DowntownITH

On February 19, 2014, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, and City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick will hold ribbon cutting ceremonies for two new businesses on the Ithaca Commons: Chemung Canal Trust Company and Acting Out NY.

At 11:00 AM, there will be a ribbon cutting for Chemung Canal Trust Company at 202 The Commons. Founded in 1833, Chemung Canal is New York State’s oldest locally owned and managed bank. Now with 34 locations across 12 counties, Chemung Canal operates as a full-service community bank with full trust powers, gathering deposits locally and lending them back out within the community to help stimulate job and wealth creation for area businesses, organizations, and individuals. When Bank of America announced their intention to sell their Tompkins County offices, the leadership at Chemung Canal recognized the opportunity to expand their market presence beyond their three successful Ithaca locations at Community Corners, the former Station Restaurant, and the Lowe’s plaza on Route 13. Chemung Canal was able to retain the customer relations staff from the Bank of America. Explains Michael J. Wayne, Senior Vice President, “We recognize that clients like to bank with people that they know, trust and respect. The former Bank of America employees are very knowledgeable and professional bankers, and they have indicated how pleased they are with the culture at Chemung Canal, which encourages them to be active and involved in their community.”

At 11:15 AM, there will be a ribbon cutting for Acting Out NY at 171 The Commons (Center Ithaca next to Jillian’s Drawers). Acting Out offers classes, camps, and workshops in film acting for youth ages 4 to 16. Proprietor and coach Darcy Martin Rose grew up in Horseheads, New York and recently returned to the area after a long stint in Los Angeles, where she earned a degree in acting from UCLA and worked as a professional actress in film, television, national commercials, and several regional theatre companies. Her on-screen credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Without a Trace, and Dinotopia.  Says Martin, “We live in an age where everyone has a video camera on their cell phone or computer, and kids are inundated every day with negativity in the media. Our aim is to combat that by providing a safe place for young people to explore how pop culture and consumerism affects them and to demystify “Hollywood” by showing them what it’s like to make a commercial, television show or movie. The performing arts are an invaluable avenue for personal expression, and you can see that in the final projects we post on our website, ActingOutNewYork.com.”