Around (down)town: Film Score Fest comes to Mears, Seeking wellness vendors and more

News from the Downtown Alliance

September 3, 2021

A note from the president

Friends,

Thank you to all of you who joined us for yesterday's Speaker Series. It was great to see such a variety of workers, employers, and residents, familiar and new faces. For those who weren't able to join us we heard our public safety partners share useful information about available resources like the Safety Communications Center and Street Team. Our larger employers gave a glimpse into their planning process for hopefully returning to offices this fall and we heard from one of our smaller employers about the value they've seen from bringing a hybrid work model to their office. We also heard from our venues and event promoters who remain cautiously optimistic that this fall and holiday season will move forward as planned, primarily with mask or vaccine mandates in place to ensure patron safety. There's still plenty of #WelcomeBackStPL content and events planned for the coming months, so remember to follow along on social media – campaign highlights can be found here.

Keep reading to learn more about some fun new events coming to downtown, including the Film Score Fest and Merge Twin Cities festival happening this weekend, and the brand new Wellness Market coming later this fall. We're currently looking for great local businesses to participate in that, if you know anyone who might be interested be sure to pass the info along. I'll also note that next Thursday is the season finale of Lowertown Sounds. Even last night's rain didn't keep people home so I expect to see you all there to celebrate the end of an amazing season.

Finally, I'd like to acknowledge the tragedies that occurred in and near downtown last weekend. Senseless violence has no place in our downtown, and I’m grateful for our public safety partners who are responding to these tragedies and working to improve public safety outcomes for everyone. Overall, we have seen safety improvements downtown this summer thanks to the collaboration and coordination between the Alliance, the Downtown Improvement District, our local governments and public safety professionals, and we continue to focus on these efforts. Join us for our next public safety check-in call on September 9 to learn more.

Enjoy the long weekend,

Joe Spencer

President

Saint Paul Downtown Alliance

We're seeking vendors for our first Wellness Market!

The first StPL Wellness Market is coming in October to Treasure Island Center and we're currently seeking vendors to be a part of this fun event.

If you or a friend or colleague are interested in featuring your goods or services please fill out or share this form.

More information and a full list of vendors to come, but mark your calendars for October 19th.

#WelcomeBackStPL events & news this week

If you're like us and will be in town for the long weekend, plan to spend Saturday evening in Mears Park for the first ever outdoor Film Score Fest. Filmmakers and composers paired up to create new short films, and the Film Score Fest orchestra will perform the scores live at the screening. Hopefully it won't be the last time this one-of-a-kind event happens downtown!

Here's a glance at what else is coming up:

September 4: Merge Twin Cities | Capitol Campus
September 4: Film Score Fest | Mears Park
September 7-11 : Saints vs Omaha | CHS Field
September 8: D1 Fitness in the Park | Rice Park
September 8: Farrell's eXtreme Fitness | Rice Park (new time - now at 4 p.m.)
September 9-10: St. Paul Summer Sunlight | 7th Place Mall
September 9: Lowertown Sounds | Mears Park
September 10: Gogol Bordello | Palace Theatre

Be sure to check WelcomeBackStPL.com for full details, new events are also added daily!

Snap, Tag, Win!

All summer, the #WelcomeBackStPL statue will move around downtown, making stops at our favorite parks, venues and destinations.

You’re likely to run into it at one of our events, or you may stumble upon it out of the blue. Either way, we want to see your pictures showing off your StPL pride!

To participate:

SNAP a picture with the statue - a selfie, a shot of your dog, or just admiring the scenery, we love them all!
TAG us in your post - use #WelcomeBackStPL and @StPLdowntown on your favorite social channel.
WIN - each tag gets you entered to win a downtown gift card. Winners are selected randomly.