Party in the Park Next Week

Next week is Party in the Park, Vinton's annual celebration in June. This year, the theme is Party on the Beach since the theme will be a beach party theme. There is always plenty of entertainment on Saturday, but don't forget the kid's parade downtown Thursday evening and the movie at the park on Friday. A complete schedule can be found by clicking here.

Today, I received a call questioning the amount of money we spend on the parks and recreation. I feel the Council does a good job balancing the needs of the many different residents we have in our community. Many of our residents utilize the programs that are offered by our parks department. My daughter has participated in the tennis, golf, softball and playground programs, just to name a few. I know this has really helped with her development as a person and I am sure it has helped with other kids giving them something to do while building athletic and interpersonal skills that will help them later in life---even if they only go rollerskating at the Activity Center on Friday nights. We have a great parks department for a city with the population of Vinton and many volunteer hours by city employees and the residents go into making the department do the great things it does.

Summer's Here!

Besides the heat there's a few things that tell me that summer's here. Last night, was the first Farmer's Market at the historic Rock Island railroad depot. Throughout the summer, the Farmer's Market will take place each Thursday at this location starting at 5 PM. Besides the food for sale, there is usually something different planned each night. The swimming pool opened last weekend and Party in the Park is June 24-26.

By the end of the month, we should begin the 10th Street Improvement Project from 1st Avenue through B Avenue. Just like the section of 9th Street that was improved last year, this couple of blocks have seriously deteriorated. This will be a huge improvement to the neighborhood.

The new Vinton Cobblestone Hotel passed its final building inspection this week. The hotel plans to open in mid-June with a grand opening celebration later in the month.

There is a lot going on and summer has just begun.