PALMDALE – Popular local bands, themed children’s activities, and a wider variety of food vendors are just a few of the things attendees can expect from this summer’s Thursday Night on the Square (TNOTS) events in Palmdale.
“This is definitely an event that’s for the people and by the people, and we are pleased to coordinate it,” said Parks & Recreation Manager Keri Brady.
“Bring a blanket, bring a lawn chair, it’s going to be a blast,” said Palmdale Mayor Pro Tem Steve Hofbauer.
At a press conference Wednesday city officials announced the entertainment lineup and the themed children’s activities for TNOTS events, which will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on eight Thursday nights in Poncitlán Square, beginning July 5.
The children’s art & activity schedule and entertainment lineup are as follows:
JULY 5
New York, New York. Kids can create a Statue of Liberty crown, grow a Central Park plant and create their own Metropolitan Museum of Art masterpiece.
City savvy dogs should dress up in New York fashion and join the Liberty Dogs costume contest and parade. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Liberty Dog, Broadway Dog, Coney Island’s Hottest Dog, Yankee Dog, The Dogfather, Wall Street Dog and Hobo Dog.
R&B by Bump City. Bump City is a popular rhythm and blues band that has played music of the Motown area at TNOTS since 2002.
JULY 12
Summer Down Under. Kids looking for an Aussie adventure can enjoy making their own rain stick, a personalized painted boomerang and a cute Koala wall pouch.
Oldies by The Legend. The Legends, dressed in ‘Beach Boys’ attire, play classic oldies from the ‘50s and 60s. The band features members of the original local band, The DelAires, who performed at TNOTS since it began in 2001.
JULY 19
Shark Attack. Make your own shark snow globe, a cool shark tooth necklace to wear and a miniature wooden spoon shark.
Swing by Phat Cat Swinger. The poplar swing band has performed at TNOTS since 2007, in full Zoot Suit dress with horns blazing.
JULY 26
Mini Me. Kids can create a tiny doll version of themselves, and a mini house with clay accessories just the right size for their doll.
R&B by Tessarae Band. Rhythm and blues music that celebrated the best of the Motown sounds from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
AUGUST 2
Candy Carnival. Kids can try their hand at the lollipop ring toss, gumdrop tic tac toe and the gumball challenge. They win tickets at every game and turn them in for prizes.
Country by Tombstone. Tombstone performs past and present country hits that have proved to be crowd-pleasers year after year.
AUGUST 9
Lucky Fortune. Kids will create their own Magic 8 wheel, a tube of fortune sticks and colorful cootie catcher, then test them out and get answers to all their questions!
R&B by Lorena Mackey & The Hi-Lites. Lorena Mackey & The Hi-Lites have performed at TNOTS since 2002. Mackey belts out her rendition of melodies as the crowd is captivated by her soulful voice.
AUGUST 12
Major League Mania. Baseball fans will enjoy creating a personalized wooden baseball bat and a design-your-own baseball cap. Kids can challenge their puzzle skills and learn about famous baseball stadiums in America for a chance to win five keepsake stadium trading cards.
R&B by The Ambassadors of Soul. The Ambassadors of Soul oerform legendary sounds of Motown with the added twist of jazz backed by horns and distinct vocals.
AUGUST 23
Button Me Up. Kids’ crafts include a cute button bug, a glittered button magnet and a useable button bookmark.
Latin rock by Boulvard Knights. The Boulvard Knights will perform an impressive “Santana” sound.
Fourteen specialty food vendors, 38 craft and commercial vendors, and 29 service organizations have also been confirmed to participate in TNOTS events.
Each week, one lucky person caught “green-handed” – disposing of recyclable and nonrecyclable waste in the proper container – will win a solar-powered backpack valued at $125 that is capable of charging an mp3 player, cell phone, camera or laptop, courtesy of Waste Management.
Pets are not permitted, except dogs on July 5 for the New York, New York event. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Alcohol is not allowed.
This year’s sponsors include Double D Cupcakes, Energy Upgrade California, High Desert Broadcasting, High Desert Medical Group, Sierra Medical Group, Target, Valleywide Dental and Waste Management.
In addition to TNOTS, the City will celebrate its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Friday, August 24 at Poncitlan Square from 5:30-8:30 pm. This special evening will include fun, food and music.
For more information about Thursday Night on the Square, call 267-5611 or visit www.cityofpalmdale.org/tnots.
sacryinshame says
I’d say John Mylnar is earning his money.
IRRITATED ! says
Irritated in Lancaster. Do to my work in contracting I unfortunately got placed here. Yuck, this place sucks. The worst drivers ever, bad customer service, most people here don’t say excuse me or thank you, mostly rude unfriendly people, most people look miserable and bitter. After reading post, it is not hard to figure out that there is a lot of racism and
hostility. The Blvd, oh boy!, is that all there is to do out here in this desert? I lived all over California and Lancaster is the worst. Thank God my contract is all most up.
sacryinshame says
Yes, it is a misable place. All the things you said and more. Throw in the gang issues, racism and crime rate. I can’t wait to get out of this place. Before everyone chimes in, to not let the door hit me is the a$$, (like you all did with David G.) I’ll leave as soon as I can get the bank to cooperate on a short sale. If the short sale falls through…maybe I’ll do a Section 8 rental!!!
IRRITATED ! says
With all the crime here, I bought a shotgun. Legally. Won’t hesitate to defend myself. Wish you luck on that short sale
and getting out of here.
sacryinshame says
Shotgun…I’m with you Captain. I did the same thing.
Scott Pelka says
You have it confused with lancaster blvd.
William says
I went to a newly opened restaurant on the BLVD yesterday at 4:30 PM and was the only customer there the whole time. It was kinda sad given all the hype. It was really nice inside and the food was good.
When I drove back to 10th Street West, there was a steady stream of cars yet all the restaurants were deserted. What the heck?
Someone here named Kirsten said that you have to be there at 11:00PM on Saturday night when it’s busy. Really? That’s the deal with the ‘heart of the Valley’? I bet downtown Barstow is busier in the middle of the day.
kristen says
if all you are going to do is put Lancaster down all of the time then why do you bother to come to the blvd at all? it Seems like you are a very negative person.
William says
And you are delusional. Haven’t you ever gone to a movie or something that was hyped like crazy and wondered, “What’s the big deal?”. Am I saying anything that isn’t true?
Was the BLVD designed just to be busy late at night on the weekends like a nightclub?
I like to try out new restaurants but I was saddened to see the place completely empty. I opened the door and stuck my head in at first to ask if they were open. In a town of 150,000 and a valley of half a million, the BLVD doesn’t seem to be that big of an attraction unless there is some event there.
Do you suppose that your mayor is such a frequent jerk that he’s bad for business and has to hype the BLVD constantly. Maybe if someone else was the symbol of Lancaster, it might be a more attractive destination.
kristen says
you sure spend lots of time on lancaster Blvd for someone who supposedly hates lancaster so much.
Sorry that palmdale doesnt have a historic area thats worth going to. so sorry that lancaster has a farmers market like the big cities down the hill. so sorry that lancaster blvd has small mom & pop places and not more corporate chains sending money to irvine or dallas.
if you want the cookie cutter suburban mall/corporate experience then by all means stay in palmdale. nobody forced you to come to lancaster. it seems like just like to come over here to bash us and gloat about it.
John Mlynar says
Kristen, with all due respect, I disagree with your assessment of Palmdale restauraunts. Sure the larger chains are there because the Mall is a huge attraction for large numbers of people. But there are many outstanding local restaurants in Palmdale, as there are in Lancaster. Some of Palmdale’s include Steer n Stein, Fresco II, Goldfish, Mana Asian, Saigon Pho, Thai Palms, Mediterreanean Fresh, Inka, Irene’s Cafe, Bakery Express, Sushi Zen, Shogun, El Toreo, Country Cafe, Los Arcos, Tokyo Steak, Don Juan’s , Tacos Delicioso, Nopgow, Alice’s, cascade’s, Uozumi, Gino’s, Bayou BBQ, Tokyo Sushi, Asia Buffet, Crave and more. Plenty of options in both cities.
sacryinshame says
I have to side with William on this issue.
When I buy gifts, which I do frequently, I go to shops on the Blvd. Usually, I spend an hour or more in a shop and be the only customer there the whole time.
I have gone to Bex’s a few times. Each time has been less than I expected. I was surprised to see all the stainless steel dirty and the glass around the kitchen area greasy and splattered. The self serve beverage area so dirty, I opted to pass on getting a beverage.
There seems to be more kids on bikes and skateboards than anyone else.
The Farmers Market on Thursday has been a big disappointment to me every week. Again, trying to support the community I live in, I go every week. It seems like it gets smaller each time I go with fewer and fewer vendors. It’s either, too cold, windy or hot.
As far as the cookie cutter, suburban mall corporate experience, keeping mom and pop business open….blah, blah. I would like to shop and dine locally but the experience has been disappointing so far.
kristen says
John mylnar gets paid to make palmdale look good because he works for the city of palmdale as the p.r. person. thats a no brainer. I think John and william are the same guy. William is Johns other pen name. william bashes lancaster, someone comes in to put william in his place and then John magically reappears to plug palmdale in. what a coincidence!
John Mlynar says
Kristen, yes I do work for the City of Palmdale. No, I am not William. I am doing this on my time. I have a lot of pride in Palmdale, and the AV as a whole. I have live here nearly 25 years, raised my kids here, and hopefully will be around many more years. I comment here when I think it may be appropriate to offer some information that may not have been made available. I try to look at the positive side of things. If that offends you, I apologize. That is not my intent.
William says
Kristen. Please don’t mix me up with John Mlynar. He is the Communications Manager for the City of Palmdale and a great guy. He is also very diplomatic and professional.
I, on the other hand, never had any problems with Lancaster until Parris became mayor and he started acting like a jerk. His jealously of Palmdale is palpable.
I have to go to Lancaster to my doctor and my car’s dealership occasionally and I like to take the opportunity to check out a new restaurant.
But, since it was redone, despite all the hype, I, like ‘sacryinshame’ keep being disappointed in the BLVD. A lot a money was spent on the landscaping and it’s nice but there is something odd about it. When I was walking down the north side a couple blocks back to my car, I could have thrown a bowling ball for 2 blocks and not hit a single person. I’m amazed that businesses can make it with so little traffic, well, except at 11 PM on Saturday night.
I quit going to BeX when I noticed a ‘B’ grade from the health department that was there the first year. The hours and days of some of the places are limited. So, I was surprised to see a couple places closed on a Sunday late afternoon.
You criticize me for being negative about Lancaster then you do the same about Palmdale. That’s called hypocrisy.
Face it, if Nordstrom’s or a Whole Foods were ever to come to the AV, it won’t be to Lancaster. Parris pretends Lancaster is a ‘world class city’ where you have to order at the counter and get your own drinks when eating out.
As for the corporate rant, how many Walmarts does Lancaster have and working to impose another one across from Quartz Hill High School. Lancaster gets the sales taxes and QH gets the traffic, crime and other problmes. What a great neighbor Lancaster is to the surrounding areas. It’s criticism is well deserved.
Adam Chant says
It takes time for new places to evolve and establish a routine and following. William brings up very valid points about the BLVD and it will take time for it to become a location with foot traffic all the time. I question that it will ever be as busy as the mall or even other downtown districts when you consider that the majority of the people with expendable cash work until 5 PM and/or commute.
The BLVD traffic comes and goes in waves and as William points out many of these waves are completely missed by the businesses that are trying to thrive there. Unlike the mall there is not much anyone can do about that currently as each business is independently owned and operated and is allowed to set their own hours of operation. You could argue that the market will eventually resolve this as those businesses that are not open for business will eventually fail. Ironically they will be the same businesses looking for an ear to chew on about how the environment on the BLVD is not all it’s cracked up to be and they went out of business because of lack of foot traffic.
Keep coming down and keep trying new places. That is the only way the community can grow. Some would argue that you are lucky that you can find parking and not have to deal with all of the crazy people all over the BLVD.
Also since this is a TNOTS article, we should not try to compare TNOTS with BLVD Farmers Market. We have around 300,000 people between Lancaster and Palmdale I’m 100% confident that there are enough people to have both events on the same night without competing with each other. I know of more than a few Palmdale residents that hit the Farmers Market early then close out the evening at TNOTS.
William says
A couple points, Adam.
I’ve heard the comment that people are working and that’s why the BLVD doesn’t get going till after 5 PM. But, the Mall and other shopping centers such as on Avenue K are busy during noontime and midday.
One problem that’s hard to fix is the the BLVD is only one street surrounded by mostly redisential. Many other ‘downtowns’ have several parallel and cross streets that are commercial and extend the region in a wider area. I know there are commercial properties on some of the cross-streets but, really, they aren’t the type of places people stroll by and window shop.
Aren’t new restaurants usually busy at first due to the grand openings and people checking them out follwed by a tapering off and leveling? The reataurant I went to was nice but I suspect the overall parking, low foot traffic and other factors are the problem. I eaten at several places and they were good but getting there and parking were an unnecessary chore for some reason. I park at the outer spaces of many parking lots to keep my car dent free and I’m sure I walk farther from my car to the Mall itself than a block or two on the BLVD, yet, despite the music it seems farther. I guess it’s convenient for the surrounding neighbors to walk over and catch a bite or shop but not so much for people further away.