Saturday, July 9, 2016

Local Saturday - July Fest

Yesterday, at lunchtime, I left my office in downtown Binghamton, New York and ventured forth for a half hour of just mindless wandering.

Listening to a high school steel band perform.

Walking down the middle of the street.
A couple of years ago, this historic building connected to the late Rod Serling was vacant

Grateful that Binghamton is starting to recover from years of doldrums.
Marveling at the trees you can still find downtown. This street has seen years of neglect, and still can be a bit on the gritty side, but it also is set up this weekend with the wares of artists.
Galaxy Brewery
And, finally, we have restaurants with outdoor seating.

It's hard to believe that we almost lost July Fest back when Binghamton had almost lost hope. 

But today, while we in the United States sorrow, we also know that life must go on.  And this weekend, we celebrate in Binghamton.

July Fest is alive and well.

12 comments:

  1. Sometimes that's exactly what we need to do--just look around at all of the positives in our own communities. It's the only thing we can do when the news gets us down.

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  2. My little town in the Texas Hill Country is coming back in a big way. Old residential property near downtown has skyrocketed in value and there's a feeding frenzy going on to gobble it up before they've all been sold. Nice to see, but hard to afford for most of us. Brenda

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    1. That "pricing locals out" has happened in so many places. I could see it happening here but not quite yet.

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  3. It's nice to see that there's hope of recovery and life goes on despite the insanity.

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  4. It's a shame that towns all around the country suffer this kind of neglect. I love attending street fairs; perhaps this will bring people out of the woodwork who have the funds to re-estalish the downtown area.

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    1. I can only hope Binghamton finally sees better days. Many people are still hurting.

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  5. Street fairs are fun but not when it's so crowded you can hardly move. I love listening to the bands.

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  6. You're making me miss the North! I've never head of that town eventhough I lived in Brooklyn. Looks fun

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  7. It's really good to see trees in downtown and enjoy outdoor seating in restaurants.

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  8. I love little festivals like that.

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