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Recreation specialist reports stronger party sales; concessions add new vendors and a mobile trailer
Summary
Recreation specialist Katie Elser told the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board that party bookings and party revenue are up year-to-date and that concessions are seeing steady sales, new menu items and a planned concessions trailer for city events.
Katie Elser, the city's recreation specialist for concessions and birthday parties, told the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board on May 12 that party bookings and party revenue are trending upward and that concessions are being expanded with new vendors and a mobile trailer for events.
Elser presented year-over-year figures: 342 parties generating about $84,000 in revenue in 2024 and 308 parties generating about $83,000 in 2025. From January through April 2026 she reported 134 parties and said that represents a 28.86% increase in party revenue compared with the same period last year. "It's really stress free for them," Elser said of the party packages, which include cake, drinks, a theme, tablecloths, goodie bags, and a party host to set up and clean up.
On concessions, Elser reported roughly $280,000 in sales in 2024 and $278,000 in 2025 and noted recent tournament weekends produced strong single-stand receipts after rainouts reduced earlier opportunities. She supplied weekend sales figures for recently completed tournament weekends — about $8,500, $11,000, $9,500 and $11,400 — and said those totals came despite staffing limits. "Part time staff. Mostly high schoolers," she said when asked about who operates the stands.
Elser described menu and vendor changes that staff expect to boost sales: burgers and cheeseburgers were added at the Aussie stands and have outperformed hot dogs; Alligators Creek plans to offer personal pan pizzas cooked in a convection oven; and a local ice-cream vendor, Bite Me Candy Company, will sell soft-serve and novelty sandwiches. She also said the department is developing a concessions trailer to station at Jam In and other events, selling alcohol (packaged), snacks and beverages.
Board members asked about age groups for parties, staffing, and catering logistics; Elser said party packages typically serve children roughly 6–12 years old but that the service has been used for other birthdays as well. When a parks staff member corrected a typo in an earlier report about seasonal plantings, Elser's presentation continued without change.
The board thanked staff for the presentation and said the coming tournament weekends and reduced rainouts this season will provide a better test of the new menu and staffing plans. The department will continue to report back on concession sales and party metrics at future meetings.
Next steps: staff will monitor summer attendance and sales over the upcoming tournament weekends and report updates to the board.
