Allied Arts to host ‘thank you’ street party on Wednesday

Allied Arts will host a street party 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday in Automobile Alley Downtown, to celebrate winning the national Brackets for Good fundraising championship in April.

The event will feature food trucks, a live performance by America’s Got Talent contestant Darci Lynne Farmer, photo ops with Rumble and a surprise announcement. Complimentary snow cones will be served and free mini basketball goals will go to the first 100 guests.

Other activities and performances will include live art demos, the South Breeze band and the Edmond North High School drum line.

The event is a thank you to the community for helping Allied Arts raise in excess of $250,000 to win both the competition and a $100,000 grand prize from AT&T.

Oklahoma City-based Allied Arts was the only Oklahoma nonprofit chosen to compete the March Madness-style fundraising competition called Brackets for Good, during which it raised more in donations than the remaining 63 regional, national and global charities that began the competition in late February.

“I think the community support we received throughout the Brackets for Good tournament signifies that Oklahomans understand how important the arts are to our region’s well-being and growth,” said Allied Arts President and CEO Deborah McAuliffe Senner. “We hear from many donors that they appreciate the role our dynamic cultural landscape plays in making our hometown a cool, hip place to live and work.”

“Other donors contribute because of the impact that arts education can have in inspiring underserved, at-risk youth, or how healing arts outreach helps veterans manage emotional and physical distress,” she said. Many donors prefer donating to Allied Arts as a mechanism in which to support a variety of arts groups and artistic genres with a single donation.”

For the 26 Allied Arts member agencies, funds are used to offset operating costs; underwrite productions, performances and exhibits; create new programming and provide free and affordable arts programming, McAuliff Senner said.