Celebrating 20 years with a bang

Barbecue, bags and beer, oh my! As planning starts for the 20th annual Party in the Park, scheduled for Saturday, June 27, the Creston Parks and Recreation board is looking to transform the one-night event into an entire weekend of fun.

In recent years, Party in the Park has seen minimal, if any, profit for the annual fundraiser. In order to bring more people in and cater to a larger audience, the board had various proposals for activities throughout the weekend.

“If we want to make the most money we can, which is the purpose of a fundraiser, I think we need to utilize all of our tools, so to speak,” Board member Chris Lane said. “We’ve got a five-day liquor license. Why don’t we do what some of the surrounding towns do?”

Lane presented creating a barbecue competition, in which attendees could pay for an all-you-can-eat array of entries and vote for their favorite, similar to Corning’s King of the Wings. He said this could begin Friday evening, with adding music and beer sales to the mix.

The next day would host both Party in the Park and events for McKinley Park Fest, normally held later in the summer.

“What I would like to do is combine the kids day, the barbecue, Party in the Park, all that stuff, because you would have all those people out there,” board member Todd Kinkade said.

Kids Day, also known as McKinley Park Fest, usually includes fishing, inflatables and water fights with the Creston Fire Department. The board would like to bring all these events and more to that Saturday.

“I thought of a bags competition, we’ve got pickleball that’s got all its following, a [kids] pedal pull,” Lane said. “All that can be going on in the afternoon on Saturday because we usually don’t even open the gates until 5 or 6 p.m. for the concert.”

Though no contracts have been signed yet, the board is looking to keep it family friendly with Des Moines’ throwback band The Rivieras and Creston crowd-pleaser SJ McDonald.

Though they have a variety of ideas to bring crowds out to McKinley Park, nothing is official yet. No matter what is decided on, the board hopes to make the event special.

“I think it’s completely 100% worth it,” Parks and Rec Director Rusty Zimmerman said. “It’s the 20th anniversary. Let’s make it for what it is and run.”

In other park board news...

Any additional updates to the pickleball courts at McKinley Park will wait until spring 2026. A group of athletes have raised money to improve the courts, adding another court to the recreation area this summer.

The emptying of dirt and debris from McKinley Lake is estimated to be 75% done. Work will slow down when the colder months hit, but the goal is still to be complete by March 2026.

The park board approved up to $10,000 to be spent on architectural plans for more community pool updates for next year. With MPAC money still left to spend after previous additions, the goal is to renovate the pool’s entrance and add a family restroom.

Bathrooms in city parks were officially closed yesterday, Oct. 15 for the season. Select bathrooms at McKinley Park will reopen Saturday, Oct. 25 for the annual Bright Eyes in the Park trick-or-treating event and then remain closed until spring.