Florence-area bus riders on TANK's Route 1 will get live music mid-commute on Thursday, Aug. 20, when musicians Preston Bell Charles III and Nick Rose perform aboard the Dixie Highway Corridor line between 2 and 3 p.m.
The performances are part of Ride with an Artist Day, a one-day event that puts professional artists on public buses across Northern Kentucky, according to the NKY Tribune. Highland Heights-based dance company Pones is producing the event in partnership with the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, reviving a collaboration the two organizations first launched about a decade ago.
No ticket or special registration is required. Riders simply board their regular route.
Route 1 isn't the only line getting artists. Pones dancers will perform on Route 25 from 1 to 2 p.m. and on Route 2X (Amazon Air/Airport) from 11 a.m. to noon. Route 7 in Covington will feature live music by Siri Imani and Jess Lamb from 4 to 5 p.m. Three additional buses will carry visual art installations by Lindsey Whittle and Radha Lakshmi, Devan Horton and Ethan Machell, and Emily Moores.
A $7,000 ArtsWave NKY Creative Placemaking Grant funds the project, according to ArtsWave. That grant was part of $60,000 ArtsWave and meetNKY distributed across nine arts projects in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties this year.
Jenny Kammes, TANK's marketing manager, said the event brings creativity and unexpected moments of joy to everyday riders by welcoming local artists aboard the buses.
Pones says the event aims to reach riders who face barriers to traditional arts venues because of cost, transportation, or unfamiliarity, including older adults, young adults, people from low-income households, and communities of color.
The concept has produced memorable moments before. Organizers recall a rider during a past performance who said they'd stay on the bus past their stop rather than miss the show. A TANK driver recalled looking in the rearview mirror to see passengers smiling and nodding their heads to the beat.
How to catch a performance Aug. 20:
- Route 1 (Dixie Highway Corridor, Cincinnati–Florence): Live music, 2–3 p.m.
- Route 25 (interlined with Route 1): Pones dancers, 1–2 p.m.
- Route 2X (Amazon Air/Airport): Pones dancers, 11 a.m.–noon
- Route 7 (Madison Avenue/Latonia, Covington): Live music, 4–5 p.m.
No additional cost applies for the performances beyond regular fare to board.
The NKY Chamber hosts an arts-and-talent panel breakfast on Tuesday, Aug. 18, in Erlanger for those looking for more local arts programming before the month ends.
