River District Park Renamed To Honor Parker And Haun Families

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa officials on Monday hosted a renaming ceremony for River District Park, which will now be known as Parker-Haun Park.

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The City of Tuscaloosa says it chose to honor the Parker and Haun families due to their support of the Saban Center — a planned hub for a wide range of offerings that aims to bring together community organizations such as Children's Hands-On Museum (CHOM) — rebranded as IGNITE — and the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre.

The Saban Center is planned for the current site of the former Tuscaloosa News building, which is set to be demolished.

“Nick and I are delighted by this next step for Parker-Haun Park," Terry Saban said in a statement. "In the last year, this park has become such an asset to our community and will be a wonderful outdoor extension to the Saban Center. We are honored to dedicate it to the Parker and Haun families."

Owners of Parker Towing, the Parker and Haun families have grown the family business into one of the largest barge lines in the country.

“The donation is for the STEAM opportunities for the children,” Parker Towing President and CEO Tim Parker III said. “We saw what a positive impact our prior contribution made at CHOM and wanted to be a part of the next evolution for the Children of West Alabama. We are honored to have the park named after us due to our history at the location.”

Work on the new park on the banks of the Black Warrior River was completed last fall, with the park now offering green space, river-viewing areas, a plaza and an outdoor stage.

The park also features color-changing RGB lights throughout the park, as the city hopes the park will be used for a range of different events.

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