Community-wide celebrations will be held to mark both the opening of Irish Green from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 16) in front of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and the fifth anniversary of Notre Dame Downtown from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday (Oct. 17) at 217 S. Michigan St. in South Bend.
Free entertainment, childrens activities and food will be provided Thursday in celebration of the completion of the 16-acre Irish Green on the south side of the Notre Dame campus.A performance by the N-E-W Trio will follow at 7 p.m. in the Leighton Concert Hall of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.Tickets to the concert are $32 general admission, $26 for faculty and staff, $24 for seniors and $15 for students.
The Notre Dame Downtown celebration will include live music at 4 p.m. by the Herb Wilson Ensemble and at 5:15 p.m. from the Merriman Jazz Trio.Activities for children and food from downtown restaurants will be provided free of charge.
Underwritten with a gift from Notre Dame Trustee Fritz L. Duda and his wife, Mary Lee, Irish Green unfolds from the DeBartolo Center to Angela Boulevard, linking the campus to the community. It is populated by maple, elm, oak, beech and other trees and shrubs, and walkways lined with benches wind through the park.
Irish Green is a wonderful new gathering spot for members of both the University community and, as importantly, the greater Michiana community,said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dames president.We are grateful to Fritz and Mary Lee for making this beautiful addition a reality.
In addition to serving as a venue for outdoor receptions, picnics and recreational and other activities, Irish Green will provide a convenient route from many parts of the Notre Dame campus to Eddy Street Commons.
Notre Dame Downtown, a 10,000-square-foot venue located across the street from the State Theatre in a section of the old Robertsons department store building, houses the Universitys Office of Community Relations.Under the direction of Jacquelyn Rucker, the office serves as the primary administrative link between Notre Dame and the local community.It embodies the Universitys goal to be responsive to its neighbors and to support the local communitys efforts to create a prosperous, healthy environment in which to live.
Notre Dame Downtown also is home to The Crossroads Gallery, which is operated by the Snite Museum of Art, Institute for Latino Studies and Community Relations and showcases art as a community outreach tool, as well as Downtown South Bend Inc. (DTSB), co-sponsor of the anniversary celebration under the direction of Marco Mariani.
_ Contact: Jacquelyn Rucker, 574-631-3249,_ " jrucker@nd.edu ":mailto:jrucker@nd.edu
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