Archive: Business & Technology

(Ithaca, NY) More than 600 workers from over 40 downtown Ithaca-based offices and businesses have already signed up to enjoy free food, drinks, live music, and participate in an office worker Olympics competition that’ll be held the week of July 21-25, 2008, leading into downtown Ithaca’s Sidewalk Sale Days on July 25 and 26, 2008. They’ll enjoy free ice cream sundaes, participate in The Giant Ithaca Coffee Break, throw the mouse-pad Frisbee, shoot rubber bands at a target in the office Olympics and participate in a hot dog eating competition.

Both the public and participating workers will be able to go on a downtown scavenger hunt that ties into Sidewalk Sale Days and hear live music from artists that’ll be performing at the Bernie Milton Pavilion every day at lunch time.  

It’s all part of Downtown Ithaca Office Worker Appreciation Week. The Office Worker activities and the Sidewalk Sale Days will take place on the Ithaca Commons or Dewitt Park, so the public can attend all of them, although participating downtown workers will have special badges identifying them as participants in Office Worker Appreciation Week. 

It’s being called Downtown Office Worker Appreciation Week, but the activities are open to anyone who works within the downtown Ithaca Business Improvement District, according to Downtown Ithaca Alliance Events Coordinator Vicki Taylor. “Downtown has one of the largest concentrations of workers in Tompkins County. Thousands of people in many different market sectors earn their livings here everyday. Downtown Office Worker Appreciation Week is a great way to get them to meet one another, thank them for working in downtown, give them a break from the typical day-to-day work routine and discover everything that downtown Ithaca has to offer.”

An estimated 3,500 office workers are located within the downtown Business Improvement District. Hundreds of other downtown workers are employed in the restaurant, retail, hospitality and other industries located within the BID. 

All of the activities will take place between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m., so that workers can participate in them during their lunch breaks and employers won’t suffer a big loss of productivity while they do so. Some of the events include The Giant Ithaca Coffee Break, a Farmer’s Market picnic with free watermelon and lemonade, a hot dog eating competition, free pizza, behind-the-scenes downtown tours, and free live music with Radio London, The Caribe Jazz All-Stars, Johnny Russo, Doug Robinson and the Yardvarks. The Office Worker Olympics will feature the mouse-pad Frisbee throw, water bottle bowling, a paper wad toss, a putting green, paper clip chain-making and several other events.

Thursday’s events will lead into the traditional Thursday Night Downtown Ithaca Summer Concert Series, which will feature Go Gone from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday’s activities will be combined with downtown Ithaca’s Sidewalk Sale Days, which continues on Saturday the 26th.

There really is something for everyone to discover in downtown Ithaca throughout the week with a scavenger hunt that’s open to the public. Anyone can participate by picking up a scavenger hunt card at the downtown information booth on the Ithaca Commons and correctly answering 5 questions about downtown. The winner will receive $500.00 in a drawing to be held on Friday.

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