iinta Cincinnati

“If you ever wondered - wondered whatever became of me - I'm living on the air in Cincinnati - Cincinnati WKRP…”

I'm sure most of you know the iconic theme song sang by Ohio's own Steve Carlisle for one of the greatest sitcoms of our generation.

iinta was invited this past weekend to Cincinnati for the Grand Opening of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame.

Nestled between the Paycor Stadium (Bengals) and Great American Ball Park (Reds) on the banks of the Ohio River is the new home of the Black Music Walk of Fame.

A vision of Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece and through a concerted effort with City Stakeholders she was able to materialize the 20 million dollar vision in record time from a gravel lot covered with rocks into becoming one of the greatest world-renowned outdoor Black Music tourism attractions the world has to offer. It will be enjoyed for generations to come!

www.cincyblackmusicwalkoffame.org

Proud and rich in music history, the Queen City has produced some of the greatest musicians of all time, included but not limited to; JAMES BROWN, the ISLEY BROTHERS, BOOTSY COLLINS, OTIS WILLIAMS, L.A. REID, PENNY FORD, MIDNIGHT STAR and the OHIO PLAYERS to name a few.

Paycor Stadium was also host to the Cincinnati Music Festival headlined by AL GREEN, SNOOP DOG and BABYFACE with the REDS hosting Arizona at Great American Ball Park. The Riverfront was bustling to say the least!

As Canadian's, Cindy and I felt privileged to attend a number of events and sample some of the fine dining at Jeff Ruby’s with Penny Ford and thoroughly enjoy some of the "best" street eats Saturday afternoon.

The Street Market between Paycor and Great American was amazing with thousands of folks enjoying the offerings.

The mid-day launch party at the Andrew Brady Centre with "everyone" dressed in white was spectacular! P. Ann Everson-Price & the All-Star Band was high energy, upbeat, funky and kept the capacity crowd engaged from start to finish!

Alicia shared the rich history of music in the Queen City and its connection to Motown with the Inaugural Ceremony followed by a little "Fire" and "Love" with the Ohio Players.

The City Officials did an amazing job and I was impressed at how clean the City of Cincinnati is and its positive vibe. With tens of thousands of folks converging on one point, much can happen.

To Alicia Reece, her team and all the folks that made this a reality; cities throughout the world can take a page from your hand book and make the world a better place!

Your efforts exemplify excellence and make the Queen City a place that "welcomes" all and a great place to visit.

Bravo Ohio!