4pm - 8pm Coco The Clown 4pm – 8pm Twin Magician Balloonology 4pm to 8pm Maxman Reptile Rescue
12pm - 8pm Coco The Clown 11am to 6pm Maxman Reptile Rescue
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SALT CITY MARKET If you’ve ever struggled to select a dining option that works for everyone in your group, Salt City Market is the answer to your indecisive foodie prayers. The food hall opened in January of 2021 in the heart of downtown Syracuse. It’s home to a variety of locally-owned restaurants, many featuring first-time business owners. Whether you’re craving cupcakes, Thai, coffee, or soul food, Salt City Market’s got you covered. We caught up with CJ Butler, Marketing and Communications Manager for Salt City Market. Here’s what she wants you to know about this new CNY culinary gem. What’s the goal of Salt City Market? The general ethos is to create a space where people can come together and share food, culture, and good times. We aim to uplift the amazing food that’s coming out of the kitchens in Syracuse. One of the most important things about the Salt City Market is that all of our vendors are either from Syracuse or have built their lives in Syracuse. We’re really focused on uplifting the talent and the culture that we already have in our own neighborhoods. Salt City Market opened in early 2021, when things were still feeling uncertain because of the Covid pandemic. What was that experience like? It's been a whirlwind! Our vendors took a huge leap of faith with us. Many of them left their full-time jobs to commit to being in the market, which was an incredible show of trust on their part.
It’s amazing to walk through the market and to see folks who probably would never have crossed paths normally coming together. There might be a construction worker on his lunch break and a mom in our Kids’ Corner with her toddler. Maybe they never would have had a conversation normally, but they’re able to do that at Salt City Market, which is really awesome. We get so much feedback from people who say they really feel comfortable in the space and think the food is great. It’s been incredible to see the response. What’s your favorite way to experience the market? I have to pace myself! I love that every vendor has something delicious to offer depending on what you like to eat. There truly is something for everyone, whether you love spicy food or something sweet. This will be your first time participating in Taste of Syracuse. What are you most excited about? We are so excited to be participating in Taste of Syracuse! It’s such a huge pillar of the Central New York community. All around Central New York, people are excited for this event. Knowing that we haven’t been able to enjoy it for the past two years, it’s huge for us to be able to be there. We’re thrilled to show our stuff to people who haven’t been to Salt City Market before. What can festival attendees expect when they visit your booth? We’ll have six vendors with us, which is really exciting. We’re thrilled to have a large footprint at the event, and hopefully that will reflect the footprint that the market has on downtown Syracuse. You’ll be able to try everything from babaganoush to mac and cheese and bubble tea. We’ve got a huge menu, so come hungry!
While you’re enjoying your favorite eats at this year’s Summit Federal Credit Union Taste of Syracuse presented by Tops Friendly Markets, you’ll also have a chance to get to know more about Make-A-Wish Central New York. Volunteers from Make-A-Wish CNY will be hanging out in the Summit Federal Credit Union tent during the festival to greet attendees and answer questions. On Saturday, they’ll be working the prize wheel in the Tops Friendly Markets tent, so you can take home some great prizes while you learn about Make-A-Wish Central New York. Ahead of this year’s Taste of Syracuse, we grabbed some time with Make-A-Wish Central New York Events Manager Debbie Simon to learn exactly what makes this organization so special. For someone who's unfamiliar, what does Make-A-Wish CNY do? We create life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Make-A-Wish America was founded in 1980, and the Central New York Chapter was founded in 1985. In that time, we’ve granted close to 2,000 wishes. If someone who's reading this wants to get involved with Make-A-Wish, what's the best place to start? We’re always looking for volunteers to help with our wish granting, events, and in our office. If anyone is interested, they should contact our Volunteer Manager Katie Aiello at kaiello@cny.wish.org. But there are so many ways that people can help! They can donate airline miles (once transferred to us they never expire) or their “winter rat.” People can volunteer to work an event or can create their own. Additionally, they can be a part of our upcoming golf tournament at Drumlins, the Poker Run in Clayton, or Ms. Orange in October. We can always use gift baskets, building supplies, or people’s unique talents. Visit www.cny.wish.org or call 315-475-9474 to learn about all the ways you help. What is Make-A-Wish’s goal? Transforming lives, one wish at a time! Be it a puppy, a Disney trip, a room makeover, or a new pool, we strive to exceed a child’s expectations and deliver the transformational hope and healing that is unique to each wish.