Concert, festival bring in funds for park improvements
Adley Koster, far right, accepts a prize at the Duck Pond from Sailor Lea during a fundraiser at Blooming Prairie’s Central Park. The community band played in the gazebo and the parks advisory committee served dinner and root beer floats, in addition to hosting games for the kids. Also pictured, from left, are Maelyn Clayton, 8, and Emery Clayton, 10. Staff photo by Kay Fate
The timing was perfect, all across the board.
After a week of hot, steamy weather, it was a clear day.
After weeks of waiting and planning, there were signs of construction.
After weeks of summer vacation, scores of families showed up, without the benefit of notes sent home in backpacks.
The concert and festival in July in Blooming Prairie’s Central Park brought in more than $2,600 for updates and improvements planned for the park – bringing the total raised to more than $165,000.
“It was especially exciting to see Tony Motl and his crew start on the construction of the bathrooms,” said Haley Tollefson, chairwoman of the BP Parks Advisory Committee.
Motl is director of public works for the city of Blooming Prairie; directional boring for the sewer lines is expected to happen this week.
The restroom facilities are the first phase of a project that includes new equipment and park infrastructure. The current playground equipment is more than 30 years old; the goal is to create a playground that welcomes children and families to a safe, fun and engaging environment.
The committee is dedicated to updating the parks without imposing additional tax burdens on the residents of Blooming Prairie; total cost is about $400,000.
The July 17 event came about when Troy Anderson – who has brought back a community band – approached Tollefson about a joint venture.
“We thought, ‘What’s a good event? Parents who’d like to come up and listen (to music), and what do you do with the kids?’ But if we incorporate supper, something to do (for families), then it hits several notes,” she said.
It also brought out plenty of volunteers, like Margo White, who had a line forming at her face-painting station.
“Play is so important,” she said of her support for the project. “We lose the physical aspect of play because of the technology aspect, so having good (playground) equipment is important for our future.”
She was one of many who made donations to defray expenses for the pulled pork sandwich meal and root beer floats that were for sale.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our event sponsors who made the night possible,” Tollefson said. “Darrick’s Preferred Auto donated funds to cover all the food; Whitnei Abel with Dwell Realty donated everything for the root beer floats, and B to Z Hardware donated the bounce houses” – including the set-up and take-down.
She said Motl and Interim Administrator Terri Zwiener “have been incredibly helpful during this whole process and make it easy for us to focus on fundraising while they handle the management of the project behind the scenes.”
In addition to White and Abel, volunteers included Alysa Ressler, Stephanie Thorson, Trevin Schwindel, Kelly LaMotte, Michael Clayton and Emmaleigh White.