Plenty of summer holiday fun at final Party in the Park

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The “snowflakes” that fell in Central Park on Friday night in Charles City didn’t take long to melt.

It was “Christmas in July … in August” for the last Party in the Park on Friday.

Marble Rock’s own Jesse Allen kept the crowd happy with his talented mix of country tunes on this summer evening.

Even though it was August, a lot of folks were still in the giving holiday spirit. Michaela Ingersoll, KIMT Community Affairs Director, helped bring Toys for Tots to Party in the Park and she had plenty of help. Several veterans and members of the Marine Corps League from all over the area helped out with the toy drive. One such person was Dale Stern, who remembers back in the 90s help start the Toys for Tots program here in Charles City.

Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that hands out toys to children from families that can’t afford them. Stern said members of the Marine Corps League came from all over the area to help out, including Rock Falls, Nora Springs, Greene, Elma, Rockford, Sheffield and Charles City.

This last rendition of Party Park was a makeup event as it was originally scheduled for July 13 but was postponed due to rain.

The snow flurries that came down on Friday didn’t slow this celebration down one bit.