Downtown Orlando

ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER OFFERS FREE ADMISSION TO ACTIVE MILITARY

The Orange County Regional History Center will offer free museum admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, through Labor Day, Monday, September 5.

This offer is part of Blue Star Museums, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 1,300 museums across America. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families.

Active military personnel and their families can trace Central Florida’s fascinating history from Indian settlement to small town surrounded by citrus groves and cattle ranches to military hub to today’s tourist-centric community. Starting Saturday, July 2, visitors can also enjoy the limited-run exhibit Games People Play: The Evolution of Video Games, on display through Saturday, September 10.

More than 1,324 museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative, including more than 500 new museums this year. This year’s Blue Star Museums represent fine arts museums, science museums, history museums, nature centers, and 70 children’s museums.

Blue Star Families is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect, and empower military families. The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education.

The Orange County Regional History Center, housed in a restored historic five-story 1927 courthouse in downtown Orlando, showcases the vast collection of the Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc. The museum features three floors of permanent exhibits and also presents nationally important limited-run exhibitions. The museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Free Admission Details
The free admission program is available to active duty military and their immediate family members (military I.D. holder and five immediate family members), which includes active duty Reserve and active duty National Guard. To find a list of participating museums and a map, visitwww.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

The Orange County Regional History Center, located at 65 E. Central Boulevard in downtown Orlando, is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m. General admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors (60+), students and military* with I.D., $6 for children ages 5-12, and children ages 4 and under and Members of the Historical Society are free. For more information call (407) 836-8500 or visit www.thehistorycenter.org.

DOWNTOWN CONFIDENTIAL GOES BIWEEKLY

Starting this week, the Downtown Development Board (DDB) will be issuing the Downtown Confidential biweekly. We believe having a biweekly newsletter provides us with the opportunity to better serve our readers. The DDB has made this decision in order to produce a higher quality newsletter with more relevant content for our readers.

The Downtown Confidential will continue to serve as a great resource for deals, updates and events in Downtown Orlando but our website, www.downtownorlando.com will be the best place for daily updates on this information.

What do you want to see in our new Downtown Confidential? Send suggestions to Judy Frisby at judy.frisby@downtownorlando.com or visit our contact page and select “submit ideas for the Downtown Confidential” in the category drop down menu. We look forward to producing a new and improved newsletter for our dedicated readers.

CRA PAVES WAY FOR MORE SHOPPING

On December 6, 2010, the City of Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) approved the Retail Stimulus Program to help attract new retail and entertainment businesses to Downtown Orlando. The program works by providing financial assistance towards tenant buildout improvements to qualified businesses on designated streets within the Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Area. The goals of the program are to decrease area retail vacancy, attract new retail businesses, and to create jobs. Moreover, by providing this incentive, the CRA hopes to influence the product offering and merchandise mix of downtown. The program is currently funded at a level of $250,000 for fiscal year 2010-2011. Grants may be made awarded at a rate of up to $25 per square foot for retail space for as long as funds are available. The maximum possible grant award is $50,000.
The program is a specific outcome of the Downtown Orlando Retail & Entertainment Study which outlines as series of recommendations to improve retail vitality in downtown. To learn more about the Retail Stimulus Program, contact Kelly Roberts, CRA Project Manager, at kelly.roberts@downtownorlando.com or at 407-246-3009

Or view the PDF with more details here