Downtown Sounds 2020: A Virtual Experience to Behold
**IMPORTANT INFORMATION: AS PER NEW YORK STATE GUIDELINES, THIS VIRTUAL CONCERT IS FOR OUTDOOR DINERS ONLY. NO LAWN CHAIRS AND NO PUBLIC GATHERINGS ARE ALLOWED
In an unprecedented move, the Glen Cove Business Improvement District (BID) is delighted to announce that, much like the previous 24 summers, music will once again fill the streets of downtown Glen Cove on Friday evenings, beginning on July 24, at 7 p.m. However, this year’s concert series will present Downtown Sounds like never before. With outdoor dining available at downtown restaurants, you can still enjoy the music in person as you have in previous years, but to accommodate those who are more comfortable listening and watching from home, you can also access live streaming of the proceedings on the Internet. What is more, shows will be interactive, so viewers who log on can actually request the songs they would like to hear as the artists are performing.
“Our motto this year is ‘accentuate the positive’,” explained Patricia Holman, executive director of the BID. “With current circumstances, we knew there was no way we could accommade the thousands of people who turn out every summer when we have artists perform live and in person on Friday evenings in Village Square. So, [the BID and the Downtown Sounds Committee] have arranged for the performers to play at a nearby recording studio while we broadcast the concert on large TV screens that can be viewed by anyone enjoying outdoor dining or strolling the streets of the downtown area. The broadcast will be available live on our Facebook page or any time thereafter in archived form. It’s a win-win if there ever was one!”
A recording of the Friday evening broadcast will also play on the TV screens the next evening, for those enjoying a Saturday visit to the downtown area.
The line-up for this year’s unique Downtown Sounds interactive entertainment experience is still being finalized, but tribute bands playing homage to the music of The Doobie Brothers (The Doobie Others) and Creedence Clearwater Revival (The John Fogerty Tribute Project) are already confirmed. La Sonora 495, a band that plays Afro-Cuban and salsa music, is also scheduled to perform.
“I am pleased that we are able to provide downtown diners a novel ‘taste’ of our traditional Downtown Sounds by offering, through technology, live streaming of bands,” said Lou-Ann Thompson, manager of Glen Floors and vice president of the BID. “This creative approach gives us not only the music, but also the visual experience, to our downtown in a safe and responsible way.”
The shows will be produced by Fred Guarino and hosted by Patricia Holman, with show programmer Ray Lambiase and cameraman David Merrill rounding out the production crew.
“Instead of focusing on what we can’t do this year, we have reinvented Downtown Sounds by introducing a format that is quite different than anything we’ve ever done in the past,” Holman said. “And the best part is that we can keep this format in place in future years when crowds can return so that Downtown Sounds can be enjoyed by more people than ever.”
For more information about Downtown Sounds 2020, visit the Glen Cove BID’s Facebook page.
Enjoying Outdoor Dining in Glen Cove
Mayor Tim Tenke, BID Executive Director Patricia Holman, City Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola and Richie Cannata are thrilled with the sucess of the Downtown Marketplace. Outdoor dining in the streets is permitted from 6 to 10 p.m on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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