The concert series is off to a rockin’ start
TOLEDO – Party in the Park has gotten off to a great start, drawing on average between 3,500 and 4,000 people downtown for each Friday night event. But organizer Cheryl Hardy of ConnecToledo is just getting started.
“I think everybody’s pretty excited about what’s happening, but as I say to people all the time, there are plenty of things we’d like to improve on in the future. There are things we can add, things we can do…but there’s also plenty to celebrate,” Hardy said. “Let’s not forget to celebrate the wins because we really are doing some incredible things that we have never done before.”
The free concerts in downtown’s Promenade Park started May 30 and continue each Friday through Aug. 29, spotlighting local bands such as the Skittle Bots, Arctic Clam, and the Beef Carvers. The entertainment has also included popular annual invents such as Toledo’s July 4 Fireworks Show and Jeep Fest, which ran from Aug. 1-3.
Keeping the local focus, beer and spirits from 10 local breweries have accounted for 50 percent of the sales at concerts, Hardy said.
A tribute to Elton John was featured Aug. 8 with Greggie and the Jets, and a drone show is scheduled for the final week along with a Garth Brooks tribute show. Hardy promised “a special delivery” from a skydiver to open the Aug. 29 event by carrying an American flag while descending into Promenade Park.
For many Toledoans, the new downtown concerts bring back memories of the legendary Rally by the River series, which featured nationally known acts such as Foreigner, the Temptations, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Cheap Trick performing in Promenade Park from 1990 to 2007.
For Hardy, one of the highlights of this year’s concert series has been witnessing the joy of the musicians as they walk off the stage.
“All of our local talent, they just keep bringing it. They come down to the Party in the Park and are excitedly nervous about playing at that venue. And then when they get off the stage…” Hardy said, pausing because she was getting choked up. “…when they get off the stage they are hugging and they’re like, ‘We did it!’ They’re celebrating. And it’s so much fun to watch.”
Nicole Khoury, lead singer of Arctic Clam (and a Toledo Municipal Court judge), agreed that performing to thousands of music fans in Promenade Park was a very special night.
“There’s no better feeling as a musician than watching a large crowd collaborate with your performance,” Khoury said. “We had a great night on July 11th and loved being a part of a rebirth of Toledo history. As a Toledoan, I hope this continues to grow back to the exciting time it was back in the day!”
While music is a key ingredient, there’s much more to organizers’ goals for Party in the Park.
“Not only do we need people to come downtown and go into the bars and restaurants — and we are doing a great job of that — but we need to spread that out around downtown. We need to get people to live downtown, and we need to get people to come back downtown to work,” Hardy said.
“So we have three key economic drivers, and we really truly only touched on one of them for the 2025 season. As we continue the seasons, we’ll be adding different layers to this activation program to help reach all three metrics.”
The success of the 2025 season has made future Parties in the Park more likely.
“I’ve been thinking about next year since last year,” Hardy said. “Because this is such a layered approach, you have to prove some things the first year. And now that’s it’s proven it works, this is something that should continue, and I think everybody’s starting to talk about that.”
Along with ConnecToledo, Party in the Park organizers include the City of Toledo, Lucas County, Destination Toledo, Metroparks Toledo, and Downtown Toledo Improvement District, who invested a total of $320,000 in launching the series.
