Shelby Pride, Avon’s Parks and Recreation Director, told the Avon Town Council on July 10 that the department hosted a near-capacity July 3 “Night at the Park,” ran a farmers market berry festival that distributed more than 1,000 vendor tickets, and is hosting Special Olympics practices and Little League district games at town fields.

Pride said the July 3 Night at the Park drew an estimated 7,000 people and “it felt about the same as last year,” and that parking and capacity are reaching practical limits. The department also handed out “over a thousand tickets” during the berry festival, and said many vendors sold out.

The council was told that the Special Olympics softball team from Embracing Abilities now practices at the town’s newly purchased fields at 104 Fields, and that two of Avon’s youth fields meet Little League standards. Pride said Avon will host the Little League World Series district tournament there, with events running nine consecutive evenings starting July 10; the meeting noted staff work to prepare fields and manage nightly cleanup.

Why it matters: hosting a district tournament and accommodating large community events increases park usage, requires staff time and coordination, and raises questions about parking and capacity planning as attendance approaches current limits.

Council members thanked staff for volunteer coordination and field preparation. Pride said the events have given local vendors exposure and increased community engagement.

The report contained no formal council action; Pride presented the updates as informational and answered questions from council members about the Little League schedule and capacity concerns.

Looking ahead, Parks staff will continue field preparations for the nightly district tournament and will manage parking and volunteer staffing during high-attendance events.