You may have noticed the construction that has been happening in downtown Valpo for some time now. A large outdoor venue has slowly emerged and is now ready for the public to enjoy. Friday night marked the VIP grand opening of the William E. Urschel Pavilion, the day before the pavilion will have a Street Fair and Farmer’s market open to the public.
A lot of donations and philanthropy went into making the pavilion, so this night took the time to honor all those individuals and show them how versatile the pavilion will be for the community.
“We wanted to give the donors a first look because a lot of what has happened here is because of the donors and the people that have helped. This is also for the contractors and those that have really spent the last year and a half to make this happen,” Director at Valparaiso Parks, John Seibert said.
The open pavilion proved its capabilities, as it was filled with VIP guests who were eager to finally see all the different features.
The pavilion will add many new ways for the community to enjoy downtown. From the farmers market, to having a winter ice skating rink, the possibilities are endless for season round fun.
“We wanted to make the park more useful, not just bigger. Having this huge open air pavilion means that we don’t have to be so weather dependent for events, so we will have a lot more options,” Valparaiso Mayor, Jon Costas said.
To really articulate the gratitude of all the people involved, many key individuals took to the stage to say a few words about the pavilion, as guests enjoyed desserts from WildFlour bakery.
“We are really glad to be able to celebrate tonight with the Urschel family and all of our friends from the Valpo Parks Department for this grand opening. It will be a really nice compliment for Central Park Plaza,” Director of Business at Valpo Parks, Steve Antonetti said.
The VIPs also got to see the pavilion work its lights and sound system during a little presentation. A ribbon cutting ceremony followed, to officially make the William E. Urschel Pavilion open for the community.
Thanks to the generous hard work and donations from the Urschel family and all the people involved, the William E. Urschel Pavilion is ready to be enjoyed. There are many new activities to look forward to in downtown Valparaiso this year.
“I am definitely looking forward to ice skating. I think this place is just going to be wall to wall people enjoying it,” President/CEO of Urschel Laboratories, Rick Urschel said.