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First Posted: 10/3/2014 WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts is hoping to land some big names in the coming months &#8212; names like Bill Cosby, Heart, Harry Connick Jr. and Frank Sinatra Jr.
Will Beekman, managing partner at the Kirby, told about 25 members of the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association Friday that negotiations are in progress and he is confident announcements will be made soon about each performer.
&#8220;These are not confirmed,&#8221; Beekman was quick to note. &#8220;We are in discussions, but those talks are going well.&#8221;
Beekman said 2015 marks the year of Frank Sinatra Sr.&#8217;s 100th birthday. He said having the legendary crooner&#8217;s son at the Kirby would be a terrific show.
Friday&#8217;s meeting of the downtown group marked the first for John Maday as the association&#8217;s president. Maday is filling the unexpired term of John Chaump, who resigned to take a promotion with Barnes and Noble in Pittsburgh. Maday said he is pleased to head the 25-year-old association.
Nancy Valunas, membership chairperson, said there are 57 businesses in the group and the goal is to reach 100. Maday said he hopes to actively seek new members every day.
&#8220;We want them to get excited about what we all here today are excited about,&#8221; Maday said.
Maday said Wednesday&#8217;s Party on the Square was a huge success, attracting students from all five local colleges and universities. The event began in 2004 and continued through 2012, but was not held in 2013, Maday said. Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, said the event belongs in the capable hands of the downtown business association.
&#8220;When this event began in 2004, this was a very different downtown,&#8221; Newman said. &#8220;The movie theater was not here; Barnes and Noble was not here. Now that the event is back, we need to grow it and we need to show our students what our central business district has to offer.&#8221;
In his report on the downtown, Newman said he recently toured the 8th floor of the former Citizens Bank building to see the transformation of office space to residential apartments. Newman said the first of the apartments should be ready for occupancy sometime in November.
&#8220;This is proving to be a wonderful re-use of a grand building,&#8221; Newman said. &#8220;The apartments are spacious and offer spectacular views of the city and the river.&#8221;
Newman also reported that the former Southside Bistro will reopen soon as Le Manhattan Bistro and the former Hottle&#8217;s Restaurant is also close to reopening.

Kirby hoping to land Cosby, Heart and 2 ‘juniors’