NEW for 2008! The Ithaca Festival One Mile Run!
~ Ithaca Festival Mile Application (print pdf + fax), OR
~ Ithaca Festival Mile Application (register online)
This year, a 1 mile race would be held ½ hour before the Ithaca Festival Parade, utilizing the same street route. The start of the run will begin at Ithaca High School and end at Dewitt park.
The Ithaca Youth Bureau, Finger Lakes Runners Club, the Finger Lakes Running Company and the Ithaca Festival will host the 1-mile. The race is open to all ages with the requirement that they must be able to run at least 1 mile.
Runners will be sent off in heats between 6 – 6:30pm. The number of registrants in each category (Elite, Open, Youth) will determine the number of heats. The total umber of registered runners will not exceed 300.
~ Ithaca Festival Mile Application (print pdf + fax back), OR
~ Ithaca Festival Mile Application (register online)
Event registrations can also be obtained at the Finger Lakes Running Company at 138 W. State St in Ithaca, or online at the Finger Lakes Running Company. Further information can be obtained through contacting the following race directors:
~ Ian Golden (email), or 607-275-3572,
~ Janice Johnson (email), or 607-274-5310
~ Alan Lockett (email), or 607-533-7071
~ Liz Vance (email), or 607-273-8364
The 2008 Parade Starts at 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday night, the Ithaca Festival Parade is the most unique for a community of our size in the country—it has risen to the level of performance art. You will laugh out loud and marvel at the creativity, humor and ingenuity of our parade participants, who represent every part of Ithaca and Tompkins County.
The Parade will go down Cayuga Street from Lewis Street and continue down Buffalo Street. It will finish at Dewitt Park, where the party will just be getting started with live music and food! Click on the parade route graphic, below, for a larger, printable view of the route.
As always, the Ithaca Festival Parade will be one for the history books in '08 – don’t miss out!!
In addition to the “I-Fest Mile” road race, the venerable monks of the Dalai Lama's Namgyal Monastery will open our summer solstice celebration by leading the festival's signature Parade as our Grand Marshals. The festival invites all who wish to demonstrate their support of peace and creativity to convene on Cayuga St. for the evening parade.
The Parade after-party at Dewitt Park will include a free dish to pass from Loaves and Fishes and a ceremonial festival blessing from the monks. At 6:00 pm on the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Commons, music starts with WUPA, and at about 7:30pm, The Destination will get the Commons grooving during the first of the DIA’s Summer Concert Series.
Later that evening, Ithaca Festival will welcome an influential international artist known as "The Ambassador of Peace". Abijah, one of reggae's most active artists both socially and musically, will be headlining the festival kick-off party at Castaways and performing again for the community on Friday at Stewart Park.
His single "Revelation", which appeared on his debut album in 2002, remained on charts in Jamaica for 30 weeks. Over 50 schools across the island in Jamaica have invited Abijah to come speak to their children, as he is a key player in Jamaica's "Healing of the Nation Program.
It's a I-Fest Solstice Peace Parade!
