It’s November, the month of gratitude, and I am grateful for this wonderful community.
As the events coordinator and later as the manager of Aurora Downtown, I am grateful for all of the support I received in my former roles from the community. I resigned from the downtown organization this spring to start my own public relations and event management company, and looking back, I am filled with gratitude for those who helped create a vibrant and welcoming downtown with me.
I’m grateful that I got to work with amazing people, and do valuable things, like add musical gardens to downtown, and a roster of more than two dozen events annually that helped invigorate our city and boost business numbers.
This year, when visitor see downtown and see all of the light displays, they might not know that Aurora Downtown’s Streetscape committee started that cohesive, branding effort for the City of Lights with the purchase of a large, red gift box that sits at the corner of New York and River Streets, or the gigantic Santa and reindeer that peek over rooftops.
The entire downtown has for years been decorated with funds from Aurora Downtown, which has maintained a great partnership with the city and their amazing Downtown Services team led by former alderperson, Abby Schuler.
I’m truly grateful for Aurora Downtown’s Streetscape committee chair, Gina Salamone, for keeping Christmas alive in our downtown. Salamone is an Aurora resident who has spent almost a decade as a Board member. She has been a true champion of all things Aurora from restoring the star atop Leland Tower to creating a Winter wonderland every holiday season in downtown.
Most people don’t realize when they see the custom star at Mundy Park, the garland on the light posts, or the lihted Christmas tree that it takes hours of volunteer work. Salamone once housed dozens of boxes of Christmas string lights in her home that she ordered for the City’s official tree in front of the G.A.R. Military Museum.
I’m grateful for the commitment and pride that so many people have in our City. Salamone is one example, and I was lucky enough to work closely with her, but other examples could easily be Charlie Zine, Mary Fultz, Greg Zilioli, Landa Midgley, Jeannie Norris, Ruby Sue Bee, and many others who spend time improving our community.
We have built a wonderful community in Aurora. I’m grateful that we can dream big here and see their dreams come to life. I’m grateful that I played a small role in bringing downtown to life, and I’m excited to keep working with dreamers such as Salamone who simply love their City and want to make it the best for everyone to enjoy.
Here’s a list of upcoming, events that I’m excited about:
- December 1 Cocoa Crawl at First Fridays, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at various downtown locations. Mug and button required for hot cocoa samples.
- December 2 and 16 Art and Market Aurora, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Society 57, Aurora. Free.
- December 2 and 9 Santa at the Museum from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Aurora Regional Fire Museum, Aurora. Free.
- December 9 Whiskey Tasting from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Wyckwood House, Aurora. Tickets available at wyckwoodhouse.com/events.
- December 31 New Year’s Eve Show with Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials at The Venue, Aurora. Tickets are available at themusicvenue.org.
Marissa Amoni is the owner of Marissa Bright, a public relations and event management company specializing in shining the light on nonprofits and small businesses. Follow her on Instagram
@marissashinesbright.