An upcoming park dedication in South Zanesville offers food trucks, music, and more

50 minutes ago

J.W. Dennison,

Signs showcasing financial supporters of the South Zanesville Village Park are pictured in the top left. The top right shows the softball field. The bottom left shows the new pickleball courts and the bottom right shows the playground at the South Zanesville Village Park. The park will be renamed Saturday with a dedication ceremony.

SOUTH ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Village of South Zanesville is holding a park dedication ceremony starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. to show off major park improvements.

At noon, they will unveil the new park entry sign and rename the park to Staff Sgt. Lester “Buddy” Kinney II Memorial Park. Kinney died serving his country in 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom at the age of 27. After the dedication ceremony, the village has an eventful day planned for those who come to see all of the improvements made to the park.

“We’re going to have food trucks, music. We’ll have live performance from Paul Lowe on the banjo. Following him, we’ll have Up to No Good. They’ll be performing. We’ll also have a United Way Chili Cook-Off. So stop by and do some tastings on that,” said Taylor Bennett. “We’ll also have a bounce house. We have face paintings starting at 1:30. There is a full schedule of events on Facebook and then you can also find some more information on our website. VillageOfSouthZanesville.com.”

While Village Councilman Paul Lowe may be serving as a musical act for the festivities, he seems more excited about a new addition to the park.

“Six pickle ball courts, brand new, going to open up tomorrow morning. Pickleball players, you guys, this is really nice up here. You’re going to love it. So pickleball players, show up tomorrow. It’s going to be great. We’re going to have food trucks, chili cook-off, like she said. Also, we’re going to rename the ball field after Roger Gibson. It’s going to be the Roger Gibson Baseball Field, softball field now.”

Roger Gibson served on the Maysville School Board and also at the Muskingum Valley Vocational School. He also served on the South Zanesville Fire Department for 25 years and on the South Zanesville Council Board, also for 25 years. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 73.

The village has launched a new sign sponsorship program to help fund the park’s upkeep. For $200 the first year and $150 to renew each year, you can have a sign posted on the fencing of facilities like the pickleball courts and the dog park. A three-year option is available at $500. More information about the sign program can be found on the village’s website and on the flyer posted at the end of this article.

Parking is limited at the park, so busing will be available if you park in the back parking lot of Coconis Furniture on Maysville Avenue and at South Zanesville United Methodist Church Food Pantry on East Main Street.