For those of you who did not visit our downtown over the weekend, you missed some pretty spectacular events.
Saturday afternoon, as you looked down Third Street all you could see was cars. The Reg Lenna Civic Center was alive with the Christmas spirit as young and old alike visited the historic structure to enjoy The Nutcracker. I actually talked with many people who were also downtown for eating and shopping - and they could not get over how great Jamestown has once again become. Some had not been here is awhile and were amazed at how the community has improved. This, along with many other activities, was just a starter for the rest of the day.
In the evening the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena hosted the Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular. The inside of the arena was alive with a spectacular light show. The music was unforgettable, featuring the Fresh Beat Band and R5. They worked in conjunction with both the ice skating performers and gymnasts to produce a truly riveting show. The show was hosted by TV hosts Burt Conner, Nadia Comaneci and Peggy Flemming - all icons in their own right.
Ladies and gentlemen, we had the best in the world right here in Jamestown. I am wondering how many people really understand that. They were not just in the arena, they were all around downtown, in our hotels, in our eating establishments, in our schools and were very visible. Skaters included Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Jeremy Abbott, Alissa Cziisny, Ashley Wagner, Adam Rippen, Maia and Alex Shibutani and Gracie Gold.
Gymnasts included Nastia Liukin, Gabrielle Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Weber, Danell Leyva, Johnathan Horton, Jake Dalton and Chris Brooks. All of these people have great reputations and even if you did not know their names, once you saw their performance you knew we had the best of the best right here in Jamestown.
While all of these people and performers were in Jamestown I noticed some pretty powerful sponsors that were also made aware of the city of Jamestown. Progressive Insurance, Pandora, Hilton, Kellogg's, Musselmanns, Smuckers, Subway, Paul Mitchell are all names we would recognize. While these weren't the only ones we noticed, Chautauqua Suites and Jamestown's own Panache were also part of the event. Disson Skating and the International Gymnastics Camp, along with U.S. Figure Skating and USA Gymnastics, all played a role in this production. Congratulations to all! It was a spectacular show and we had the opportunity to show Jamestown at its finest.
Christmas is less than two weeks away. Let us all continue to make this the very best Christmas ever.
While this is the Christmas season, we would like to add that we should keep all the children and families in the horrific tragedy in Connecticut in our thoughts and prayers. Sometimes these things are almost unexplainable. We would ask you make a moment of silence to reflect on this tragedy and what it means to that community and those families. Let us reflect and hope it never happens again.