This city is starting to get it: Mayor Cranley on Local Music Scene

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Anyone following CincyMusic knows the value of our local music community, but it's not every day you open your e-mail to find a statement of such support from your Mayor. I'll let Mayor Cranley's statement speak for itself below. All that I'll add is that it's about time this city stopped self-destructing, and started realizing the potential in our own backyard. Kudos Mayor Cranley. I owe you a beer.

Mayor Cranley on Buckle Up, Macy’s Music Fest and local music scene

Newest festival further highlights Cincinnati as music town

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley applauds music festival organizer Bill Donabedian for his efforts at staging the Bunbury and Buckle Up music festivals at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove along the city’s riverfront.

Mayor Cranley further encourages area leaders to recognize the tremendous asset music has, and can have, on the local economy and on the area's cultural vibrancy.

Since first serving on City Council, Mayor Cranley has recognized the value of music in the city, supporting MidPoint Music Festival in its inaugural year, as well as Macy's Music Fest, the Cincy Blues Fest, efforts to commemorate the local legacy of the historic King Records label, and more.

The festivals, along with the tremendous success of Bunbury, bring diverse peoples together and highlight a city making tremendous progress. Buckle Up is positioned to further build upon this and offer another set of musical options.

"Music festivals like Bunbury, Buckle Up and the Macy’s Music Fest provide a real cultural value for Cincinnatians and give another reason for people from all over the world to come and experience Cincinnati," said Mayor Cranley.

Cincinnati is often under-appreciated as a true music town, where pivotal milestones of music as diverse as funk, rock and roll, indie, blues, hip-hop, bluegrass, gospel, doo-wop and jazz have substantial origins. With the premiere of the Buckle Up music festival this weekend, Cincinnati not only will host major Country and Americana acts like Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris, but will also feature local talents like The Tillers and The Kentucky Struts.

Now in its 52nd year, the Macy’s Music Fest will be held July 25-26. It will feature various R&B and soul performers such as Ne-Yo, Chaka Khan, New Edition and Robin Thicke.

Mayor Cranley also applauds Bunbury and Buckle Up for its support of locally-based nonprofit music organizations.

The two festivals help benefit the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation (CMHF), a nonprofit which celebrates and preserves the region's eclectic music history. The group assisted in erecting a historic marker at the former King Records headquarters in Evanston. Also, CMHF led the charge for a historic marker for the former Herzog Studios site downtown, where Hank Williams recorded; it now is headquartered in the space.

The festivals also support the Music Resource Center, a multifaceted program in East Walnut Hills that teaches teenagers about the recording and performing arts, and helps them learn life skills.

For more on these organizations:

For more information and opportunities to attend Buckle Up this weekend, July 17-19, 2014 go to:

For more information, contact Kevin Osborne, Director of Communications, at 513-516-1966.