The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Birthday Bash celebrates community
The Made in Utica Birthday Bash starts May 18at Handshake.City, offering music, food, vendors and more.
UTICA, N.Y. >> Since 2014, Made In Utica has been hard at work promoting all things Utica. This May the group is celebrating their fifth anniversary with a Birthday Bash at Handshake.City on Saturday, May 18 fromnoon to 4 p.m.
The Birthday Bash is free to attend and full of activities for everyone to enjoy. From noon to 1 p.m. is the Utica Teen Sing Off, where 10 local teens will compete for a chance to perform at the local Levitt AMP Utica Summer Concert Series and the Made In Utica Downtown Getdown Music and Arts Festival. Then from 1-4 p.m. is the Handshake.City Cornhole Tournament, with both competitive and social divisions. The party will have live music from Uncle Charlie and The Meatballs, a commemorative beer from Woodland Farm Brewery, food trucks, fun vendors, games and more.
Made In Utica is a platform that seeks to highlight and connect businesses, artisans, organizations and people from the greater Utica area through promotions, digital media, networking and unique events. Made In Utica has seen success with multiple initiatives such as Utica Passport and spearheading community events, most notably Utica Day with MVCC Cultural Series, the Franklin Square Film Series and Downtown Getdown. In October 2015 Made In Utica received Proclamation from City of Utica for positively promoting the city and in February 2016 was named the Bagg’s Square Association Neighborhood Advocate Award Winner. Made In Utica is supported by a team of volunteers, residents and businesses from the Utica community.
Made In Utica launched Handshake.City onWhitesboro Street in Bagg’s Square in August 2018 with support from the Community Foundation. With three renovated shipping containers, Handshake. City is a collaboration of green space, art gallery, urban marketplace and event venue that offers an opportunity for community, culture and commerce to come together. It is located under the bridge from Union Station.
“When Made In Utica first became a thought, it was a completely different idea. All we knew is we wanted to help people see how wonderful Utica is,” said Mark Simon, group cofounder. “To see the growth of Made In Utica into an organization that has helped more community members and businesses than we ever expected is truly humbling. And if you told me five years ago that we would have a park like Handshake.City that people come out to support in such mass, I never would have believed you.”
TheMade InUtica Birthday Bash is supported by New York Sash, Universal Bookkeeper, Empire Cornhole and Observer Dispatch.
To learn more about Handshake.City visit www.handshake.city.