JONES, SYMPHONY WIN CITY ALLIANCE AWARDS
Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 03/06/2008
Page: 3A
Headline: JONES, SYMPHONY WIN CITY ALLIANCE AWARDS
Byline: JIM BALOW
balow@wvgazette.com
Charleston Mayor Danny Jones and the West Virginia Symphony were among nine groups and people honored by the Charleston Area Alliance Wednesday in the first We Love Our Community awards.
Jones won the Do the Charleston Award, which honors an individual or organization that exemplifies pride and respect for the community, during a ceremony at the Scottish Rite Temple.
The Symphony, founded in 1939, was given the "Arts to the Max" Award for its long-term impact on the area.
Members of the Alliance's Community Affairs Team decided last year to revive the awards once presented by the Charleston Renaissance Corp. at the group's annual meetings, said Susie Salisbury, vice president for community development. Renaissance was merged into the Alliance in 2004.
"We felt there was a real need to honor local people, places and events," Salisbury said. "We updated the awards to fit the Alliance mission and fit them better with the initiatives we've been working on for the past few years, such as Arts to the Max. We've had three think tanks on that."
Renaissance, formed in 1983 to help the city deal with changes associated with the opening of Charleston Town Center, has been giving out awards since at least 1986.
A Gazette article that year notes that Rite Aid Corp. won honorable for its facade renovation on Capitol Street.
A law firm recently bought the building and plans to freshen the facade.
Salisbury found plaques on her office wall that indicate best development awards dating back to 1993, and the James R. Thomas Outstanding Volunteer Award since 1991.
Jim Snyder, an East End volunteer for more than 10 years, was the latest recipient of the James R. Thomas award on Wednesday, joining past winners like John McClaugherty and Tom Potter.
The ceremony Wednesday was led by John Slicer, who mixed magic acts and music with the usual handshakes.
"There were a couple things we didn't want to do," Salisbury said. "We didn't want a sit-down dinner. We didn't want PowerPoint slides. That's when we came up with John Slicer, the magician."
Salisbury found the inspiration for the actual awards while prowling downtown stores. "At the Art Emporium I saw large glass kisses by Ron Hinkle, an artist who makes glass. That seemed to fit with our theme - We Love Our Community. They created a shadow box, with the kiss inside, and a plaque."
Other award winners include:
Outstanding Preservation Award: Capitol Market
Kanawha Heritage Award: West Virginia Power Baseball
Best Development Award: Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe PLLC
Community Celebration Award: FestivALL
"Arts to the Max" Award (individual): Dr. David Wohl
Sustainable Development Award: Lisa Fischer Casto and Lloyd Miller/EcoDwell
To contact staff writer Jim Balow, use e-mail or call 348-5102.
