HIGHLANDS RANCH —The in Civic Green Park brought in a gaggle of big band, jazz and swing groups, and is launching a busy outdoor festival season for the community.
Between the Yoga in the Park session on May 30 and the final Culture on the Green event on Sept. 25, Park will be host a combined 38 festivals, film screenings, concerts, workouts and other open-to-the-public events, according to its 2015 schedule.
Located near the intersection of South Broadway and Highlands Ranch Parkway, Civic Green Park has established itself over the past decade as a cultural center for the Highlands Ranch Metro District.
“We absolutely think it’s hugely beneficial to our community,” said Jamie Noebel, spokeswoman for the . “It’s a stopping point. A gathering place. It really makes a perfect venue for a festival or party.”
The community association is helping bring to the park and its covered amphitheater, including the annual slate of Culture on the Green events that will include performances by and the .
Highlands Ranch resident Richard McVay spends a lot of time in the park as the coach of a flag football team for 9- to 11-year-olds that practices there.
“It’s such a great park. They really keep it up nicely,” he said last week as he watched his son and a friend play catch. “The movie nights have a real nice atmosphere and they have some great festivals. They really do it right.”
McVay, who lives just a short walk from the park, said Civic Green is also a community hub, with nearby housing, the neighboring and plentiful shopping and dining options in the adjacent Highlands Ranch Town Center shopping center.
Area businesses like having Civic Green as a neighbor, too.
Earl Gonzalez is the manager of the Old Blinking Light Kitchen and Cocktails, located on Dorchester Street in the Town Center area. He has been working at the establishment since it opened 10 years ago, about the same time the park was first built, and said he tends to see more customers when Civic Green has events.
“When we were first getting started, we would get these influxes of people and we didn’t know why. Now we expect it,” Gonzalez said. “It’s definitely a boost. There are rushes that you wouldn’t expect on a night where you can tell something is going on in the neighborhood. We appreciate the business.”
Sherry Eppers, spokeswoman for the , estimates that cultural events alone draw around 10,000 visitors to the park each year. That’s on top of families who come to play in the fountains or people visiting features like the .
One of the last events that will come to the park this season is the eighth annual on Sept. 12 and 13. Organizer Lidia Widgery said with free parking, a covered stage, and the beautiful landscaping, the decision to bring traditional European foods and music back to the park year after year is simple.
“We love that area,” she said. “It’s so beautiful and the metro district was so nice and welcoming. Now we just pray hard for good weather.”
Joe Rubino: 303-954-2953, jrubino@denverpost.com or twitter.com/RubinoJC
Events in civic green park
• Highlands Ranch Beer Festival: 2-6 p.m. June 6
• KidFest: 9 a.m.-noon June 13
• July 4th Concert: 7:30 p.m. July 4
• German Festival: Begins 6 p.m. July 17, ends 6 p.m. July 19
• Film in the Park: “Finding Nemo” 8 p.m. Aug. 7
• Hu’olaule’a Hawaiian Festival:10 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 22
The park is located at 9370 Ridgeline Blvd.
