Riverfront Independence Day Celebration 2019

New Albany’s Riverfront Independence Day Celebration is set for July 3 at 6pm at the scenic Riverfront Amphitheater! We want to thank the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County for once again sponsoring this year’s event!

The Crashers will headline the concert, with local openers Between the Lines and Rock’N Horse. There will also be inflatables and games for children, as well as local food and drink vendors.

While there is seating available at the Riverfront Amphitheater, guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Coolers are permitted, but no outside alcohol can be brought into the venue.

Mayor Gahan, Jeff Speck Lead Tour About New Albany's Two-Way Street Reversion Success

The 27th annual Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) is being held this week in Louisville. The CNU is the leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.

Mayor Jeff Gahan and renowned city-planner Jeff Speck.

As part of the annual congress, Mayor Gahan was invited to join world-renowned city planner Jeff Speck to help give a tour of New Albany, showcasing the successful changes from one-way streets to two-way streets. Jeff Speck, an author in addition to a city planner, highlights the benefits of the New Albany project in his new book, Walkable City Rules - 101 Steps to Making Better Places.

New Albany is featured in Jeff Speck’s new book.

“I’ve never seen a two-way reversion project move so quickly or so fully.” - Jeff Speck speaks to CNU members about New Albany’s two-way street reversion project.

New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey also addressed the CNU members, stating that in his 28 years as a police officer, he has “never seen a better scenario for public safety. Speeds have been reduced, crashes are down, and response times to calls for service is far better than it has ever been.”

“The two-way streets reversion has turned out to be even better than expected,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan as he addressed the CNU group. “Traffic has slowed, pedestrians feel more confident and comfortable walking downtown, business is up, and more families are moving to New Albany.”

Weekend Event Guide - Summer Fun in New Albany

There’s lots of fun happening in New Albany this weekend. Check out some of these highlights, make some plans with your friends and family, and come join us for some weekend fun!

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Friday, May 31 - Opening Night for the Bicentennial Park Concert Series

The lineup is looking amazing for this year’s concert series! Kicking it off will be local favorite VILLA MURE opening for The Cunning. The Cunning make raw, real, indie rock & roll, firing twin barrels of guitar-fueled stomp and anthemic pop melodies. This year the band have teamed up with producer Lincoln Parish formerly of Cage The Elephant and are releasing two new singles in Summer 2019. With a huge melodic sound that nods to groups like The Beatles and R.E.M. one minute and the anthemic sweep of My Morning Jacket and The Who the next.

Beverage partners Donum Dei Brewery will be on hand for those 21 and over, and local Boy Scout troops will be selling waters and sodas to keep you hydrated and cool. Be sure to visit one of downtown New Albany’s wonderful restaurants and grab some food for the concert! Some seating is available, but guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to the park.

Concerts run from 6:30pm-9:30pm. Bicentennial Park is located at 118 E Spring Street.

For more information about the Summer Concert Series, including the full lineup for the season, please visit: https://newalbanycityhall.com/bicentennialpark

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Saturday, June 1 - 14th Annual Keg Liquor’s Fest of Ales

The 14th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is coming up on Saturday, June 1, from 3pm-7pm located on the breezy banks of the Ohio River at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater. This event will feature a sampling of more than 250 craft beers, ciders, wines and more in a grass roots style beer festival environment. ​Enjoy local and world renowned beers from breweries like Sun King Brewing Company, Short's Brewing Company, plus meads and ciders from our friends to the north at New Day Craft. You'll find many limited releases and specialty brews at the featured "House of Hops" and the "Sour Shack."

Music and local food trucks round out the day. The Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is a charity fundraiser for the Crusade for Children through New Albany's finest at New Albany Fire Department. In addition to sipping your way through incredible craft brews, there's a charity raffle too with your chance to win prizes!

For more information and tickets, go to www.TheKegFestofAle.com

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Sunday, June 2 - Back in Time Car Club Spring Mayor’s Car Show

Back in Time Car Club presents the 2019 Spring Mayor’s Car Show! The event is from 10am-4pm in downtown New Albany (corner of Hauss and Market Street). The show is $15 per car, with dash plaques for the first 150 cars. Awards will be given to the top 50 cars. For more information, call Walter Smith at 812-987-6179.

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Sunday June 2nd - Hugh E Bir’s Cafe 53rd Birthday Bash

Hugh E. Bir’s Cafe is celebrating 53 years of business! Congratulations to this local establishment! Live bands will be playing all day, along with grilled ribs and chicken being served. Hugh E. Bir himself will take the stage at 7pm with his band, the Concrete Canyon Cowboys, and you won’t want to miss it!

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All Weekend! - River Run Family Waterpark

River Run Family Waterpark kicked off their season last weekend with some packed crowds hungry for summer fun! Join us anytime this weekend for a relaxing cruise around the lazy river, some thrilling water slides, or a dip in the activity pool. More information about River Run Family Waterpark, including hours and ticket pricing can be found here: https://www.nariverrun.com/

NEW ALBANY AHEAD ON FLOOD CONTROL

Today, work began on installation of back-up power systems for the New Albany Levee System. When completed, the project will provide on-site backup power to all six pump plant facilities. This power system will allow the Levee System to continue operations in the event of a utility failure. This makes New Albany the only city in the area to have complete, on-site backup power that can operate its entire system.

“This is another important step that we are taking to improve flood protection for the citizens of New Albany,” stated Mayor Gahan.

The project is expected to be completed by October 31st, well before the start of the next flood season (December 1st – April 30th).

Other recent Flood Control improvement projects include rehabilitating, rebuilding, or replacing all pumps (19) within the Levee System to like-new status, repairing and sealing portions of the concrete flood wall, and making improvements to pump-house facilities.

Additional information can be found here:

https://newalbanycityhall.com/home/2019/4/15/improved-flood-protection-coming-to-new-albany

City of New Albany Wins Appeal

The City of New Albany tax payers won a major victory on Wednesday in the Indiana State Court of Appeals regarding ownership of the local criminal justice center.

The original criminal justice center was jointly funded by both the City of New Albany and Floyd County through a lease with the New Albany-Floyd County Building Authority. Last year, Floyd County Government Officials demanded that the Building Authority immediately transfer the title of the jail to them at no cost.

Honoring an agreement with Floyd County Government dating back to the 1950’s, the citizens of New Albany paid tens of millions of dollars in construction bonds and maintenance costs to build, renovate, and operate the jail. But Floyd County Officials attempted to abscond with the Jail property free of charge, stripping New Albany from all ownership.

Once again, Floyd County officials reneged on a long-standing agreement made with the City of New Albany.

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision, stating that Floyd County Government must first purchase the property. The purchase price is expected to be in the millions of dollars.

Read more here: https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/50366-reversal-floyd-county-loses-title-to-criminal-justice-center-over-lease-dispute