For More Information:

Krystal Luketic: 937-224-1518, ext. 227

Courtney Deutsch: 937-224-1518, ext. 231

Downtown Dayton’s Biggest Street Party, Urban Nights, Returns on Sept. 14

Rappelling over the KeyBank Tower, an art experience on and in the Old Courthouse, Taste of the Miami Valley,

new CityFolk project, Dancing in the Street event , photo contest winners and more to be featured.

DAYTON, Aug. 16, 2012 ― The next Urban Nights will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, in downtown Dayton, the Oregon Arts District and Wright-Dunbar Business Village. Approximately 30,000 people come downtown to experience this free event, when more than 100 establishments showcase downtown’s dining, nightlife, art, music, retail and housing options.

New to Urban Nights is Dancing in the Street. First Street will be closed between Ludlow and Main streets to make way for performances by DCDC, the South Dayton Dance Theater, Funk Lab, SMAG Dance Collective, the Wright State Dance Ensemble and the McGovern Ceili Dancers.

Cityfolk will be launching a year-long project that is part of its Culture Builds Community initiative during Urban Nights called “I Am City Folk.” It will feature mosaic banners, compiled by local photographer Andy Snow using photos of Daytonians taken by Nicole Christian. The banners will be on display at various locations throughout downtown. The I Am City Folk project is a collaboration with the City of Dayton’s Welcome Dayton initiative. Both aim to showcase the diversity and vibrancy of the Dayton community. Contact Jean Howat Berry, Cityfolk’s education and outreach/Culture Builds Community coordinator, at 937-223-3655, ext. 3008.

A large-scale performance piece by Dayton, Ohio! You Are Here! will transform the Old Courthouse on Third and Main streets into a vision of Dayton’s present through video projection and architectural lighting on the building’s exterior, as well as visual art and performances of dance, music and spoken word inside the historical building. Contact Peter Benkendorf at 732-5123 for more information.

Returning to the fall Urban Nights will be Over the Edge, a challenge that combines fundraising with adventure. Participants who raise at least $1,000 will be given the opportunity to rappel over the side of the 27-story KeyBank Tower. All proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley. Space is limited; to register or for more information, contact Matt McDowell at 937-220-6855.

The weekend-long Taste of the Miami Valley will kick off during Urban Nights at RiverScape MetroPark. Guests can sample food from more than 30 area restaurants. Admission is free, and most tastes are $3 each.

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Sept. 14, 2012, Urban Nights, page 2

Winning entries from the Downtown in Focus amateur and professional photography contest will be on display in the PNC Center lobby during Urban Nights, and there is still time to enter. One amateur winner and one professional winner will be selected in each of the following categories: Downtown Festivals, Active Downtown and Scenic Downtown. A panel of judges will award a $250 cash prize to the Best in Show winner in each division. In addition, City of Dayton Mayor Gary Leitzell will select one photo that best represents the City’s “Dayton Originals” motto. The deadline to submit photos is 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31. Official contest guidelines and entry forms are available at www.downtowndayton.org.

K12 Gallery for Young People/TEJAS, 510 E. Third St., will host its second annual Art-Off. Individuals will create a work of art based on the theme “transformation” in an Iron Chef-like competition. To sign up or for more information, contact Kelly Sexton at 937-461-5149 or .


Back by popular demand is the Urban Nights Community Stage. For the first part of the evening, local performers can apply for 10-minute slots on the stages. The second half will feature karaoke, when anyone can take a turn at the mic.For an application to perform, contact Krystal Luketic at 937-224-1518 ext. 227 or .

A map of participating venues and a complete performance schedule, including a listing of all participating locations’ events and specials, will be available online at www.downtowndayton.org in early September. Follow Urban Nights on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UrbanNightsDayton for regular updates and more information.

The best way to see as much as possible during Urban Nights is to walk, and many of the destinations are just a short distance from each other. Greater Dayton RTA also will provide free event trolleys to help visitors get around. In addition, cyclists will gather at 5:15 p.m. at Don Crawford Plaza in front of Fifth Third Field for Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights, a community ride through the action hosted by Bike Miami Valley.

Urban Nights is a program of the Downtown Dayton Partnership with support from the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, Bud Light Lime, the Downtown Priority Board, Wright Dunbar Inc., DP&L, Mix 107.7-FM, Greater Dayton RTA, Kaplan College, Business Furniture and the Ohio Arts Council.

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