Auburn’s newest downtown summer event debuts Friday.
Summer Homecoming, a rebranding of the 15-year-old Founder’s Day celebration, holds its inaugural edition Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The celebrations kick off Friday with a concert by Chris Eves and the New Normal from 7:00-10:00p at the State Street Bandshell.
For Saturday, events will take place across the city. To assist attendees in getting to as many events as possible, there will be a free trolley from 10:00a-4:00p, offering rides between the Equal Rights Heritage Center, Willard Chapel, and the West End Arts Campus.
Saturday’s events are as follows:
- The Downtown Saturday Market at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center will host from 9am-4pm food & artisan vendors. Kid’s activities include face painting, Jeff the Magic Man Balloon Art from 9-11am and Bubble Playground from 11am-1pm. Live music at the market includes the band Honky Tonk Hindooz from 10am-1pm followed by Sydney Irving from 1-4pm. The Seward House Museum will host a free History’s Hometown Walking Tour beginning at 9:30am.
- The downtown Exchange Street Plaza will host the Royall Promise Productions princess for meet and greet and photos from 10:30am-1:30pm.
- The downtown State Street Event Plaza will host the Auburn Summer Recreation program’s fun zone between 10am-1pm. At 2pm there will be a Way of Guitar concert. At 4pm there will be a Perform 4 Purpose Concert.
- The Auburn Public Theater will host an open house of their newly renovated Owasco Room from 11am-1pm.
- A Genesee Street Block Party will be held on the block of Genesee Street between the west side of State St. and east side of Dill St./William St. This party will feature three bands on the City’s show mobile stage: Ruby Shooz from Noon – 2pm, Showtime the Band from 2:30-4pm and Mark Doyle and the Maniacs from 4:30-6pm. Merchants on the block will feature food & beverage offerings.
- The Willard Memorial Chapel will be the host site of the Finger Lakes Art Council’s Festival of Art & Crows. The event will feature 25 participating creatives, food and live music.
- The new West End Arts Campus will be open and the Cayuga Museum will be hosting kid’s activities from 11am – 2pm. Visitors can check out the beautiful new campus which links the Schweinfurth Art Center with the Cayuga Museum, Case Research Lab and Carriage House Theater into this dynamic new arts quad.
- The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park on located on 49 Parker Street will be open for tours on both Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm. The church is open for self-guided tours during open hours, while the parsonage serves as a visitor contact station. This new site officially opened in 2024.
Sunday sees the return of the Great Race for its 47th year. The August tradition sees runners, cyclists, and paddlers compete in and around Emerson Park. The race begins at 9:30a, followed by an afterparty on Deauville Island.
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