It’s about to be Downtown Cary Park’s first birthday, that means it has been a whole year of park activities, concerts, festivals and more! To celebrate, we sat down with Downtown Cary Park’s General Manager Joy Ennis and took a look back at the past year.
Can you describe what this first year for Downtown Cary Park has been like? Is it hard to believe it’s been a year already?!
The first year has been full of excitement, challenge and learning! It has been so rewarding to be able to see visitors enjoying the amenities and the events. Walking around each day there is so much laughter and joy – you can just feel it.
Internally, We’ve spent this year really figuring out the most efficient operating systems for the Park. As with any new facility, it takes time to understand the way the public likes to use it best. The great news is that this learning and tweaking will continue to grow – as the Park is truly a living organism.
What impacts have you seen the park have on the Downtown Cary community so far?
Impacts to the community have been on many fronts. Economically, Downtown Cary has experienced a boom in private development, and we know that the Park has been a catalyst for this growth. New restaurants and other businesses have sprouted and serve to enhance the quality of life in Downtown. Our neighbors at the Cary Regional Library have seen significantly increased visitation as well!
We’ve really enjoyed seeing people come and make memories in the Park – we’ve had engagements, birthday celebrations, families coming together to participate in programs and neighbors gathering together and making memories and connections.
What Downtown Cary Park events have stood out to you as some of your favorites throughout the past year?
There are so many! Each program has been our “first” – so they have all been special. Seeing our programming team’s ideas come to life has been special. They put so much work into curating a variety of events that appeal to everyone and enrich their lives. Then our operations and facilities teams help to bring that vision to reality as well. Personally, I really enjoyed the Zombiepalooza event – not only because it was spectacular, but because it was a collaboration with The Cary Theater. We’ve enjoyed a lot of collaborations this year – which have enriched our programmatic offerings and expanded our borders. And, on a personal note – this was a program that I started when I was running The Cary Theater, and it was fun to see it come full circle at the Park.
What kind of events can people expect during DCP Birthday Week?
The Park is special so it deserves a full week of celebrating! It’ll all start on November 10, with a special premiere screening of “Inspiration Lives Here: The story of Downtown Cary Park.” This is a documentary that chronicles the story of the Park from conception to opening. It’s a really great doc, and we can’t wait for folks to come watch it in the Park! That same day we have a special concert by the Sons of Serendip from America’s Got Talent. Then throughout the week there are so many other small and large programs that celebrate the best of the first year!
How is Downtown Cary Park planning to celebrate during its 1st Birthday Party on November 16th?
We’re focusing our celebrations around the Park’s “Greatest Hits” of programming! Looking back on the past year and honoring some of our special events. The Birthday Celebration will be full of programs including yoga, live music, the Poetry Fox, Princess meet and greets, free cupcakes and ultimately Cary’s FIRST drone light show! The show will happen around 6 p.m. after remarks by Mayor Weinbrecht and then again at 7:15 p.m. It’s going to be something you do not want to miss.
What does the future look like for Downtown Cary Park?
The future for the Park is bright. We’ve started strong and are focused on our mission – to be an iconic destination infused with distinctive infrastructure and energized by exemplary services and memorable programs that will inspire and enrich the lives of all Park guests. That means that we will continue to adapt our program offerings, maintain our facilities to the highest standards and serve our guests with the best hospitality. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!
It is truly an honor to bring this amazing place to life for our community. We all get to help you fill the scrapbooks of your lives with amazing memories and it is so rewarding for our staff. On behalf of all of us at DCP, thank you for embracing the Park and sharing your families with ours.
