the wars and contingency operations, and another 53,436 were injured, according to New York City Department of Veterans' Services James Hendon. Another 31,177 veterans died by suicide, he said. 'We're doing what we can to remember and never forget our people and their loved ones,' Hendon said. The last ticker-tape parade was held in October for the New York Liberty, which celebrated the WNBA team's first championship win. While actual ticker-tape from 'ticker' machines was originally used as confetti in the early days of the parades, the Downtown Alliance now provides bags of crinkled packing paper for the event. Roughly 2,000 pounds of the paper – costing the alliance about $5,000 – was dropped on the seafoam-green party, which drew an estimated 80,000 attendees to lower Manhattan. Scores of bags of confetti were doled out the day before the parade to about two dozen buildings along Broadway that requested them. If the 'Homecoming of Heroes' is anything like the Downtown Alliance's other ticker-tape parades, the combat veterans will be memorialized in stone with one of over 200 of the alliance's granite sidewalk plaques along the 'Canyon of Heroes' sometime after the parade. The plaques are designed by Pentagram, who also designed One World Trade Center's engraved cornerstone, and are manufactured by a New York City-based architect. 'The whole process of ordering, lettering, shipping and installation takes about two to three months total,' a Downtown Alliance rep told The Post. 'This will be more than just a parade,' Adams said Thursday. 'It will serve as a symbol of belonging, of closure and of collective pride. 'It will be a sign that our veterans and their families matter to us – not just during the wartime they fight, but in the peacetime they help achieve. 'It marks a small seed of our gratitude and our commitment to them: the seed that allows us all to water the tree of liberty so that we can sit under its shade.'
New York Post
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Homecoming of Heroes' ticker-tape parade honoring post-9/11 war veterans coming to NYC this summer
A ticker-tape parade honoring war combat veterans who served in post-9/11 wars is coming to lower Manhattan this summer, according to the mayor's office. Dubbed the 'Homecoming of Heroes' and slated for July 6, the parade down the 'Canyon of Heroes' from the Battery to City Hall formally recognizes more than 2.9 million Americans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan following the September 11 terror attacks. 4 The parade will formally recognize more than 2.9 million Americans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan following the deadly September 11 attacks. Getty Images The ticker-tape parade, set to be the first of its kind in a major US city, will offer 'a powerful opportunity to highlight the contributions that service members continue to make,' Mayor Eric Adams said during a fleet week event Thursday. 'It would pay tribute to the extraordinary service, sacrifice and resilience of the post 9/11 combat veterans who did so much to protect our city and our nation in the wake of the deadliest attack on our homeland since Pearl Harbor,' he added. 4 The ticker-tape parade is set to be the first of its kind in a major US city. Getty Images More than 7,000 American troops died in the wars and contingency operations, and another 53,436 were injured, according to New York City Department of Veterans' Services James Hendon. Another 31,177 veterans died by suicide, he said. 'We're doing what we can to remember and never forget our people and their loved ones,' Hendon said. 4 Ticker tape raining down on vehicles during the Operation Welcome Home parade in 1991. ASSOCIATED PRESS The last ticker-tape parade was held in October for the New York Liberty, which celebrated the WNBA team's first championship win. While actual ticker-tape from 'ticker' machines was originally used as confetti in the early days of the parades, the Downtown Alliance now provides bags of crinkled packing paper for the event. Roughly 2,000 pounds of the paper – costing the alliance about $5,000 – was dropped on the seafoam-green party, which drew an estimated 80,000 attendees to lower Manhattan. Scores of bags of confetti were doled out the day before the parade to about two dozen buildings along Broadway that requested them. If the 'Homecoming of Heroes' is anything like the Downtown Alliance's other ticker-tape parades, the combat veterans will be memorialized in stone with one of over 200 of the alliance's granite sidewalk plaques along the 'Canyon of Heroes' sometime after the parade. 4 Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 4th Iraqi Army Division in Brassfield Mora, Iraq. Getty Images The plaques are designed by Pentagram, who also designed One World Trade Center's engraved cornerstone, and are manufactured by a New York City-based architect. 'The whole process of ordering, lettering, shipping and installation takes about two to three months total,' a Downtown Alliance rep told The Post. 'This will be more than just a parade,' Adams said Thursday. 'It will serve as a symbol of belonging, of closure and of collective pride. 'It will be a sign that our veterans and their families matter to us – not just during the wartime they fight, but in the peacetime they help achieve. 'It marks a small seed of our gratitude and our commitment to them: the seed that allows us all to water the tree of liberty so that we can sit under its shade.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pioneer Park revitalization will feature year-round farmer's market
SALT LAKE CITY () — In a major step to revitalize downtown, the Downtown Alliance announced a new partnership with the city on Thursday morning, focused on giving Pioneer Park a makeover. Their freshly signed 'Memorandum of Understanding', between the Downtown Alliance and Salt Lake City, aims to breathe new life into Pioneer Park — an area that's long been plagued by low visitation rates — by creating an all-year-round public market building. 'Now, let's be honest. Pioneer Park has a bad reputation,' Dee Brewer, executive director of Downtown Alliance, said at the annual meeting in the Gallivan Center. 'Last year, the average daily park visitation was less than 170 people a day.' The Downtown Alliance saw a solution to this problem in the park's farmers market, which has proven to be a magnet for the community's foot traffic. Pioneer Park will get a facelift in 2025 – Here's what Salt Lake City is adding According to Brewer, 65% of park visits occurred on just 21 days, all of those being when the farmers' market was open. The new public building aims to keep this momentum going all year round. Preliminary plans include a beverage bar, clean restrooms, a large hall, and a community gathering space that would become home to an all-year-round farmer's market, according to Carly Gillespie, director of Urban Food Connections of Utah. 'We want to continue to create social and economic prosperity in the neighborhood and in downtown Salt Lake,' Gillespie said. The Downtown Alliance's proposed building would also provide a permanent space for the Downtown Ambassadors, offering a visible presence in the park to create a stronger sense of safety. Salt Lake City said that the Public Lands Department collected feedback from over 2,800 people and worked with community groups to choose the planned amenities. The park is also seeking a SITES certification — a framework that recognizes sustainability and resilience in design, development, and management. The alliance said in a press release that they are looking to actively conduct public outreach and feasibility assessment throughout this year. A clearer timeline of completion is expected once those steps are finished. 'We look forward to the results of the feasibility study, which the Downtown Alliance will begin leading this summer,' said Blake Thomas, Senior Advisor on Real Estate and Capital Projects. 'This study, along with the efforts our Public Lands team has undertaken, has the potential to transform this park into a year-round destination and serve as a model for public-private partnerships to enhance our City assets.' The project complements the Pioneer Park Vision Plan, which was developed in 2021 to revitalize the area, following the City Council's approval of $3.44 million in 2019. In 2022, $10 million in funding through the City's $67.5 million Sales Tax Bond was approved for the project. In 2024, an additional $.96 million was allocated for the Vision Plan, allowing the city to begin implementation. 'Pioneer Park is a cornerstone of our downtown heritage, and it has long been full of untapped potential,' said Mayor Mendenhall. 'This public-private partnership with the Downtown Alliance paves the way for positive change and increased public safety — while working in concert with the long-planned park improvements Salt Lakers have asked for.' GOP campaign arm tells Republicans to 'go on offense' messaging Trump agenda bill Crimson Cliffs wins 4A soccer title over Dixie, 3-0 Pioneer Park revitalization will feature year-round farmer's market Israeli Embassy suspect charged with murder of a foreign official Bodycam footage released from officer-involved shooting near Lake Powell Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
22-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Downtown Farmers Market may become a year-round fixture at revitalized Pioneer Park
Utah's largest farmers market could become a year-round staple at Pioneer Park. Driving the news: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Downtown Alliance signed an agreement Thursday to revitalize Pioneer Park with plans to build a permanent structure for the market and form a public-private partnership to manage the 10-acre park. Why it matters: Pioneer Park, which hosts the Downtown Farmers Market each summer, has suffered a poor reputation for decades, perceived as unsafe and affected by homelessness. What they're saying: In a statement, Downtown Alliance executive director Dee Brewer said he believes "we can change the chemistry of the park." "We have done it every summer Saturday for 34 years with the Downtown Farmers Market," he said. "Pioneer Park is safe, active and communal on market days. We are ready to build on that success to vitalize the park and the neighborhood." "Pioneer Park is a cornerstone of our downtown heritage, and it has long been full of untapped potential," Mendenhall said in a statement. State of play: Under the memorandum of understanding, the alliance is proposing lawn games, cafe-style seating, a beverage bar and staffed bathrooms. The permanent building would also host community and private events and downtown ambassadors, who will have a daily presence at the park. That's on top of the projects already funded and included in the city's Pioneer Park Vision Plan. Construction is planned to begin this fall on amenities including a picnic pavilion, a mist fountain plaza, a contemporary playground, a basketball court, and six pickleball courts.
