Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Carriage Rides: On Wednesday, February 14, 2007, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, downtown Raleigh will be the place to be for Valentine’s Day. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance will be providing free horse drawn carriage rides on Fayetteville Street. Under the twinkling lights of Fayetteville Street, couples, friends and families can take advantage of the free carriage rides. The rides will go up and down the four blocks of Fayetteville Street and then loop around the capitol block or Moore Square. The carriages can be accessed at two locations on Fayetteville Street, one at 150 Fayetteville Street for rides around the capitol and the second at 219 Fayetteville Street for rides around Moore Square. “We hope this will become an annual event that brings back a little romance to Fayetteville Street”, said DRA Chair Hilda Pinnix-Ragland.

"Love" Themed Banners: Strolling along Fayetteville Street visitors can also see the wonderful work of fourteen local artists who painted their visual concepts of ‘love’ on banners. The brainchild of Raleigh Arts Commissioner, Jessie Cannon, the banners are a wonderful way for local artists to display their work. This display follows the very successful Raleigh Convention Center ‘angels’ banners showcased on Fayetteville Street in December. “I am so pleased that the response from our local artists has been so positive” said Jessie Cannon, Raleigh Arts Commissioner.

The artists’ ‘love’ banners will be hung on lamp posts lining the newly opened Fayetteville Street. The fourteen artists participating in the project are Georges LeChevallier, Anna Podris, Keith Norval, Kathy Ammon, Karin Baumeister-Rehm, Veronica Samuel, Matthew Mahler, Kitty Mecham, Stacy Lewis, Jose Manuel Cruz, Bill Burch, Kirk Adam, Virginia Owen and Constance Pappalardo. The banners will be auctioned off with half the proceeds going back to the artists’ and the other half will fund future banners as a quarterly event along Fayetteville Street. Artspace and Visual Art Exchange were instrumental in recruiting the artists for this project. “This is a great way for local artists to have a presence in downtown and a wonderful way to showcase Raleigh’s talent.” said Executive Director, Sarah Powers, of the Visual Art Exchange.

(Current Image is by artist Karin Baumeister-Rehm. We will showcase different artists during the next several weeks. Please check back or visit Fayetteville Street to view them in person.)

About the Downtown Raleigh Alliance:
The Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) is a business improvement district created to offer enhanced maintenance, safety and communications/events in downtown Raleigh. DRA is a private not for profit corporation governed by twenty-six directors representing the City of Raleigh and property owners in the 110-block district. In June 2003, the Raleigh City Council approved a five-year renewal of the district, following overwhelming endorsement by stakeholders. The district’s annual assessment is approximately $540,000.