Planned Community Events Observe Scranton Jane Jacobs Festival

The Center for the Living City, with community partner organizations including The University of Scranton, will offer a series of events for the Observe Scranton Jane Jacobs First City Festival. 

On May 5 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Scranton community members are invited to attend for a special event, Community Conversation: A Scranton City Dialogue. This Jane Jacobs inspired community conversation will focus on questions and themes she raised in a seminal 1987 letter to the City about “what Scranton is, has been, and can be.” This community dialogue event will be held via Zoom. For more information, please visit scranton.edu/ScrantonCityDialogue. Registration is required for this event at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ObserveScranton.

This community dialogue is sponsored by The University of Scranton and The Center for the Living City in partnership with United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, NeighborWorks of NEPA, Scranton Tomorrow, Valley in Motion, the Greater Scranton MLK Commission and the Scranton Area Ministerium.

This special virtual dialogue event is a part of the Observe Scranton “Jane Jacob’s First City Festival,” a weeklong celebration of Jane Jacobs’s life and legacy hosted by The Center for the Living City.  Festival events will take place in Scranton, PA and virtually from May 4, 2021, through May 8, 2021. Highlights include the Book Launch of Jane Jacob’s First City: Learning from Scranton, Pennsylvania and a Story Slam. In-person events will follow all Covid safety protocols. For more information about Observe Scranton and the festival events and exhibits, please visit observescranton.org.

The Observe Festival will also offer a variety of events as a part of the First Friday Scranton offerings this May 7 from 5 – 9 p.m.  At the Observe Festival HQ, community members are invited to participate in an interactive art exhibit that will allow participants to share their thoughts about the past, present and future of Scranton. This event will take place at 600 Spruce Street and is sponsored by The University of Scranton in partnership with The Center for the Living City and United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA.

Another First Friday and festival offering is coordinated by the Northeast Art Project (NEAP) the “Light the Night Ride,” a community bicycle ride and contest, to Scranton. Community members can participate by either coming down to enjoy the incredible display or register in advance to participate. For more details or to register your bike for Light the Night Ride, visit NEAP’s website, northeastartproject.com, contact via email at admin@northeastartproject.com, or follow Northeast Art Project on Instagram and Facebook.