November 14, 2025 • 17 mins
Scott previews the new holiday displays and activities downtown with Christy Samad of 3CDC.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I don't want to be an Americans got sloan on
this Friday morning on seven hundred w old.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
But it is the season.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
I'm about ready. I don't have to put you. And
maybe it's just all the angst and drahmenagut in life.
Love the holidays because you can just unplug. So if
part of the celebration for you is planning on going
downtown for the holidays, be it the tree lighting or
to see the elves, or maybe to skate, There's been
a lot of movement, a lot of additions and big
changes for the holidays, especially in the Fountain District this year.
On that from three CDC is Christie smadd Christy, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
How are you? Good morning? How are you? I'm fine,
I'm fine. I'm ready for some holiday action. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Generally, when I see the ads for Christmas right around
the fourth of July, I'm like, it's a little early,
but this year, bring it on.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I'm ready. I'm here for it.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I totally agree. And I feel like with the snow
flurry on Monday even more right.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Right, I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I'm in the spirit. So the thing is, typically people
go downtown and you have your habits. You know, maybe
you go see the trains at the Museum Center, go
see the Shiloh elves, whatever it is. There's a lot
of moving parts right now. So if you show up
and go, hey, what happened to fill in the blank,
it may not be where you thought it was. The
beginning is first of all, before we get into the changes,
and these are some big ones here. What was the
(01:11):
decision to kind of reimagine this whole thing?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, well, so the ice drink has been awesome at
Fountain Square for you know, the last twenty years or so,
but we kept you know, building onto it and trying
to make the patron experience better. But we ran out
of room. We were kind of landlocked at Mountain Square.
And so when the renovation of the Convention Center came
on and we were looking at Elm Street plaza right outside,
(01:36):
it only made sense to make that area, you know,
bring in the ice rink. And so we were able
to some scratch kind of imagine where the ice drink
would go, what is the patron experience, and we were
able to expand and so as really in the Mountain
district and how we you know, expand the winter festivities
in downtown, within this district, it just made sense where
(01:58):
we could do something new on Fountains Square, we could
put a new, brand new ice drink at Elm Street
Plaza and really think of it in that way.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
So will a rink be bigger or is it the
same rink? It is bigger.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
It's a brand new ice rink. It's about a thousand
square feed bigger.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Nice and I like I used, I mean, it's it's
not that far. It's just like a couple of blocks.
So it spreads people a lot too that you can
go to different and see different things along the way
like and that's good for business too.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
It's awesome. So it's a it's only a block and
a half, so you you're more than welcome to still
park at Soutain Square. Come up and we're debuting the
Winter House this Saturday, which is a sixty five by
sixty five tenth with a bar. It's got normal operating
hours Monday through Sunday eleven to eight, and we'll have
programming just like we do during the summer. And the
(02:47):
thoughtfit's behind that was, you know, if you're not a
skater and it's cold, you're probably not finding yourself a
Fountain Square in the winter months, and so we wanted
to kind of think of something where during the summer
everyone uses it for lunch breaks, for meetings, you know,
to see programming, and so really we were thinking how
to carry that on during the winter, and so this
(03:08):
is that it's a large warming tent where you can
still enjoy programming, congregate with friends, you know, take meetings
in there, you your lunch, et cetera. And so that
being on Soutain Square and new this year. Back prior
to the renovation, like in the eighties and earlier than that,
the city used to put lights on the fountain, so
(03:29):
when they turn the water off, they would replace it
with lights to you know, make it look like the
fountain was still flowing with water. And in the past
years that went a way, and so we're bringing it
back this year with animated lights. So it'll be beautiful
something to compliment. While you're in the tent just enjoying
a cocktail, you can watch the fountain glow. And so
(03:51):
that will be at Fountain Square.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Big big of how big is Let's let's do the
Winterhouse ten. How big a ten is it?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
It's a sixty five by sixty five, so it'll fit
about two hundred three hundred people.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And that sounds cool because you can sit in there
and be warm and have a cocktail and now look
at to watch the tree, watch people go.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
By, exactly. I feel like, for yeah, you know, if
you weren't ice skating, you weren't on the Fountain Square
in the winter months, and so this hopefully will curve that.
But then to your point, so the block and a
half to Elm Street Plaza, while you're walking on Fifth,
the Chilto Elves are going in some storefronts at the
Crew Tower and so those are the beloved Elves that's everyone.
(04:30):
You know, they've been spliced apart over the years, I
think since they're originally at Chilto. But we've got a
few scenes that you can check out on Fifth. And
then to your point, not to mention all of the
new businesses, the businesses that have been opened, but there's
a lot of new businesses opening on Fifth Street, and
so prim is a new bar that just opens in
the Soundry. We've got Salazar that used to be an
(04:52):
OTR relocated down to the old Sax building and that's
opening next week. There's another entertainment concept called Flight Club
that is going right next door and it's a dark
bar and that will be on the other edge of
the street. And then at that point you'll be right
at Elm Street pos. But in between we still have
Jeff Ruby's Davidson, We've got Vintage on the race met
(05:16):
Mary Gold. It's just gonna be this amazing district.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
I'm gonna guess Christie that moving the shallow Elves to
to in Main Street there at Kurru Tower, that that
to me, that that's a that's a winner.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
It is it is well talk about the history and
the old memories. I mean, we're bringing him back closer
to where they were, you know. And so it's and
it's just putting all of these festivities in one space
and so in one spot.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, and the little kids like it to you're older,
you see goes see the Shillowlson.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
But those things are lame. They saw that's not Ai.
That's it's not And then when.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
When you get to be a parent, you bring your
kids here because you have fond memories of of the thing.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, that's the way. It's awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
This is what we used to do. This is what
things used to look like, you know, I'm a little
I can a little creepy. They're great to see. I
love them. I go every year.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
But well there, but if you look at that stuff
from I don't know, a couple of generations ago, like
Halloween masks and Santa Clauses are super creepy. Back then
if you look at some of those black and whites
from like the thirties or forties, like, that's scary.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Af You're right, You're right.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Yeah, it's more like Crampis than it is Santa Claus.
Christy Samad, she is the EVP of Civic and Commercial
Space Activation for three CDC and totally have blown up
how the holidays are gonna look downtown this year, starting
in the in the Fountain district. So if you're looking
for the rank, it has moved. That is gonna be
Elm Street, so right adjacent to the new Duke Energy
(06:41):
Convention Center, and the ranks bigger and better. Specifically, when
you when you look at the new rank, you said,
it's a new new surface. What upgrades will you notice?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
So it's a larger and we will have eggloos, we'll
have pergolas that have fire pits that you can rent
individually if you can have you know, if your family's
coming down, you can secure a private area to hang
out and have all of your stuff. There's a pavilion
that's actually going to be there year round, but it
will be open with concessions, you know, have chocolate, nack drink.
(07:18):
And so I think that downtown is needed. I mean
Elm Street Plaza in general. Right, it's this new two
and a half acre civic space. We're putting two hundred
and some odd trees in this space, so it's kind
of breaking in this concrete jungle and giving it new life.
And so the ice drink being right in the middle
debuting the space is it's awesome because it's going to
(07:38):
bring a ton of people to come down to see
the newly renovated convention center that will be you know,
that's opening the first events January sixties for Redsvest. The
mural that they did for Blink to Trists and Eaton
mural on the side building of eighty four to fifty
one is the backdrop of the ice drink and it
just really you know, it showcases everything that he has.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
It's great, Yeah, it is cool. When does the rink
open November twenty.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
So next Friday, we're doing the ribbon cutting of the
Elm Street Plaza. We're having the first inaut yural skates
on the rink and then it'll be free ice skating
all day long.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
All right, who's going to be first you do the
ribbon cutting, who's going to do the ceremony? Falling on
their ass?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
So all we've got some really great construction guys that
have been on the project all the past eighteen months
and they're gonna they're going to debut ice.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Yeah, wear your bucket, boys, It'll be all right, all right.
So the new center piece of Found Square though, is
the Winterhouse. We talked about that there's daily programming there.
Are you get a music in it too or around there,
so when the when the rinks go on, you put
the tent there instead.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
I'm guessing right, yeah exactly. And there's a stage within
the tent and so we will have programming basically seven
nights a week. You can find we're doing a collaboration
with CCM to have some buzz performers. We're gonna we
debuted at Washington Park this past summer a ukre night
(09:03):
where you can just come bring partners or just meet partners.
We're gonna have yukre nights there. We're gonna have drag bingo,
We'll have piano nights on Fridays, so it will have
Vinyl nights on Thursdays where you can come and fish records.
We've got a lot going on.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
And the idea then also during the day though, is
to get a lot of the workers downtown to come
and maybe have lunch there.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah. It's really you know at that point that third space,
so you can come and just pull up your laptop
and it's more.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I love that and and you know you engage more people.
That's that's awesome. And we need that downtown for sure.
Uh And even with the rink moving that the Fountain
Square is the fix. You know this, let's face that,
we're gonna put the Christmas tree there too and have
the tree lighting and sandals zip line down so the
tree stays.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Talk about the fountain lights.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, so thanks to the TVG came in big time
and they came to support putting the light on the fountain.
Like I mentioned, there's going to be a five minute
animated show of these lights every fifteen minutes and so
it'll look like, you know, when you're just walking by
there's nothing, it'll look like just a nice, pretty white
(10:14):
and then every fifteen minutes it'll pop with different designs
of players and just really add to the middle.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Of the square almost like blank.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Right, Yeah, exactly. I have a two and a four
year old. We were down, you know, getting everything ready
last night, and they were just entranced by this fountain.
They were steering at it, like what's going on?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
It was, Yeah, that is really cool. I understand.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Also, you're gonna have there's gonna be more light and
a long fi history.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So again just to deck the halls, we are making
sure again and as a clear plaque path. If you're
not incredibly familiar with downtown and you're like you forget that,
it's that Elmstreet prep clasa. You park at Fountain Square,
you're gonna come up, You're going to see all these
festivities and then you'll see like a lit plat path
that will take it, you know, just a block and
a half free plaza with the tree lights and just
(11:04):
the more holidays.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, that's so cool because it like lights the path
three to go though, which is you don't you don't
love the festive. It's like at the zoo with the
big tunnel of lights you walk through.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Exactly well and not the thing. We wanted to make
sure that. Yes, as the rink is physically moving, but
we're really just expanding the experience. So rather than it
just being in one spot, you just have to just
like the zoo, you walk a little farther to the
next experience.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Yeah, I know, I picture in my head and like,
just like Clark Griswold is, it's gorgeous, it's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
And it makes sense too, because we try to cram
everything a Fountain Square. You get the tree, you get
the lighting, you got stages in concerts, you get the
ice rink. There's no more room to go. So expanding
it and moving it a block and a half is
I think it's brilliant.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Yeah. And then but that's a good point. A lot
of people are asking the do holiday tree will stay
on Fountain Square and so that's still on the corner
of Fifth to Vine, and so when we do to
flight up the square, we will still we'll have that
celebration on Fountain Square, but obviously a lot of festivities
at the rink and again, we're just it's just how
you make your way through either space. If you want
(12:08):
to see the tree lighting physically onto Fountain Square, you
can do that. But we also have an LED board
at Elmstreet Plaza and we'll be simulcasting it. So we're
going to use the LED boards at Fountain Square and
Elm Street pop Plaza as a little bit of a portal.
So you know, if you're ice skating and there's something
happening at the Square, we'll pop in to show you
what's happening. So you can be at two places at.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
One Yeah, that's pretty cool. What about the holiday market
or Chris Kentlemark, so that.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
There is going to be Chris Kindle Market down at
the banks that's more line Lawn, but on light of
the Square. We will have vendors that are on Elm
Street Plaza and just again part of that experience. But
the cool thing about Winter House we wanted to make
sure that there is another element when you need to
get a gift quickly. We have kind of like an
(12:56):
iHeart Cincinnati store in the Winterhouse, and so you guests
that are central or they're around Cincinnati, but it'll be
a great place for one stop shop.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Guess yeah, very very cool.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Finally, Christy Samad, the concern for a lot of people
listening you're gonna go downtown is wait a minute, now,
we've had a rash of shootings all summer long, We've
had more violence. It's a problem for sure. Is it
meaning that Cincinnati's a no go? I don't think so.
I have no problem going down on a an evening
and with my family, even little ones for that matter,
and go and enjoy the holidays and the Fountain District
(13:32):
and the skating ring. But there are people are here
listening going. Ain't no way. You can't guarantee someone's safety.
But how does that fit into this what we're talking
about here? Because you know, we just open a brand
new convention center. Of the hotels going in, we want
people downtown, and yet there's this fear of random violence.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
You know, I think in all downtowns, you know, across America, right,
I mean there's always it's an urban area. I don't
think I lived down here of a two and a
four year old. I bring them downtown all the time.
We live right by simily Market, and I think that
you know, the presence of more people, the more activity
only helps that of the feeling of safety. I think
(14:12):
that there's always going to be unfortunate instant incidences, but
you know, I don't think that downtown feels unsafe by
any means. And adding all of this activity again as
the vibrans, the as the like, as the excitement, and
so I think, you know, that's what we need to
lean into. Is the more people that come downtown, the
safer it is.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
I'm sure it was a concern for you guys too,
and what did the cityus wage those fears?
Speaker 2 (14:35):
To some degree? Have we added more security for this?
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Yeah, you know, we are working closely with the police
and the city, and there will be more visibility for sure.
But again I think that we're thinking like, because there's
more activity, there will be more police presence everywhere. But
we want to, you know, compliment that with all the
different activities that we're putting on.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Yeah, as a family, you feel safe down there, and
that's that that's court. I mean, I would and it
wouldn't prevent me from going down there for sure. I mean,
sadly it happens and it needs to be addressed, but
to me, it's not a deal breaker. I want to
see the school stuff. I want to see the elves
and the new rank and all that stuff as well,
and the Christmas tree, because I love the holidays and
a lot of people do. So get on and down
and it kicks up. Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Sorry. One other thing. We also have, you know, downtown
operations teams, the ambassadors. We have increased those as well,
so you know it's clean and safe for the city.
But also they are a wealth of knowledge for if
you're downtown and you don't exactly know exactly where you're going,
you can always stop them. And so again it's just
that more presence on the sidewalk.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
All right, Christy. What starts tomorrow. What goes on on.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Tomorrow is the grand opening of Winterhouse, and the de
Caliday Tree comes early in the morning on Fountain Square,
so you can come see that sucker, come in off
the highway and start getting installed. I like to say
that this is a process. This isn't immediately. The tree
does not immediately look pretty right after it. So it
may have times where it looks a little sparse, guys,
(16:05):
but it will.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Look beautiful, that's all right.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
So that that's coming to this square early in the morning,
we've got a tree trimming party that coincides with that,
so you can go into the Winter House have some
holiday fun. We'll have some entertainment in there, and then
from six to ten we've got the visit in two's
grand opening of the Winter House, all right.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
And it goes through the holidays as well. So Christy
Samad with the three c DC, I love the idea.
I think it's a great reimagination, reimagining of this this
thing because it needed it. It was the rink was small,
as little tired, little compact. Spreading it out I think
is brilliant. Hopefully folks will get downtown and enjoy this
uh as part of the holiday FESTIALI is Christy all
the best? Thanks again, Thank you, Take care. Christy Samad
(16:46):
three c DC on the Scott's Loan Show. Yeah, I'm
sure that people going I know, way I'm going to,
I don't know. It doesn't really bother me, especially that area.
You know, random violence happens on the roadway, so I'm
that's second to hopefully not scare too many people away anyway,
away from trying to keep downtime going, We'll get a
time out of news on the way slowly seven hundred Wi.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
The
I don't want to be an Americans got sloan on
this Friday morning on seven hundred w old.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
But it is the season.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
I'm about ready. I don't have to put you. And
maybe it's just all the angst and drahmenagut in life.
Love the holidays because you can just unplug. So if
part of the celebration for you is planning on going
downtown for the holidays, be it the tree lighting or
to see the elves, or maybe to skate, There's been
a lot of movement, a lot of additions and big
changes for the holidays, especially in the Fountain District this year.
On that from three CDC is Christie smadd Christy, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
How are you? Good morning? How are you? I'm fine,
I'm fine. I'm ready for some holiday action. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Generally, when I see the ads for Christmas right around
the fourth of July, I'm like, it's a little early,
but this year, bring it on.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I'm ready. I'm here for it.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I totally agree. And I feel like with the snow
flurry on Monday even more right.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Right, I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I'm in the spirit. So the thing is, typically people
go downtown and you have your habits. You know, maybe
you go see the trains at the Museum Center, go
see the Shiloh elves, whatever it is. There's a lot
of moving parts right now. So if you show up
and go, hey, what happened to fill in the blank,
it may not be where you thought it was. The
beginning is first of all, before we get into the changes,
and these are some big ones here. What was the
(01:11):
decision to kind of reimagine this whole thing?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, well, so the ice drink has been awesome at
Fountain Square for you know, the last twenty years or so,
but we kept you know, building onto it and trying
to make the patron experience better. But we ran out
of room. We were kind of landlocked at Mountain Square.
And so when the renovation of the Convention Center came
on and we were looking at Elm Street plaza right outside,
(01:36):
it only made sense to make that area, you know,
bring in the ice rink. And so we were able
to some scratch kind of imagine where the ice drink
would go, what is the patron experience, and we were
able to expand and so as really in the Mountain
district and how we you know, expand the winter festivities
in downtown, within this district, it just made sense where
(01:58):
we could do something new on Fountains Square, we could
put a new, brand new ice drink at Elm Street
Plaza and really think of it in that way.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
So will a rink be bigger or is it the
same rink? It is bigger.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
It's a brand new ice rink. It's about a thousand
square feed bigger.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Nice and I like I used, I mean, it's it's
not that far. It's just like a couple of blocks.
So it spreads people a lot too that you can
go to different and see different things along the way
like and that's good for business too.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
It's awesome. So it's a it's only a block and
a half, so you you're more than welcome to still
park at Soutain Square. Come up and we're debuting the
Winter House this Saturday, which is a sixty five by
sixty five tenth with a bar. It's got normal operating
hours Monday through Sunday eleven to eight, and we'll have
programming just like we do during the summer. And the
(02:47):
thoughtfit's behind that was, you know, if you're not a
skater and it's cold, you're probably not finding yourself a
Fountain Square in the winter months, and so we wanted
to kind of think of something where during the summer
everyone uses it for lunch breaks, for meetings, you know,
to see programming, and so really we were thinking how
to carry that on during the winter, and so this
(03:08):
is that it's a large warming tent where you can
still enjoy programming, congregate with friends, you know, take meetings
in there, you your lunch, et cetera. And so that
being on Soutain Square and new this year. Back prior
to the renovation, like in the eighties and earlier than that,
the city used to put lights on the fountain, so
(03:29):
when they turn the water off, they would replace it
with lights to you know, make it look like the
fountain was still flowing with water. And in the past
years that went a way, and so we're bringing it
back this year with animated lights. So it'll be beautiful
something to compliment. While you're in the tent just enjoying
a cocktail, you can watch the fountain glow. And so
(03:51):
that will be at Fountain Square.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Big big of how big is Let's let's do the
Winterhouse ten. How big a ten is it?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
It's a sixty five by sixty five, so it'll fit
about two hundred three hundred people.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And that sounds cool because you can sit in there
and be warm and have a cocktail and now look
at to watch the tree, watch people go.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
By, exactly. I feel like, for yeah, you know, if
you weren't ice skating, you weren't on the Fountain Square
in the winter months, and so this hopefully will curve that.
But then to your point, so the block and a
half to Elm Street Plaza, while you're walking on Fifth,
the Chilto Elves are going in some storefronts at the
Crew Tower and so those are the beloved Elves that's everyone.
(04:30):
You know, they've been spliced apart over the years, I
think since they're originally at Chilto. But we've got a
few scenes that you can check out on Fifth. And
then to your point, not to mention all of the
new businesses, the businesses that have been opened, but there's
a lot of new businesses opening on Fifth Street, and
so prim is a new bar that just opens in
the Soundry. We've got Salazar that used to be an
(04:52):
OTR relocated down to the old Sax building and that's
opening next week. There's another entertainment concept called Flight Club
that is going right next door and it's a dark
bar and that will be on the other edge of
the street. And then at that point you'll be right
at Elm Street pos. But in between we still have
Jeff Ruby's Davidson, We've got Vintage on the race met
(05:16):
Mary Gold. It's just gonna be this amazing district.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
I'm gonna guess Christie that moving the shallow Elves to
to in Main Street there at Kurru Tower, that that
to me, that that's a that's a winner.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
It is it is well talk about the history and
the old memories. I mean, we're bringing him back closer
to where they were, you know. And so it's and
it's just putting all of these festivities in one space
and so in one spot.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, and the little kids like it to you're older,
you see goes see the Shillowlson.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
But those things are lame. They saw that's not Ai.
That's it's not And then when.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
When you get to be a parent, you bring your
kids here because you have fond memories of of the thing.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, that's the way. It's awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
This is what we used to do. This is what
things used to look like, you know, I'm a little
I can a little creepy. They're great to see. I
love them. I go every year.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
But well there, but if you look at that stuff
from I don't know, a couple of generations ago, like
Halloween masks and Santa Clauses are super creepy. Back then
if you look at some of those black and whites
from like the thirties or forties, like, that's scary.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Af You're right, You're right.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Yeah, it's more like Crampis than it is Santa Claus.
Christy Samad, she is the EVP of Civic and Commercial
Space Activation for three CDC and totally have blown up
how the holidays are gonna look downtown this year, starting
in the in the Fountain district. So if you're looking
for the rank, it has moved. That is gonna be
Elm Street, so right adjacent to the new Duke Energy
(06:41):
Convention Center, and the ranks bigger and better. Specifically, when
you when you look at the new rank, you said,
it's a new new surface. What upgrades will you notice?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
So it's a larger and we will have eggloos, we'll
have pergolas that have fire pits that you can rent
individually if you can have you know, if your family's
coming down, you can secure a private area to hang
out and have all of your stuff. There's a pavilion
that's actually going to be there year round, but it
will be open with concessions, you know, have chocolate, nack drink.
(07:18):
And so I think that downtown is needed. I mean
Elm Street Plaza in general. Right, it's this new two
and a half acre civic space. We're putting two hundred
and some odd trees in this space, so it's kind
of breaking in this concrete jungle and giving it new life.
And so the ice drink being right in the middle
debuting the space is it's awesome because it's going to
(07:38):
bring a ton of people to come down to see
the newly renovated convention center that will be you know,
that's opening the first events January sixties for Redsvest. The
mural that they did for Blink to Trists and Eaton
mural on the side building of eighty four to fifty
one is the backdrop of the ice drink and it
just really you know, it showcases everything that he has.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
It's great, Yeah, it is cool. When does the rink
open November twenty.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
So next Friday, we're doing the ribbon cutting of the
Elm Street Plaza. We're having the first inaut yural skates
on the rink and then it'll be free ice skating
all day long.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
All right, who's going to be first you do the
ribbon cutting, who's going to do the ceremony? Falling on
their ass?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
So all we've got some really great construction guys that
have been on the project all the past eighteen months
and they're gonna they're going to debut ice.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Yeah, wear your bucket, boys, It'll be all right, all right.
So the new center piece of Found Square though, is
the Winterhouse. We talked about that there's daily programming there.
Are you get a music in it too or around there,
so when the when the rinks go on, you put
the tent there instead.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
I'm guessing right, yeah exactly. And there's a stage within
the tent and so we will have programming basically seven
nights a week. You can find we're doing a collaboration
with CCM to have some buzz performers. We're gonna we
debuted at Washington Park this past summer a ukre night
(09:03):
where you can just come bring partners or just meet partners.
We're gonna have yukre nights there. We're gonna have drag bingo,
We'll have piano nights on Fridays, so it will have
Vinyl nights on Thursdays where you can come and fish records.
We've got a lot going on.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
And the idea then also during the day though, is
to get a lot of the workers downtown to come
and maybe have lunch there.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah. It's really you know at that point that third space,
so you can come and just pull up your laptop
and it's more.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I love that and and you know you engage more people.
That's that's awesome. And we need that downtown for sure.
Uh And even with the rink moving that the Fountain
Square is the fix. You know this, let's face that,
we're gonna put the Christmas tree there too and have
the tree lighting and sandals zip line down so the
tree stays.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Talk about the fountain lights.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, so thanks to the TVG came in big time
and they came to support putting the light on the fountain.
Like I mentioned, there's going to be a five minute
animated show of these lights every fifteen minutes and so
it'll look like, you know, when you're just walking by
there's nothing, it'll look like just a nice, pretty white
(10:14):
and then every fifteen minutes it'll pop with different designs
of players and just really add to the middle.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Of the square almost like blank.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Right, Yeah, exactly. I have a two and a four
year old. We were down, you know, getting everything ready
last night, and they were just entranced by this fountain.
They were steering at it, like what's going on?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
It was, Yeah, that is really cool. I understand.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Also, you're gonna have there's gonna be more light and
a long fi history.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So again just to deck the halls, we are making
sure again and as a clear plaque path. If you're
not incredibly familiar with downtown and you're like you forget that,
it's that Elmstreet prep clasa. You park at Fountain Square,
you're gonna come up, You're going to see all these
festivities and then you'll see like a lit plat path
that will take it, you know, just a block and
a half free plaza with the tree lights and just
(11:04):
the more holidays.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, that's so cool because it like lights the path
three to go though, which is you don't you don't
love the festive. It's like at the zoo with the
big tunnel of lights you walk through.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Exactly well and not the thing. We wanted to make
sure that. Yes, as the rink is physically moving, but
we're really just expanding the experience. So rather than it
just being in one spot, you just have to just
like the zoo, you walk a little farther to the
next experience.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Yeah, I know, I picture in my head and like,
just like Clark Griswold is, it's gorgeous, it's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
And it makes sense too, because we try to cram
everything a Fountain Square. You get the tree, you get
the lighting, you got stages in concerts, you get the
ice rink. There's no more room to go. So expanding
it and moving it a block and a half is
I think it's brilliant.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Yeah. And then but that's a good point. A lot
of people are asking the do holiday tree will stay
on Fountain Square and so that's still on the corner
of Fifth to Vine, and so when we do to
flight up the square, we will still we'll have that
celebration on Fountain Square, but obviously a lot of festivities
at the rink and again, we're just it's just how
you make your way through either space. If you want
(12:08):
to see the tree lighting physically onto Fountain Square, you
can do that. But we also have an LED board
at Elmstreet Plaza and we'll be simulcasting it. So we're
going to use the LED boards at Fountain Square and
Elm Street pop Plaza as a little bit of a portal.
So you know, if you're ice skating and there's something
happening at the Square, we'll pop in to show you
what's happening. So you can be at two places at.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
One Yeah, that's pretty cool. What about the holiday market
or Chris Kentlemark, so that.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
There is going to be Chris Kindle Market down at
the banks that's more line Lawn, but on light of
the Square. We will have vendors that are on Elm
Street Plaza and just again part of that experience. But
the cool thing about Winter House we wanted to make
sure that there is another element when you need to
get a gift quickly. We have kind of like an
(12:56):
iHeart Cincinnati store in the Winterhouse, and so you guests
that are central or they're around Cincinnati, but it'll be
a great place for one stop shop.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Guess yeah, very very cool.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Finally, Christy Samad, the concern for a lot of people
listening you're gonna go downtown is wait a minute, now,
we've had a rash of shootings all summer long, We've
had more violence. It's a problem for sure. Is it
meaning that Cincinnati's a no go? I don't think so.
I have no problem going down on a an evening
and with my family, even little ones for that matter,
and go and enjoy the holidays and the Fountain District
(13:32):
and the skating ring. But there are people are here
listening going. Ain't no way. You can't guarantee someone's safety.
But how does that fit into this what we're talking
about here? Because you know, we just open a brand
new convention center. Of the hotels going in, we want
people downtown, and yet there's this fear of random violence.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
You know, I think in all downtowns, you know, across America, right,
I mean there's always it's an urban area. I don't
think I lived down here of a two and a
four year old. I bring them downtown all the time.
We live right by simily Market, and I think that
you know, the presence of more people, the more activity
only helps that of the feeling of safety. I think
(14:12):
that there's always going to be unfortunate instant incidences, but
you know, I don't think that downtown feels unsafe by
any means. And adding all of this activity again as
the vibrans, the as the like, as the excitement, and
so I think, you know, that's what we need to
lean into. Is the more people that come downtown, the
safer it is.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
I'm sure it was a concern for you guys too,
and what did the cityus wage those fears?
Speaker 2 (14:35):
To some degree? Have we added more security for this?
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Yeah, you know, we are working closely with the police
and the city, and there will be more visibility for sure.
But again I think that we're thinking like, because there's
more activity, there will be more police presence everywhere. But
we want to, you know, compliment that with all the
different activities that we're putting on.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Yeah, as a family, you feel safe down there, and
that's that that's court. I mean, I would and it
wouldn't prevent me from going down there for sure. I mean,
sadly it happens and it needs to be addressed, but
to me, it's not a deal breaker. I want to
see the school stuff. I want to see the elves
and the new rank and all that stuff as well,
and the Christmas tree, because I love the holidays and
a lot of people do. So get on and down
and it kicks up. Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Sorry. One other thing. We also have, you know, downtown
operations teams, the ambassadors. We have increased those as well,
so you know it's clean and safe for the city.
But also they are a wealth of knowledge for if
you're downtown and you don't exactly know exactly where you're going,
you can always stop them. And so again it's just
that more presence on the sidewalk.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
All right, Christy. What starts tomorrow. What goes on on.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Tomorrow is the grand opening of Winterhouse, and the de
Caliday Tree comes early in the morning on Fountain Square,
so you can come see that sucker, come in off
the highway and start getting installed. I like to say
that this is a process. This isn't immediately. The tree
does not immediately look pretty right after it. So it
may have times where it looks a little sparse, guys,
(16:05):
but it will.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Look beautiful, that's all right.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
So that that's coming to this square early in the morning,
we've got a tree trimming party that coincides with that,
so you can go into the Winter House have some
holiday fun. We'll have some entertainment in there, and then
from six to ten we've got the visit in two's
grand opening of the Winter House, all right.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
And it goes through the holidays as well. So Christy
Samad with the three c DC, I love the idea.
I think it's a great reimagination, reimagining of this this
thing because it needed it. It was the rink was small,
as little tired, little compact. Spreading it out I think
is brilliant. Hopefully folks will get downtown and enjoy this
uh as part of the holiday FESTIALI is Christy all
the best? Thanks again, Thank you, Take care. Christy Samad
(16:46):
three c DC on the Scott's Loan Show. Yeah, I'm
sure that people going I know, way I'm going to,
I don't know. It doesn't really bother me, especially that area.
You know, random violence happens on the roadway, so I'm
that's second to hopefully not scare too many people away anyway,
away from trying to keep downtime going, We'll get a
time out of news on the way slowly seven hundred Wi.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
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