Editor
Greenwood area residents and visitors know how to have fun in record numbers.
According to the City of Greenwood, record attendance of 125,000 attendees cooled off at the outdoor Freedom Springs Aquatic Center and nearly 20,000 patrons enjoyed summer concerts at the amphitheatre near the city’s community building at Surina Way.
Greenwood Parks and Recreation leaders pointed out that the past summer was the fifth consecutive year of record attendees at Freedom Springs.
This season, Freedom Springs made several facility improvements including an updated lily-pad crossing and additional shade trees.
City parks director Rob Taggart emphasized that additional updates are planned for the 2020 outdoor season.
“We have plans to add a new shelter house with picnic tables, new concrete decking and 50 additional lounge chairs around the lap pool,” said Taggart. “It was another great summer, and we plan to continue expansion as demand remains strong.”
Freedom Springs also hosts special events throughout the season, including its popular Adult Nights, which attracted more than 2,400 attendees over two evenings.
Greenwood Mayor Mark W. Myers commented that the outdoor aquatic center continues to draw more interest and attendees from around the state.
Freedom Springs has been a self-sustaining public facility since its first year of operations, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars back into Greenwood’s parks system annually, according to park department officials. The facility eclipsed $1 million in revenue for the first time in 2018 and once again experienced record revenue in 2019.
Greenwood announced another record-breaking year for the city’s popular Summer Concert Series held at the Greenwood Amphitheater in Craig Park. The series – hosted by Greenwood’s Parks and Recreation Department – welcomed a record-setting 19,500 attendees this summer.
The summer concert series at the amphitheatre covered musical performances ranging from country to pop, rock and funk and drew more than 19,000 fans who brought their lawn chairs, blankets and snack-filled coolers.
The concerts are within walking distance of residents in the city’s Old Town area.
Myers remarked the concerts have become “one of Greenwood’s favorite summertime traditions.”
Greenwood has made several improvements to the amphitheater and surrounding park space, updating the venue’s exterior, adding trails from Meridian Street and enhancing natural features.