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Downtown Auburn Business Improvement District's 22nd Annual Holiday Parade & Family Fun Day
Please join the fun Saturday, November 29th for Downtown Auburn BID's 22nd Annual Holiday Parade which begins on East Genesee St. Hill at the intersection of Fulton Street at 6PM. There is an afternoon of free family activities in the Genesee Mall before the parade in the center of Downtown Auburn beginning at 3PM. Children can make ornaments and decorate trees there, or take their ornaments home with them.
There will be music by the Cayuga Chords and free food samples from the Cayuga County Dairy Princess. Girl Scout Troop 1125 will offer their free delicious homemade cookies again this year. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Department will do their free Child Photo ID Program, which is a great community service. This year BID will have two horse drawn wagons so that more families can enjoy the free rides around the City block, which is always very popular. Swaby's will have food for sale in the Exchange St. Mall near the Auburn Public Theater. The Auburn Fire Department will host a Community Bonfire on South Street across from City Hall with pre-parade music by the Auburn Civic Band.
A tree lighting ceremony will immediately follow after the Parade, and Santa will visit with every child. Bob Lyna will play sing-a-long music during the Santa visits. The Auburn Public Theater will have a children's Thanksgiving performance at 2PM and 4PM before the parade. There will be a small ticket fee for these performances. The Cayuga County Red Cross will offer hot chocolate for a small fee. Daut's will offer free hot chili in front of their restaurant on the East Hill from 5:30PM - 6:30PM.
Bring a donation for the Toys for Tots box sponsored by the UPS Store. The City of Syracuse Highland Pipe Band will perform again in this year's parade. If you would like to participate in the parade with a float, marching, or with music everyone is welcome to do so and it is free. Just contact the BID office at 315-252-7874 or ctallcot@auburndowntown.org. A float must have a holiday theme and can be flashy and fun or simple and sweet. Please come and enjoy the community fun.
Auburn's Blooming
Downtown Auburn's Flower Program is funded by Downtown Auburn BID, the City of Auburn, the Auburn Beautification Committee and the very thoughtful and considerate people and businesses that contributed to the 2008 season's plantings. BID thanks everyone for their kind consideration of the community.
Sponsors include: Auburn Audiology, PC, Auburn Kiwanis, Cayuga County Office of Tourism, Crosman's, Dave Chalifoux of Edward Jones, Dina's Alterations, Gilda Brower,
Jack Kiser, Linda Knight, Lisa Green, Mary Jones, Patrick McIntosh, Piccolo Properties, Sam's Shoe Service, Seneca Falls Savings Bank, Servus Hotel Group-Holiday Inn, Silbert Optical, Susan Marteney, Carmody Agency, Liberty Store and Wegman's.
Many individual business owners also created green spaces around their entrances which enhances the look of Downtown. It is also always nice to see people enjoying food on the patios outside of Parkers, Bambino’s Bistro, formerly Daddabbo's and Downtown Deli. Mike Antonnocci and Bonnie Lawn planted and cared for the flower pots in front of their businesses. The Genesee Mall and Lorraine Building maintain plants and green spaces at their sites. Joe Catalfano, owner of Quality Rental, worked with ABC and BID to fund the planting of three new trees and ground cover to spruce up his corner, along with planting flowers in the wall along his property. Tony Piccolo of Piccolo Properties contributed additional funds to add to the garden at the Crosman corner.
Harriet Tubman's Freedom Park at the corner of North and Dill Streets received a significant boost to its landscape through the efforts of a group of master gardeners working with the ABC group. The kind donation from Sunnycrest, on Prospect Street, of a cut stone planter bench that adds so much color and class to the Park- is dedicated to one of America's most famous women- is very much appreciated.
A special thank you goes to Auburn Irrigation owner, Mike Vitetta, for his dedicated help in the learning process of the hanging basket program, and for obtaining mums for the fall season to extend the flower presence downtown. As always, a big thank you to Jerry DelFavero and his crew for making the light pole hangers, placing the new benches, placing flower pots and all of the many duties that they conduct daily to keep this city humming.
John Panko, BID's own miracle man, who cleans up after all of us every day in his never ending job is always appreciated beyond words. Thank you, John for the extra work preparing for the seven weeks of BID Summer Concerts on State Street and in Market Street Park. Thank you to Jim Ward for mowing during the season.
Those of us lucky enough to be located at the north end of State Street enjoy every day, the remarkable talent and caring efforts of Kim and Jay Pearson, owners of Nash's Art Supply. Not only are the front and back doors of their business a sight to behold every season, they personally pay for the plants and do the daily maintenance for eight large planters that line State Street near the gazebo. Their lush plants and rose bushes soften the street and sidewalks and provide abundant colors that brighten our world every day. They are the best neighbors ever, and we thank them for their daily work that brings so much enjoyment to all of us.
Their four footed child, Coco, is the spoke’s dog for the Cayuga County Tourism Office's “Lake Effect” section of their website www.tourcayuga.com You may even see Coco walking her various humans around Downtown. Many thanks go to the Pearson family for their kind contributions and caring efforts that benefit the entire community.
New Signs and Artwork
A mural celebrating the abundance of places to see and things to do in the Auburn area has been installed in the side window of the Cayuga County Tourism Office building that faces the Boyle Center. Created by Union Springs artist, Dana Ryan, the mural depicts the natural beauty of this area from scuba diving in the many lakes to hiking, hot air ballooning, historic sites and much more. Its banner proclaims "Welcome to Cayuga County" and invites everyone into the Tourism Office to find out what a visitor can explore and what a resident can find in their own backyard.
Three new pedestrian way finding signs have been installed in downtown. In Market Street Park across from Hunter's Diner facing Genesee Street, on the Exchange Street side of the Parking Garage near the Auburn Public Theater entrance, and on State Street near the Red Cross office and the gazebo. These signs clearly map how to locate all of the many historic sites and other important locations in Auburn. The same signs are also installed at Hoopes Park, Falcon Park, and Emerson Park near the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. These signs were created by Auburn’s Historic & Cultural Sites Commission and built by the City of Auburn's Department of Public Works. Thanks to everyone who worked together to make these signs a reality.
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