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Detroit's
Ralph
Wilson
Park to
Open
October
25-26
with
Free
Festival
22-acre
waterfront
destination
marks
major
milestone
in
city's
riverfront
revitalization
Jean
Davis -
Local/State
Tell Us
Detroit
News
DETROIT
-
Detroit's
highly
anticipated
Ralph C.
Wilson,
Jr.
Centennial
Park
will
officially
open to
the
public
October
25-26
with a
weekend-long
celebration
featuring
free
activities,
live
entertainment
and the
relocated
Detroit
Harvest
Fest.
The
Detroit
Riverfront
Conservancy
announced
the
grand
opening
dates
Thursday,
marking
the
culmination
of a
three-year
construction
project
that
began in
summer
2022.
The
22-acre
park
represents
one of
the most
significant
additions
to
Detroit's
riverfront
in
decades.
The
festivities
kick off
Saturday,
October
25, with
a 10
a.m.
press
conference
and
ceremonial
ribbon-cutting,
followed
by the
first
public
access
to the
$60
million
park.
The
Detroit
Harvest
Fest,
typically
a
ticketed
event,
will be
free
this
year and
integrated
into the
grand
opening
celebration.
Visitors
will
have
access
to the
park's
four
major
attractions:
William
Davidson
Sport
House:
Features
two
regulation
basketball
courts
Delta
Dental
Play
Garden:
A
five-acre
playground
with a
23-foot-tall
Bear
Slide
and
animal-themed
climbing
structures
Huron-Clinton
Metroparks
Water
Garden:
A
2.5-acre
waterfront
feature
DTE
Foundation
Summit:
An open
lawn
space
for
events
and
programming
The
weekend
will
include
food
trucks,
fall
activities,
and live
music
performances
throughout
the park
grounds.
The park
opening
brings
Detroit
closer
to
completing
its
ambitious
5.5-mile
riverfront
development.
Matt
Cullen,
chairman
of the
Detroit
Riverfront
Conservancy
Board of
Directors,
called
the park
"one of
the most
iconic
public
spaces
in the
country."
"This
represents
a
massive
step
towards
the
completion
of our
vision
for 5.5
miles of
perpetual
public
access
to our
revitalized
riverfront,"
Cullen
said.
The
opening
weekend
will
also
debut a
new
boardwalk
section
in front
of
Riverfront
Towers
and an
additional
stretch
of
Riverwalk,
creating
seamless
connectivity
between
Belle
Isle,
Eastern
Market,
Michigan
Central
and
downtown
Detroit.
The park
honors
Ralph C.
Wilson,
Jr., the
late
Buffalo
Bills
owner,
entrepreneur
and
philanthropist.
New
York-based
Michael
Van
Valkenburgh
Associates
designed
the
space
after
winning
an
international
competition
in 2018.
Ryan
Sullivan,
CEO of
the
Detroit
Riverfront
Conservancy,
emphasized
the
community-driven
design
process.
"The
park's
design
has been
community-led
since
the
beginning,
and
Detroiters
of all
ages
have
contributed
ideas
and
inspiration
that
have
come to
life in
this
park,"
he said.
Conservancy
leaders
anticipate
the park
will
generate
significant
economic
benefits
for the
downtown
riverfront
area.
The
project
complements
the
completed
3.5-mile
East
Riverfront,
which
opened
in fall
2023.
The park
is
located
at 1801
West
Jefferson
in
downtown
Detroit.
Additional
details
about
weekend
programming
will be
announced
in
coming
weeks.
The
grand
opening
is
presented
by the
Ralph C.
Wilson,
Jr.
Foundation,
with
support
from
multiple
sponsors
including
Delta
Dental,
Bedrock,
Priority
Health,
Ally
Bank,
Henry
Ford
Health,
and the
Hudson-Webber
Foundation.
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