Parks & Rec reports Summer in the Square drew about 5,200 visits; program to expand outreach

Zach Gibson, Northwest Rec Center program supervisor, and Grant Reber, youth sports supervisor, told the Public Safety Committee their Summer in the Square initiative at Green Square Park ran from June 9 through Aug. 21 and offered free daily programming and weekly Thursday concerts. Gibson said the program provided more than 280 hours of programming, drew nearly 5,200 visitors and received a $15,000 sponsorship from Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust. "We activated Green Square. We had, we ran we ran from June 9 to August 21. We had 9 different events going on with the average of 20 plus hours, with each program and weekly," Gibson said. The program partnered with local nonprofits (Waypoint, Tanager, The Arc, Big Brothers Big Sisters and 4 Oaks), invited 15 local restaurants to offer Local Eats discounts, and used volunteers and nonprofit partners to collect $5 admission at certain concerts while donating proceeds to those groups. Gibson said start-up equipment costs (crowd-control barriers, staging and other materials) will be reusable in future seasons. Council members praised the activation and urged improved marketing to raise attendance in specific events. Staff said they will broaden outreach and coordinate scheduling to avoid overlapping with other city events in future seasons.