PDX Traffic: Portland Parks & Recreation Sets Record for Summer ...

News Release from: Portland Parks & Recreation
PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION SETS RECORD FOR SUMMER FREE FOR ALL PARTICIPATION
Posted: November 8th, 2012 9:49 AM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-11/1399/59196/WPSF_opening_night4.JPG (PP&R Director Mike Abbaté waves to the huge crowd at the opening night of the 2012 Washington Park Summer Festival. Courtesy: Portland Parks & Recreation, Portland, OR)
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-11/1399/59196/SFFA_Lunch_and_Playground_program_Peninsula_Park_10.JPG (Kids clown around at a Summer Free for All playground and free lunch day, summer 2012. Courtesy: Portland Parks & Recreation, Portland, OR)

Attendance at All-time Highs for Concerts, Movies, Playgrounds

(Portland, OR) -

Portland Parks & Recreation's Summer Free for All series of free movies, concerts, swim sessions, and playground programs set new records for attendance and participation during 2012.

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R), the 2011 National Gold Medal Award Winner for the best park system in the country, was able to host a record number of free events this summer.

Thanks to our generous sponsors and contributors, PP&R leveraged $5.50 in cash and in-kind sponsorships for every dollar the City's general fund contributed to the program.

The Summer Free for All is a showcase program of Portland Parks & Recreation, and includes the Washington Park Summer Festival, Movies in the Park, Concerts in the Park, PP&R's playground programs and free lunches, plus swim programs, free swim lessons, and other events at Portland parks and sites citywide.

Highlights:

MOVIES IN THE PARK
(Ran from June 29 - September 8, 2012)
PP&R showed a record 45 movies in 37 parks.
Estimated attendance of 43,325 people is up more than 1,500 from last year.

CONCERTS IN THE PARK
(Ran from July 5 - August 31, 2012)
PP&R had a record 51 concerts in 21 parks, up from 47 and 17 respectively last season.
Estimated total attendance was 39,200, up an impressive 7600 from last year.
Our number of sponsors increased from 147 to 207.
Concert-goers were generous in their support, including donations from "passing the hat" and the efforts by our valued partner, the Portland Parks Foundation www.portlandparksfoundation.org

"13 volunteer concert committees across the city raised over $150,000 for their neighborhood concerts," says Portland Parks Foundation Executive Director Nick Hardigg. "And the ratio of money raised to public dollars leveraged is an amazing 5-to-1. It's awesome."

The Glenhaven volunteer committee raised every cent to cover the cost of the first-ever concert in their neighborhood.

WASHINGTON PARK SUMMER FESTIVAL
(Ran from August 2 - 12, 2012)
PP&R expanded the festival from 10 to 11 days.
Total attendance over the 11 days of the Washington Park Summer Festival rose 2,000 from last year for a new record of 24,000 estimated concert-goers.
Concert-goers were generous in their support: donations came in via "passing the hat" plus efforts by our valued partner, the Portland Parks Foundation www.portlandparksfoundation.org. The Foundation also debuted a new "Text to Donate" mobile marketing campaign.

SUMMER PLAYGROUNDS
(Ran from June - September 30, 2012)
Portland Parks & Recreation, in partnership with local school districts, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, and the US Dept. of Agriculture, served 99,121 free, healthy lunches to kids across our parks this summer!
The lunches were accompanied by sports, games, and family activities.

ROCK CLIMBING WALLS
(Ran from July - September 30, 2012)
PP&R's rock climbing walls made appearances at 52 of our parks. They were featured during the Summer Playgrounds programs, four Sunday Parkways, 16 Movies in the Park, our $5 5K races, and special events.
Total climbs: 33,599, up more than 2,600 from last year!

FREE LEARN TO SWIM WEEK
(June 18-22, 2012)
Held in all 13 of Portland Parks & Recreation's swimming pools and open to all beginner level swimmers including adults and parent/tots.
3,062 participants got free, top-quality instruction from PP&R swim instructors, up by nearly 200 from last year!

DIRECTOR PARK SUMMER FREE FOR ALL EVENTS
(Ran from July 8 - September 7, 2012)
5,695 people attended a smorgasbord of events such as Poetry on the Piazza, Summer Concert Midnight Serenades, and the popular Polaris Galaxy Festival (2,500 attendees).
Director Park was named as the winner of a 2012 American Architecture Award:
http://www.chi-athenaeum.org/archawards/2012/AA12-75/index.html

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Source: http://pdxtraffic.blogspot.com/2012/11/portland-parks-recreation-sets-record.html

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