Valpo Parks hosts the 2021 Party in the Park to celebrate the past and highlight future projects.
Valpo Parks celebrated their rich history and ignited their future at their annual Party in Park. Dozens of supporters and community members gathered at the William E. Urschel Pavilion on Friday to join in the celebrations. Partygoers enjoyed live music by Chris & Lou, spirits from Journeyman Distillery, and took part in a trivia competition that highlighted Valpo Park’s rich history. They then set their eyes to the future, learning about Valpo Parks plans such as a world-class skate park, a new Adult Center, a youth sports complex, and updating existing parks.
“We are trying to connect with a package that will meet all interests,” said John Seibert, Executive Director for Valpo Parks. “That’s what a good park system should be. It should be about neighborhood parks, large regional parks, and existing things that people continue to want to be part of. Then we try to make those existing things better for the next generation.”
One of the new attractions Valpo Parks wants to build is a state-of-the-art skate park. Valpo Parks is looking to raise $2 million to fund this new park. Dug Ketterman is a Valparaiso native, and he designed the new skate park. Ketterman has designed skate parks in five different continents and for events like the X Games. Valpo Parks believes that the creation of this skate park is critical to the community.
“There is a huge need in this community for this skate park,” said Kaye Frataccia, Event Chair for Valpo Parks. “That kind of kid doesn’t play football, baseball, or basketball. They have other interests. The good thing about the parks department is that they are trying to have something for everyone of all ages.”
Not only does Valpo Parks want to create new attractions for the community, but they also want to preserve existing parks. Valpo Parks realizes that members of the community have strong attachments to local parks, and they want to keep those parks around for future generations.
“At the party, we are going to be talking about preserving these legacy parks,” said Lisa Kusbel, Director of Development for Valpo Parks. “We want to update them and make them more to the standard of what the Valpo Parks system is today.”
In order to accomplish these lofty goals, Valpo Parks will need cooperation from the entire community. Valpo Parks realizes that they alone cannot take all of this on and will need as much support from the people of Valparaiso as they can get.
“This won’t happen with one source of funds,” said John Seibert. “It will be all of us coming together to figure out how to do this. This is how we have been able to accomplish things in the city of Valparaiso. It is always a combination of the private sector, volunteers, and the public sector.”
To learn more about Valpo Parks and their plans for the future, visit them at http://www.valpoparks.org.
