TUCSON, Ariz. — The Palo Verde Park Association put together it's first Park Fest to bring the neighborhood together.
They said they took the idea of a neighborhood block party and made it into something bigger.
The festival had four stages with 12 bands and three food trucks from local vendors.
It’s a beautiful day to get outside and enjoy the end of the weekend! I’m at the first ever Park Fest at the Palo Verde Park on the Eastside.
— Veronika Vernachio (@vvernachio) March 24, 2019
This event is going on until 6pm today! I’ll be live at 5 on @kgun9 with more from the event. pic.twitter.com/ykHdhNIzt7
One resident, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years, said he's never seen anything like this at the park.
"There's never been this many people at the park on a Sunday afternoon," Rocky Taylor said. "This is just relaxing. It's a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon."
The event was organized by the Palo Verde Park Association, which was put together almost a year ago.
"Our neighborhood is centered around the park and we are trying to plan more events in our neighborhood for people to use the park," Mike Southworth, Vice President of the Palo Verde Park Association, said.
Other reason, people weren't communicating in the neighborhood.
"We noticed that nobody knew anybody," Norma Coffman, President of the Palo Verde Park Association, said. "Everybody seemed to be doing there own separate thing, and we wanted to try to make it just a little more cohesive neighborhood."
The Palo Verde Park Association has been working with Ward two's Councilman Paul Cunningman to create change in their neighborhood.
In the next year, the Palo Verde Park will have resurfacing of the tennis courts, the parking lots redone, and be the first park in Tucson to receive a splash pad.
"I don't think that would have happened without the neighborhood become active and the neighborhood supporting these efforts," Cunningham said. "That was all them. I'd love to take credit for it but it was definitely the neighbors and the neighborhood coming together."
He said events like Park Fest show that this association is proof, when a neighborhood comes together, they can create something really special.
The plan is to have another Park Fest next year.
This isn't the only event this association hosts. On May 24th at 7:30 p.m. they'll have a showing of the original Jurassic Park. This is sponsored by Loft Cinema.
One of the association's newest initiatives is to get signs all around the neighborhood reading "The Palo Verde Park Association".
Their goal is to have 33 signs, but so far they only have 11. If you'd like to donate, you can go to the go fund me here.
