Civic Center Conservancy wants you to meet at the park this summer

Civic Center Park has a full calendar of activities to get Denverites to meet at the park this summer.

"Urban Parks serve an important role in our community, and one thing is it brings people together, and so community is built in public space," said Eric Lazzari, Executive Director of the Civic Center Conservancy.

The calendar kicks off on Wednesday, May 17th with Civic Center Eats.

"It's Denver's favorite gathering of food trucks," Lazzari explained.

There will be 15 food trucks in the park twice a week on Wednesday's and Thursday's from 11:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. There is also live music, and the Conservancy is celebrating a new partnership.

"New partnership with Youth on Record, that is going to be youth-led music at Civic Center Eats," Lazzari said.

 In addition to Civic Center Eats, the park will host Independence Eve, the huge symphony concert and fireworks display on July 3rd. It hosts Taste of Colorado during ¡Viva! Streets, the monthly street festivals along Broadway. There are also concerts, history walks, and volunteer opportunities.

"Civic Center Sparkles is our opportunity for people to volunteer in the park, so several times this summer we'll have public volunteer days," Lazzari said.

LINK: Look for fun activities at Civic Center Park

Civic Center Park was developed while Mayor Robert Speer's term. It was part of the City Beautiful movement in the early 20th century, which was a plan that envisioned grand civic centers in cities across the country. In 1901, Denver was a thriving city, but it was ugly. The city had grown rapidly, but civic beautification had been neglected. By 1904 plans were underway for an elaborate Civic Center Park. The city secured funding and started buying land for the new park. A neighborhood was displaced to create Civic Center Park, but supporters believed the park would go a long way to make the city beautiful and create community. What is now the McNichols Civic Center Building was originally built in 1909 as the Carnegie Library. By 1919, the Greek Amphitheatre and the Voorhies Memorial were built. John Hart Pemberton Voorhies was a successful miner who left his fortune to fund a memorial gateway into the park.  Civic Center Park was completed in 1935 when the City and County Building was constructed.

Civic Center Park is adorned by several statues, a fountain, and many carefully crafted flower gardens. The Civic Center Conservancy was formed to reactivate the park, and carry out the 2005 Denver's Civic Center Park Master Plan.