Lines for facepainting, henna art and balloon animals stretched across Levee Park during the Party in the Park on Tuesday, July 8.
The event celebrated National Parks and Recreation Month and focused on showcasing “recreational activities” in and around Hastings, according to Paige Marschall Bigler, Recreation Programming Specialist for the city of Hastings.
Organizations and causes from around the Hastings community from ISD 200 representatives to scouts to Friends of the Mississippi River had booths set up along the river.
Among them was the Hastings Historical Society showcasing upcoming programming at the LeDuc Mansion including the summer concert series at which bands will be playing outside at the LeDuc Estate every Sunday in August.
President of the Hastings Historical Society Spencer Johnson was showing off various historical paraphernalia from the area including what is assumed to be the oldest image of Hastings taken from the Mississippi River in 1860 looking towards what is now Levee Park and Second Street.
Johnson encouraged residents to visit the Pioneer room in City Hall where volunteers from the historical society can help with inquiries into local history.
“If you go once, you’ll want to go again,” said Johnson.
Representatives from the River Valley Band and newly established River Valley Orchestra were highlighting upcoming shows as well as the increased collaboration between the organizations.
This year the River Valley Band is celebrating its 14th season. Attendance both for the band itself and the audiences who come to see them perform have grown throughout the years, said band member Kristina Pribnow.
Other groups focused on environmental efforts in and around the Hastings community, from removing lead from fishing tackle to the Hastings Environmental Protectors handing out native prairie plants.
2025 marks the 10th year of programming at Levee Park. In that time, the number and scope of the event has changed radically: “We’ve made a lot of changes based on community feedback,” said Marschall Bigler.
The 2025 season boasts some 2-4 events each week from comedy and movies in the park to story times to the newly combined Music + Market events.
One aspect of programming that hasn’t changed throughout the years is keeping events widely available, without price barriers: “Everything is free and open to the public,” all the way down to parking, said Marschall Bigler.
That free programming relies on various private donations and sponsorships, as well as grants.
Each fall, the season’s programming is reviewed from how many food trucks were needed to which bands were most popular. Bookings occur throughout the winter with the calendar finalized in April and made public in May, just in time for the whole process to start over again.
To see a full schedule of Levee Park programming, visit the city of Hastings website at www.hastingsmn.gov