Latest Posts | By Abbe Sparks
4 months ago
Summertime and Sun Safety Spark Ultimate Fun
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Advocacy
Summertime and sun safety spark the ultimate summer fun. The sunny season calls for enjoying the outdoors, sunbathing, water sports, beach and pool visits and more. It's also the time to safeguard against the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays to protect our skin. July is National UV Awareness Month. The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage [...]
4 months ago
Sunglass Sparks: 5 Historic Facts
Sunglasses Spark Our Lives Sunglasses come in all different shapes, sizes and prices Sunglasses spark our lives and save our eyesight from ultra violet rays in so many ways. In honor of National Sunglasses Day, here are the top 5 facts on the history of the shades. Whether you wear the lenses to be cool, [...]
5 months ago
Zombies Jim Rodford Music Odessey: Tales of a Daddy
This Father's Day we share one of our most beloved feature interviews with one of the world's most beloved musicians and a family's beloved dad -- gone too soon -- Jim Rodford, Bassist. This interview with Abbe Sparks turned out to be one of his last and is now included in the book "Jim Rodford [...]
5 months ago
The Return of New York Music Month All June Long
Music takes over NYC all June long with the return of New York Music Month (NYMM). New Yorkers and tourists alike are sure to find an event to whet their musical tastes with a slew of events, concerts and festivals from indie rock and pop; classic rock, blues and jazz, to rap and hip hop [...]
6 months ago
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY and THANK YOU MOMS!
For Mother's Day we re-visit our Spotlight series of yore, where musician mamas and sons share how their moms Socially Sparked their lives. Click on the images below for these features: Live From Mom's House with Eliot Lewis Bill Morganfield Sings the Blues Away Trailblazing Musician Mamas Inspire Women Eliot Lewis Eliot Lewis and his [...]
6 months ago
Reporting in the Brave New World: World Press Freedom Day
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Advocacy
The annual World Press Freedom Day is May 3 with the 2025 theme “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media” highlights the growing role of AI in journalism. How serendipitous that World Press Freedom Day 2025 comes one day after U.S. President Trump threatens funding [...]
6 months ago
It’s All About the Bonnets – Easter Fashion Socially Sparked®
The renowned NYC Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival returns in spectacular fashion. Here is the scoop on the best bonnets and festivities. Easter Sunday Parade & Bonnet Festival in NYC is all about the Bonnets! WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS MAKES! A look back at Easter celebrations in New York City over the past [...]
7 months ago
Level the Paying Field for Equal Pay Day
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Advocacy
Equal Pay Day is March 25 in 2025. Women still have a ways to go before reaching a level “paying” field. While we can chalk some of the minimal gains over the last five years to the pandemic, that’s a small contributing factor here.
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8 months ago
Winter NYC Off-Broadway Week Returns with 29 Offerings
Winter NYC Off-Broadway WeekSM returns February 17th through March 9th, 2025. This season’s 2-for-1 ticket sales program features 29 Off-Broadway performances, including 18 new participants. Tickets are available for purchase at nyctourism.com/offbroadwayweek. "We’re excited to welcome 18 new productions to NYC Off-Broadway Week this winter, showcasing the City’s most innovative theatrical productions at a value,” [...]
8 months ago
Spread a Little Kindness
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Advocacy
Spread a little kindness today. It's Random Acts of Kindness Day which annually falls on February 17th as part of Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK WEEK). Everyone can always use a bit of uplifting, especially with so much ugliness in our world. We can't think of a better way to be Socially Sparked® than [...]
9 months ago
Pizza Slices of Diversity Socially Sparked: National Pizza Day
Pizza Slices of Diversity Socially Sparked® our lives in countless ways. Today, pizza comes in all shapes, sizes, styles and flavors, making it one of the most versatile food favorites of every age group – from toddler through senior. In honor of National Pizza Day, here’s a bit of trivia on the diversity of the [...]
9 months ago
The GRAMMYS® 2025: THE GUTS, GLORY, GLAM & GIVING
The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards® 2025 presentation was all about guts, glory, glam and giving. Under the direst of circumstances -- that being the Los Angeles Wildfires – The Recording Academy® managed to mobilize the music community for its biggest night by repurposing the Awards Show to spotlight the devastating impact of the recent wildfires [...]
9 months ago
The 2025 Oscars® Nominees Are Out
Nominations for the 97th Annual Oscars® are out and this year's slate is filled with some fan favorites, some surprises, some slights and an historic first in the Supporting Actress Category as Karla Sophia Garcon ((Emilia Perez) becomes the first transgender person to receive the nomination from the Academy. Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott host [...]
9 months ago
The 25th WinterFest Music Festival Continues to See the Light of Day
The 25th annual WinterFest Music Festival benefiting the Light of Day Foundation (LOD) continues to see the light as the final weekend of shows draws near, Friday, January 24th and 25th. (schedule below). In its quest to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease and the Parkinsonisms (ALS and PSP), The LOD Foundation always begins with the [...]
9 months ago
The Ultimate Value – NYC Winter Outing Returns
The ultimate value for visitors and locals to New York City returns with the annual NYC Winter OutingSM (January 21 thru February 9), when three of NYC Tourism’s signature programs align: NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway WeekSM and NYC Must-See WeekSM. Hotel savings are also obtainable as the winter season offers the most attractive rates of the year [...]
9 months ago
MLK Had A Dream 62 Years Ago – A Reality Now or Still Work in Progress?
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Advocacy
It has been 61 years since civil rights activist Martin Luther king, Jr. had a dream and shared it in that momentous speech "I Have A Dream" on the March on Washington on August 26, 1963. As we celebrate MLK Day, we have to wonder if his dream is now a reality or still a [...]
9 months ago
Popcorn Trivia – It’s National Popcorn Day!
Popcorn trivia in honor of National Popcorn Day! Popcorn has Socially Sparked® our lives for centuries. Over the years, it has become a favorite snack for people of all ages and a pop culture subject for pop artists like Andy Warhol. Here's the top eight corny facts about the snack favorite. POPCORN TRIVIA: 8 CORNY [...]
9 months ago
The Power of Music Sees the Light of Day
The Light of Day Foundation and its quest to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease and the Parkinsonisms (ALS and PSP) begins with the power of music. The power of music to heal is a given. The power of music to raise awareness and funds for a cause -- in this case, for debilitating neuro-degenerative [...]
10 months ago
12th Annual JanArtsNYC Starts to Swing This Week
The 12th annual JanArtsNYC starts to swing this week when several festivals get underway, including the Jazz Congress & Unity Jazz Festival, Winter Jazzfest and APAP, to name a few. Each year New York City becomes a performing arts mecca all month-long as artists and organizations around the globe trek to the Big Apple to [...]