One Spark opening ceremony tonight
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Excitement is in the air as the long awaited One Spark Festival kicks off tonight in downtown Jacksonville's Hemming Plaza. Here is a brief overview of the five day crowdfunding event.
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http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-apr-open-spark-opening-ceremony-tonight (http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-apr-open-spark-opening-ceremony-tonight)
This will be a great event....but if you have some time before....
Come check out the JCCI InTown Forum series....tonight we are talking about enhancing our parks and connecting them to the river.
The forum starts at 5:30 at WJCT....and will be done by 7 (which is when the real fun starts at One Spark anyway)....plus there are usually prizes!
Sweet! I'll be out there after class.
Quote from: tufsu1 on April 17, 2013, 07:55:33 AM
This will be a great event....but if you have some time before....
Come check out the JCCI InTown Forum series....tonight we are talking about enhancing our parks and connecting them to the river.
The forum starts at 5:30 at WJCT....and will be done by 7 (which is when the real fun starts at One Spark anyway)....plus there are usually prizes!
I am not familiar with the wjct intown forum. What is it?
It's on now!
Here's the 411 for One Spark today:
3:00 - 6:00 Creator pitches at Hemming Plaza & Main Street Park
3:00 - 8:00 Music Stages at the Landing (all family friendly!!)
3:00 - 8:30 Check out the various venues / exhibits throughout the Creator Zone & Entertainment District
6:00 - 8:00 Opening Ceremonies at Hemming Plaza
8:30 - 2:30 Entertainment District
I have a meeting downtown tomorrow and invited a colleague to come check it out with me at Hemming Plaza around lunchtime. I checked the schedule and it shows a "lunch break" from 11-1...the time people will be out and about and most likely stop by...bummer.
???? I hope it all goes well.
Live special report this evening at 8:00 PM presented by News4Jax discussing One Spark. They will be speaking with city officials, event creators and participants.
I was downtown earlier today while they were still preparing for the event. Here are a few phone pics:
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-Cx9H698/0/L/IMG_20130417_150459-L.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-9MTcPLK/0/M/IMG_20130417_150154-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-vVzgztt/0/M/IMG_20130417_150212-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-PLV2Tvr/0/M/IMG_20130417_150304-M.jpg)
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Nice pics Ennis. The old clock looks wonderful. Good restoration. I am getting messages from several of my friends who are currently at the event. They are having a great time and say there already are thousands downtown. I am guessing the party zone which is open until 2:00 AM will be rocking tonight. I wonder how many people call in sick tomorrow. lol
Good time last night. Been a little sick lately so couldn't take full advantage, but the crowd was great. I even saw CM Redman in Hemming Plaza burning a hole through the "occupiers" who were sitting down. It would have been a funnier moment, if I didn't know that it probably means more trouble for Hemming Plaza in the future.
Going to hit up some speakers today and tomorrow...so long as I'm feeling good.
Had a great time, but I got to Hemming Plaza a little too late (8:30). It was starting to close up when I got there. That being said, what I saw was amazing. I kept hearing the Entertainment area was the place to be starting at 9, but I had a busy next day so I left. Plan on going to the Entertainment area tonight or tomorrow.
2 initial reactions:
1) I'd never wanted the skyway from 5 points to DT as bad as I did last night.
2) I heard at least 2 dozen times "I wish downtown was this full more often"
I didn't get out there until after 9, when the "creator zone" was supposedly winding down (ah, grad school!), but the crowds were still pretty solid. I had to wait in line for a shish kabob at a food truck that had been trying to shut down for 45 minutes. The bars in the entertainment section were packed, especially for a Wednesday. This is what I'd consider a big success.
Quote from: Tacachale on April 18, 2013, 08:44:11 AM
I didn't get out there until after 9, when the "creator zone" was supposedly winding down (ah, grad school!), but the crowds were still pretty solid. I had to wait in line for a shish kabob at a food truck that had been trying to shut down for 45 minutes. The bars in the entertainment section were packed, especially for a Wednesday. This is what I'd consider a big success.
Pretty much agree here.
I had a great time with my 15 year old son last night. 2 things caught my attention, first while listening to Sugarbears opening set, the Skyway was right in front of me, and it came every couple of minutes packed with people like it was a Disney Monorail. Second after I got off the packed Skyway, Hemming Plaza looked more like a scene out of Alice in Wonderland, than it usual homeless hangout. I also noticed that with that many people downtown the homeless people looked uncomfortable and out of place. If you didn't make opening night, you should definitely give it a try.
We found one of the white cubes that Temporary Solutions had put out in Riverside. Returned it to them at the Farah & Farah building. There were two other exhibitors there with interesting product prototypes.
Went to the library to return books and stopped at three more stations inside downstairs. We were on a schedule and had to tear ourselves away from wandering downtown from booth to booth.
Wayne Wood has put up a huge wall of portraits in the lobby of the library. They are of people he considers creators and "sparks" in Jacksonville. It is just overwhelming in scale.
The excitement and color and activity was completely fantastic. If you don't go you are missing a fun, and important event. We will be back.
Ben, They are running the Riverside Trolley on a special schedule and route for this. I think it is running during the open hours of the OneSpark event.
Heard there was 20K people there last night; it definitely looked like it!
I showed up at about 7:30 and it was pretty busy. I think most people had moved on from the main stage and creator booths at that point, but the food village and beer lines were full. I did a significant amount of walking and from what I saw the area event looked to be pretty spread out. I get what the bump zones are supposed to accomplish, but I never saw anyone using them. The lounges were also pretty empty. The atmosphere was great and there was a ton of great things to see. I just don't think there were enough people there for some of the things they were trying to do. It was great to ride a packed skyway. I don't know about 20k people, but between 13-15 wouldnt surprise me.
Quote from: thelakelander on April 17, 2013, 07:31:40 PM
I was downtown earlier today while they were still preparing for the event. Here are a few phone pics:
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-Cx9H698/0/L/IMG_20130417_150459-L.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-9MTcPLK/0/M/IMG_20130417_150154-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-vVzgztt/0/M/IMG_20130417_150212-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-PLV2Tvr/0/M/IMG_20130417_150304-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-CDb2DHR/0/M/IMG_20130417_150643-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-KBZVrvB/0/M/IMG_20130417_150717-M.jpg)
More pics please...
and thank you.
Oh. When the food area was packed and the event was in full swing, I saw an empty parking spot on Forsyth just east of Hogan. If there are open spaces doing One Spark, there is no shortage. I parked near Jefferson street and walked there and skywayed back. I saw about a dozen open spaces as I walked in.
Quote from: John P on April 17, 2013, 09:07:12 AM
Quote from: tufsu1 on April 17, 2013, 07:55:33 AM
This will be a great event....but if you have some time before....
Come check out the JCCI InTown Forum series....tonight we are talking about enhancing our parks and connecting them to the river.
The forum starts at 5:30 at WJCT....and will be done by 7 (which is when the real fun starts at One Spark anyway)....plus there are usually prizes!
I am not familiar with the wjct intown forum. What is it?
sorry for the delay in responding...was out of town....here's info. on the series....one more discussion left (next Wed)
https://community.jcci.org/forward-issue-forums
Quote from: CG7 on April 18, 2013, 08:58:44 AM
I also noticed that with that many people downtown the homeless people looked uncomfortable and out of place. If you didn't make opening night, you should definitely give it a try.
Thats the concept and idea that eliminates the fear of the the homeless, when none homeless out number them they become invisible. I dont think the homeless should feel UNcomfortable though. They should be allowed to partake in the fest like everyone else as long as they not bothering anyone. Not saying you said that lol...just saying.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on April 18, 2013, 11:07:25 AM
I showed up at about 7:30 and it was pretty busy. I think most people had moved on from the main stage and creator booths at that point, but the food village and beer lines were full. I did a significant amount of walking and from what I saw the area event looked to be pretty spread out. I get what the bump zones are supposed to accomplish, but I never saw anyone using them. The lounges were also pretty empty. The atmosphere was great and there was a ton of great things to see. I just don't think there were enough people there for some of the things they were trying to do. It was great to ride a packed skyway. I don't know about 20k people, but between 13-15 wouldnt surprise me.
Can we settle at 17.5K?
I am really, really excited. Headed to One Spark in a couple of hours with family. The god's have smiled upon me today and I feel good enough to see all the wonderful things going on in downtown. I have heard nothing but good things from people about the event. Cant wait to see it for myself. Hope to see some of you there. :)
Last night was a lot of fun -- was down there for 2 1/2 hours and didn't see half of what I wanted to. I was pleasantly surprised at both the quantity and quality of a lot of the work the creators were displaying. Nearly ran out of phone battery life voting for projects -- suggest to all attending to make sure your phone is well charged!
Good crowds last night -- hope today is even better. I have been watching #OneSpark trend on Twitter all day today -- I know it's just in my tailored trends list, but still good to see so many talking about it.
A few images from earlier today:
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-FR5G3Rq/0/M/P1620829-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-nL9gVbg/0/M/P1620797-M.jpg)
was down there from 12:30-2pm. fairly busy. Long lines at the food trucks as usual! ended up going to Zodiac. Adams St was little dead except for the band they had in front of De Real Thing Cafe. Lots pf people on the Skyway.
I had lunch at the Caribbean food booth on Laura between Adams and Forsyth. We arrived about five minutes before main lunch crowd came out. We would have stopped at Corner Taco but they didn't start serving until 12noon. I took the Skyway in and it had a decent crowd. I'll try and get back either tomorrow or Saturday to spend more time checking out the creators.
Get up with Kona School at One Spark. I am voting and donating to this awesome innovation for education! Text 8 to (904) 647-2955
http://vimeo.com/63701141 (http://vimeo.com/63701141)
I'm going to try and head their way tomorrow.
QuoteHear from Tom Murphy, former mayor of Pittsburgh
Lucky you! Just in case the hundreds of creators aren't enough, the One Spark Speakers Series is not to be missed. Tonight, Downtown Vision, Inc. is partnering with One Spark to offer tonight's Florida Blue Speaker Series session for FREE to the public.
At 5:30 p.m. at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts' Terry Theater, hear Tom Murphy, the former mayor of Pittsburgh, talk on "The Changing Rules of Community."
More pictures from today:
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-fgdvtVg/0/L/P1620880-L.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-LdsMvSN/0/M/P1620834-M.jpg)
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Btw, I ran into a college classmate that I hadn't seen since graduation day. He lives in Miami and is in town for a educational workshop taking place at the Omni. Good week for an out-of-towner to get sent to DT Jax.
how often does the skyway stop? might hop on in San Marco if my kids soccer game gets rained out tomorrow.
Every 4 to 7 minutes.
back today at lunch. Crowds seemed bigger. Long lines at the food trucks again. The duck is seriously stealing the show. Just the time I was there at it, four people wanted their picture taken with it. Lots of people on the skyway many for the first time. Amazing to see so many on the Skyway, it will actually get used if we had people downtown like that all time.
Truly amazing event!
oh, and I never seen the lobby of the Bank of America tower so alive!
I hope people will pay close attention to the venue locations as some are deep inside the buildings or on floors above the ground level of most displays. So when you see a yellow venue sign, don't hesitate to explore inside. :)
Quote from: fsujax on April 19, 2013, 03:54:02 PM
oh, and I never seen the lobby of the Bank of America tower so alive!
You could say that about all of downtown during the middle of a work day.
Quote from: fsujax on April 19, 2013, 03:20:35 PM
back today at lunch. Crowds seemed bigger. Long lines at the food trucks again. The duck is seriously stealing the show. Just the time I was there at it, four people wanted their picture taken with it. Lots of people on the skyway many for the first time. Amazing to see so many on the Skyway, it will actually get used if we had people downtown like that all time.
Being a fly on the wall, I listened quietly to the conversations taking place inside my crowded car. A Skyway regular mentioned he hadn't been on a car that crowded since his days in New York. A young couple, who had just moved to town was riding it for fun. Others in the car gave them instructions on how to access the line to the Southbank so they could get a river view. Another group from the burbs mentioned that the system was pretty nice and that they loved trains but the problem was that it didn't go anywhere except downtown. When asked why won't the city extend it by another rider, no one had an answer.
Quote from: dougskiles on April 19, 2013, 04:22:11 PM
Quote from: fsujax on April 19, 2013, 03:54:02 PM
oh, and I never seen the lobby of the Bank of America tower so alive!
You could say that about all of downtown during the middle of a work day.
Two things really stood out to me.
1. People on crosswalks in mass for multiple blocks. It was a scene that one expects in a lively city on a regular basis.
2. The Hemming Plaza regulars peacefully co-existing with everything else taking place. The park felt alive and the benches and trees were huge amenities on a relatively hot day. Just goes to show, the issue with Hemming is programming, not the regulars who enjoy the park now.
QuoteThe Hemming Plaza regulars peacefully co-existed with everything else taking place. The park felt alive and the benches and trees were huge amenities on a relatively hot day. Just goes to show, the issue with Hemming is programming, not the regulars who enjoy the park now.
Had this exact same conversation Wednesday night with a few festival goers. One person said 'I think the people at OneSpark put OneSpark tshirts on homeless people to hide thenm'. It was an interesting debate. I invited that person to come to Hemming with me tommorrow so I could point out the park regulars so she can see how they seemlessly integrate along with everyone else when the park is programmed in positive ways. :)
Maybe they were all hiding in the yellow duck? I really hope the duck stays for a while.
Quote from: thelakelander on April 19, 2013, 04:29:59 PM
2. The Hemming Plaza regulars peacefully co-existing with everything else taking place. The park felt alive and the benches and trees were huge amenities on a relatively hot day. Just goes to show, the issue with Hemming is programming, not the regulars who enjoy the park now.
I noted the same thing to CM LOve and CM Redman Wednesday night while in the park
We stayed as long as we could yesterday, but the last Riverside Trolley returned at 7:00PM. WAY to much to see in one visit. Will go back when the rain stops today since what we want to see next is at the landing.
some pics from last night:
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-H6FqN3F/0/M/P1620912-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-ScJvvd6/0/M/P1620901-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Events/One-Spark-2013/i-4nqsZpC/0/M/P1620890-M.jpg)
I loved the Riverpool project. Would be great but that one is most likely a too bit ambitious for our downtown at this point but would be a great destination.
Very nice pics, thanks for posting/sharing.