On Thursday, July 2 at 11 a.m. a special ceremony celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Bricktown Canal will be held on the canal, right below the Oklahoma Avenue bridge, across from Bourbon Street restaurant. In addition, the late Jim Brewer and the late Neil Horton will be honored with the first ever Bricktown Walk of Fame award.

"Jim and Neil were the true visionaries of Bricktown and what we have here is thanks to their dedication and perseverance," said Jim Cowan, director of the Bricktown Association. "We felt it was only fitting that we honor these two men with the inaugural Walk of Fame award, particularly as are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the canal."



COMMENT: Good time to tell our city leaders we expect more and higher standards out of Bricktown in the future!

Metro, why don't you show up at the press conference and do it in person?

Metro, FWIW, I think the city leaders are aware that surface parking next to the canal is less than ideal. It's also probably fair to assume that they know a few of us wish that it [the mediocrity] disappoints a few of us.

That said, I do think we have a terrific place in Bricktown. It's something which wasn't there a short while ago. It's something that we can all enjoy. I find it pretty easy to stroll the canal without really even thinking about the high rents or speculative property investors or lack of development on certain tracts. It's hard to complain when the parking lots are packed every night and businesses are doing well. Something'll happen eventually, or not, and either way, Bricktown will be a fine place to go on any given evening.

Bricktown Canal will mark 10th with unveiling of extension plans

BY STEVE LACKMEYER
Published: July 2, 2009

The Bricktown Association is looking back and unveiling plans for its future at a news conference today with a tribute to early developers Neal Horton and Jim Brewer and a discussion of a potential expansion of the Bricktown Canal.

Read the full article at:

http://newsok.com/bricktown-canal-will-mark-10th-with-unveiling-of-extension-plans/article/3382307?custom_click=lead_story_title

Metro, why don't you show up at the press conference and do it in person?

Again, it'd be nice if they'd do it after 5pm when the WORKING CLASS can actually go to city meetings and functions. Something this big ought to be scheduled when more people can go, it's not like it's some random committee meeting, it's the 10th freaking anniversary of the canal.

Take an early lunch break Metro. Wasn't the public unveiling of the bike racks, which you participated in, done mid-morning? This is a similar deal - an unveiling of memorials to Brewer and Horton with a press conference following.

Yes, I took of vacation that day since I was an active role in the Bike Rack project. My point is, myself sometimes as well as a lot of the working class, can't just hop downtown or to Bricktown every time the City has an important meeting or ceremony. Yes I realize public servants work during the day too, so they want to do it on their work hours, but the majority of the working class cannot come downtown during work hours or take lunch any time they feel like it. My point is not my own personal schedule, but basically the CITY should start making events, workshops and other meetings more accessible for the average person without having to take off work to come to important events or meetings.

Not opposed to an extension of the canal, but I'd like to see us complete development on the existing canal before we discuss any extensions.