水果派AV

The three-day festival, which will be held from Aug. 8 to 10, has been rebranded as Summer Homecoming. It will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, with Chris Eves & The New Normal performing at the State Street plaza.

More events are planned for Saturday, Aug. 9. The New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center will host its downtown Saturday market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Seward House Museum will host a free walking tour beginning at 9:30 a.m. The city's Summer Recreation Program will have a fun zone at the State Street plaza from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Auburn Public Theater will hold an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to showcase the new Owasco Room. A block party will be held on a portion of Genesee Street in the afternoon.聽

Other sites, including the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and West End Arts Campus, will be open for Summer Homecoming.

The weekend will conclude with the annual Great Race that begins at 9:30 a.m. at Emerson Park in Owasco.

More information about the event is available at .

Founder's Day began in 2009 and, early on, strove to celebrate Auburn's historic figures. The first year honored William Seward, who served as secretary of state under President Abraham Lincoln. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was a year removed from being the Republican vice presidential candidate, headlined the event.

The following year, the focus was on Theodore Case and his contributions to adding sound to film. Actress Sigourney Weaver was the headliner.

Auburn City Clerk Chuck Mason told 水果派AV there was substantial funding from private foundations in the early years of Founder's Day. Even as the event had less funding and evolved over time, large crowds came to downtown Auburn for a car show and other festivities.

But that changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was canceled in 2020. When it returned in 2021, Mason said it's been challenging to recreate those past weekends. For example, car show participation has dwindled over time. There won't be a car show this year.

"This rebrand is a combination of just bringing some new energy and some new perspective to the weekend's activities, but also capturing some of the enthusiasm for why people come home that particular weekend," he added.

Another factor in the change is feedback the Auburn Downtown Business Improvement District received from business owners who reported that Founder's Day-related street closures had a negative impact.

Mason noted that many of the downtown businesses, such as A.T. Walley & Co., Auburn Bagel Co., Cafe 108, Prison City Brewery and Roast & Toast, opened after Founder's Day became an annual event.

"The last thing that we want to do is close down a street to hurt people's businesses," he said.

By rebranding the event, the city hopes to capitalize on what is already a homecoming weekend for Auburn-area natives. Auburn High School class reunions are usually held over that August weekend and others come home to compete in the Great Race.聽

"We're really hopeful that the new Summer Homecoming theme gives us an opportunity to celebrate everything great about Auburn without any specific themes having to be attached," Mason said.