City Of Roanoke: Roanoke Parks And Recreation Reschedules Free Community Festival

Press release from the City of Roanoke:

October 29, 2021

The Eureka Fall Festival, originally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29, was postponed due to the weather forecast for rain. Roanoke Parks and Recreation has rescheduled the Festival to be held at Eureka Park on Friday, Nov. 5, from 2 to 9 p.m.  The event invites community members to engage with their neighbors, experience their local park, and enjoy fun, safe activities in the City. 

This Festival is a part of Star City Safe, an initiative focused on expanded services and access to public facilities to keep our youth and neighborhoods safe. The initiative also includes a variety of in-person and virtual formats to keep a two-way dialogue going between the City and the community. Star City Safe was initiated internally by the City, working across departments from a whole-of-government perspective.

“The Star City Safe initiative has provided our Department with a small financial boost to offer more recreational opportunities to the neighborhoods we serve,” Michael Clark, Roanoke Parks and Recreation Director, said. “We are excited to get these programs and events up and running, and hope we can continue to offer these vital services in the future.”

The festival will feature activities such as a climbing wall, a life-sized Hungry Hippo inflatable, lawn games, Spartan activities from Ferguson Fitness, a pizza party, and more. Once it gets dark, attendees can roast s’mores at the campfire and enjoy the movie Hocus Pocus outside on the big screen. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets for the film.

Another exciting aspect of this event is the Department’s Park Planner, Katie Slusher, will be on site discussing the Reimagine Recreation initiative and its impact on the Eureka Recreation Center. This is an opportunity to hear about real-life examples of potential changes residents could see in the center and to give direct feedback to the Department. 

“We’re so excited to host the Eureka Fall Festival this year. This will be a great time for our after school program and the community to come together and celebrate all things fall!” Susan Herndon-Powell, Youth Development Coordinator, said. 

In addition to the Parks and Recreation Department, Roanoke Public Libraries, The United Way, Total Action for Progress, the Gun Violence Prevention Commission, and several other organizations will be on-hand with information about programs and ways to get involved. For more information, visit www.playroanoke.com or www.roanokeva.gov/safe. 

For media inquiries, please contact Stephanie Long, marketing coordinator, Roanoke Parks and Recreation, at stephanie.long@roanokeva.gov or 540-853-5847.

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This press release was produced by the City of Roanoke. The views expressed here are the author’s own.