2009 Mayor's Fall Drop Off

This past Saturday, October 24th, the annual "Mayor's Fall Drop Off" was held at the Albany Hannaford Plaza on Central Avenue, in conjunction with National Make A Difference Day.

This community event was designed to bring residents together while helping to collect new winter clothing items for needy school-aged children in Kindergarten through Grade 5. This year's event was another success, and with the help of our generous sponsors, attendees were able to enjoy refreshments, several prize giveaways, and demonstrations by the New York State Dive Team, the Albany Fire Department and the Albany Police Department. In addition, WRVE The River 99.5 FM was broadcasting live throughout the morning.

I would like to thank everyone who attended this year's drop off, especially those who were able to make a donation and help out our City's young people. Through their overwhelming generosity, many kids will be warmer this winter, and I look forward to personally delivering these items to our schools in the coming weeks.

And thank you to all of our sponsors who made this event possible:
- Hannaford Supermarkets
- Clear Channel Radio
- Burke Companies
- Nigro Companies
- Central Avenue BID
- Stewart's Shops
- B. Lodge & Company
- New York State Police Dive Team


Thank you for another successful Fall Drop Off! Together, we can truly make a difference.

Columbus Day Parade and Italian Festival

This Saturday, the 18th annual “Columbus Day Parade and Italian Festival” will be held in Washington Park. The festival will begin at 12:00 p.m., with the parade starting at 1:00 p.m., and the fun will continue until 5:30 p.m.

The annual Columbus Parade and Italian Festival, held in conjunction with the national holiday, celebrates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, and commemorates the heritage of Italian-Americans in the Capital Region while celebrating their many contributions. The Grand Marshal of the 2009 Columbus Day parade will be the West Albany Italian Benevolent Society (WAIBS), which was founded in 1909. The WAIBS is a community organization committed to preserving a common heritage and the friendships that resulted from the efforts of a courageous group of Italians establishing a home in a New World, and I look forward to having them serve as the Grand Marshal for this event.

In addition to the parade, this year’s festival will feature food, music, dancing, cultural displays and a special “Zona Bambini” (Kid’s Zone) with Roman riding demonstrations, crafts, and much more. At the end of the day, there will also be a special tribute concert to Frank Sinatra, under the expert direction of Albany’s Park Playhouse.

I’m looking forward to this year’s event, and I hope to see you there on Saturday!

Hudson 400 Events

This weekend, two great events will be happening in the City of Albany to help commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s historic voyage up the Hudson River. The “Hudson River Fair” is being held on Saturday, September 26th, and the “Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Stamp Exposition” is being held from Friday, September 25th through Sunday, September 27th.

As part of our City’s ongoing “Hudson 400” celebration, the Hudson River Fair will include a tour of Henry Hudson’s famed ship – the Half Moon – as well as an interactive historic Dutch encampment, complete with blacksmiths, crew members, and artisans, in addition to stage entertainment, Native American cultural demonstrations, food vendors, and much more. This event will run from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in Albany’s Riverfront Park and admission is free, so be sure to stop down and check it out!

Also, the Stamp Expo will be held at Empire State Plaza from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and will feature over 200 frames of competitive exhibits and 150 dealers, as well as many other general booths. This expo is potentially one of the largest philatelic shows of 2009, and I’m sure it will be a great experience for all who attend.

This weekend will be filled with exciting events, delicious food, and fun for the whole family, so come out and enjoy some of Albany’s rich history!

A Visit from South Bend

This past Tuesday, the City of Albany was host to a delegation from South Bend, Indiana, a municipality which was a finalist in the “All-America City” competition earlier this year, and very interested in our City’s accomplishments in the field of nanotechnology.

The delegation arrived at Albany International Airport, and from there, proceeded to take a tour of Albany as well as Albany NanoTech. It was certainly exciting to be able to show this group our nanotechnology facility – we are all very proud of it! Albany NanoTech is one of the crown jewels of our Capital City, and it has helped pave the way for new industries and further development.

Albany NanoTech was also the first step in my “Capitalize Albany” plan, which, since its inception, has brought over $6 billion in investments through more than 300 projects. In addition, Albany has roughly $1 billion more in additional projects currently in the pipeline for development in the next few years. These projects show that, despite tough economic times, the City of Albany continues to flourish.

It was a great honor to be able to meet with an “All-America City” finalist and show off some of Capital City’s greatest accomplishments. And to my friends from South Bend – I hope you will visit us again soon.

SYEP Wrap Up

Last week, we celebrated the end of Albany’s 16th annual Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), and I had the privilege of honoring the more than 200 young people who not only participated in the program, but also were nominated as “Employees of the Week.” This summer, we served over 1500 kids and placed them in one of 200 work sites that ranged from administrative positions and office positions to general work site positions across the City.

This program is extremely important because it means that our young people have something productive to do and somewhere to be during the summer months when they’re out of school. It also means that our kids are off the streets and in a safe program that is providing meaningful work experience and positive role models.

All of the 200 young people who were selected as “Employees of the Week” were nominated by their work site supervisors because they were dedicated to their job, came to work on time, acted as a team player, and showed respect for both their employers and their co-workers. These are traits that all young people should learn, and I am very proud of what these kids have accomplished through the Summer Youth Employment Program.

I want to thank everyone involved with this program – including all of the work site supervisors – because without their efforts, this program would not be possible. Congratulations to all of the program’s participants, and I look forward to another successful summer next year!

All-America City Signs Unveiled

As a further commemoration of the City’s recent designation as an “All-America City,” today, we unveiled the first of several new signs that will line major City thoroughfares.

Be sure to check back for more news on "All-America City" events.

LarkFEST 2009

Yesterday, I was honored to help announce the details of the 28th annual "LarkFest," to be held in the Lark Street neighborhood on Saturday, September 19th, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Each year, thousands of people from across the Capital Region come out to enjoy great food, free music and activities for the whole family, making LarkFest the largest street festival in the area.

Great events like LarkFEST are what make Albany a true "All-America City," and I'd like to congratulate the Lark Street BID and its members, especially Executive Director Michael Weidrich, for their continued commitment to this event and to the Lark Street neighborhood. Despite tough economic times, Lark Street is still booming with new businesses and new development, and their leadership is vital to this continued success.

I look forward to celebrating all that Lark Street has to offer, and I hope to see you at the festivities.