Houston Parks Board celebrates city-wide Bayou Greenways 2020
project by hosting free, family festival
HOUSTON, March 6, 2018 – Houston Parks Board announces its fourth annual Bayou Greenway Day, a fun, free outdoor festival on the bayou for the whole family. People from across the Houston region are invited to celebrate at the day-long community event presented by Noble Energy on Saturday, March 24 along Halls Bayou Greenway at Tidwell Park located at 9720 Spaulding Street.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests are invited to spend the day enjoying family friendly outdoor activities along Halls Bayou. This year’s event will feature football clinics with the Houston Texans and soccer drills with Houston Dynamo. Award-winning band ThunderSOUL Orchestra will take the stage at 1:00 p.m. to play live music for all to enjoy.
Combined with a fun-run at noon, and Easter Egg Hunt at 2:00 p.m., visitors can participate in activities provided by the Houston Zoo, Nature & Eclectic Outdoors, Bike Houston, and dozens of others including face painting, arts, crafts, lawn games, and free food. The first 3,000 attendees will all receive a Houston Astros cap.
“Bayou Greenway Day is the perfect opportunity for members of the community to experience the remarkable linear parks and greenways that are located all around our city,” said Chris Porter, event co-chair and board member of the Houston Parks Board. “Bayou Greenways 2020 is actively transforming and connecting neighborhoods across Houston by creating new greenspaces for all to enjoy.”
One of the most ambitious parks projects in the country, Bayou Greenways 2020 is completing a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways. The $220 million project will connect people, places, and greenspace while enhancing air and water quality, preserving greenspace in flood-prone areas and stimulating economic development in Houston.
“Bayou Greenway Day is a festival that members of the community and I look forward to each year,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “It makes me proud to see Houstonians come together to celebrate the bayous and greenways that make our city unique and special.”
Bayou Greenways 2020 is a public-private partnership between the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, the City of Houston and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and is being implemented in close collaboration with the Harris County Flood Control District, which manages the county’s bayous and creeks for drainage and flood risk reduction.
“We are looking forward to the celebration and all the activities available to Houstonians in our linear parks,” said Steve Wright, Director Houston Parks and Recreation Department. “We encourage everyone to ride their bikes down to the bayou and enjoy the day’s festivities.”
The event is presented by Noble Energy. Media sponsors include KPRC Channel 2, Telemundo, and La Subasta Newspaper.
Attendees, and especially surrounding neighborhoods, are encouraged to bicycle or walk to the event in keeping with the spirit of the Bayou Greenways, since parking will be limited. Please be respectful of the surrounding neighborhoods. Map of Halls Bayou Greenway: http://arcg.is/1zevfD.
To take public transportation to the event, please refer to the following METRO information: METRO Bus route #45 (Tidwell) serves Tidwell Park. To plan your trip, use METRO’s route and trip planning information at www.ridemetro.org, on the METRO T.R.I.P. app., or call METRO at 713-635-4000.
To learn more about Bayou Greenway Day 2018, visit www.bayougreenwayday.org.
ABOUT: A nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing access to quality parks and greenspace for all people, Houston Parks Board creates, improves, protects and advocates for parkland in the Greater Houston region. Since 1976, the organization has utilized public-private partnerships and its extensive philanthropic, government and community relationships to improve parks large and small. Houston Parks Board is currently leading the transformational $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 project to complete a city-wide vision of a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways. For more information, visit www.houstonparksboard.org.
Bayou Greenways 2020 is one of the most ambitious parks projects in the U.S. By transforming more than 3,000 acres of underutilized land along Houston’s major waterways into public, accessible greenspace, Bayou Greenways 2020 will complete a 150‐mile network of connected parks and trails. The $220 million project will add 80 new miles of greenways, which will connect people, places, and greenspace while enhancing air and water quality, preserving greenspace in flood-prone areas and stimulating economic development in Houston.
In 2012, thanks in part to the “Parks By You!” campaign, Houston voters overwhelmingly approved a bond proposal that set aside $100 million for Bayou Greenways 2020. Houston Parks Board is raising a matching $120 million and managing acquisition, design and construction of the Bayou Greenways.
The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (H.P.A.R.D.) stewards and manages over 37,851 acres of parkland and greenspace for the City of Houston and develops and implements recreational programming for citizens of all abilities. For more information on the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, call (832) 395-7022 or visit www.houstonparks.org.