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Lighted Star Is The Newest Attempt To Draw People Into Downtown Syracuse for Holidays Ten-Foot Tall Star Makes Its Way To Downtown Syracuse

Downtown Committee plans on learning people's wishes for downtown area

By Fernando Garcia-Franceschini

Anchor:
It’s Holiday season, which means Christmas and snow are taking over Downtown
Syracuse. NCC’s Fernando Garcia-Franceschini is live at Perseverance Park to tell us about a new selfie spot that the Downtown Committee hopes attracts people to the area this winter.

Reporter:
Perseverance Park will shine a little brighter this winter and the Downtown Committee wants you to come see it for yourself.

Reporter:
Downtown Syracuse is all about Christmas now that the Holiday season is in full swing.
The Downtown Committee of Syracuse works yearly to attract more people to visit the downtown area during the snowy and cold season, but this year, Communications manager Alice Maggiore says they’ve sprinkled in something new.

Alice Maggiore / Downtown Committee of Syracuse Communications Manager:
We decided we would purchase this lighted star in hopes that people would stop and maybe take a selfie with it, send pictures to their friends.

Reporter:
Wish Upon a Downtown Star, where people can share their wishes for Downtown Syracuse with hashtag I Wish.

Alice Maggiore / Downtown Committee of Syracuse Communications Manager:
We hope that the Star will help folks maybe engage with the environment. Sometimes when it’s cold and snowy people don’t want to be out and about or outside as much.

Reporter:
Wish Upon a Downtown Star is one of the newer traditions made to attract people to the downtown area even on the chilly Syracuse winters. But one older tradition is making a comeback hoping to do the same thing.

Reporter:
Window Wonderland puts downtown businesses to the test in a public vote for the most original Holiday windows in hopes of attracting people to shop for the holidays.
2015 champion The Changing Room is competing again and stylist Julianna Pastella says the competition keeps them on their toes.

Julianna Pastella / The Changing Room Stylist Consultant:
Making us branch out a little bit more every year of trying to bring a different look, different vibe to keep it fresh.

Reporter:
Pastella says tourists take a special interest in the competition and is hoping the trend continues.

Julianna Pastella / The Changing Room Stylist Consultant:
It’s nice to have fresh people down here to see what Downtown has to offer.

Reporter:
Both of these promotions are part of the committee’s holiday retail campaign. Twenty four local businesses are competing in this year’s Window Wonderland Contest and the winner gets five-hundred dollars. Reporting live from Downtown Syracuse, Fernando Garcia-Franceschini NCC News.

Anchor:
Voting for the contest will end on New Year’s Day. To cast your vote visit www.downtownsyracuse.com.

Holiday season means Christmas decorations take over Downtown Syracuse, but it also means snowstorms and cold temperatures keep people away from visiting the historic area. To try to combat that, the Downtown Committee of Syracuse has brought a new attraction to Perseverance Park.

A ten-foot tall lighted star, part of the Wish Upon a Downtown Star initiative, shines bright at the center of the park. The idea is for people to walk up, take a selfie, upload it to social media with #IWish and share their wishes for Downtown Syracuse.

Alice Maggiore, Communications Manager at the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, said the priority is to have the star be a place people want to go to despite the cold weather so characteristic of the Syracuse winter.

“We hope that the star will help folks maybe engage with the environment when sometimes when it is cold and snowy people do not want to be out and about or outside as much,” Maggiore said.

The Communications Manager added that another purpose of the Wish Upon a Downtown Star is to have both residents and tourists visit and buy from the more than 70 local retail stores.

“We hope that everyone will remember Downtown when they are making their holiday shopping plans and mapping out their holiday traditions,” she said. “Think of all the unique gifts you can purchase just by coming Downtown.”

Aside from the star, the Window Wonderland Contest will also try to attract people to contribute to the economy downtown during Christmas.

This year, 24 local businesses will compete in a public vote where the people of Syracuse will vote on the most originally Christmas decorated windows. The winner will receive 500 dollars.

The Changing Room, a women’s clothing store that won the competition in 2015, is competing again this year. Stylist Julianna Pastella said the contest also helps to showcase Syracuse as a whole and not only the downtown area.

Pastella added that, this year, the inspiration for The Changing Room’s window was plaid since they have incorporated it into their merchandise as well.

Voting for the Window Wonderland Contest will be open until January 1, 2019.

 

The Changing Room window
The Changing Room is one of 24 local businesses competing in the Window Wonderland Contest.
© 2018 Fernando Garcia-Franceschini

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