Blues & BBQ marks final event before major renovation project begins at Centennial Park

North Liberty's annual Blues & BBQ festival will be the last event in Centennial Park before work begins on a four-phase, $17.7 million renovation.

Located at 1565 St. Andrews Drive, park construction starts Tuesday, July 16 for a project expected to take five years. The first phase, which includes the construction of the 13,000-square-foot Centennial Center event space and a 2,700-square-foot amphitheater, is expected to take a little more than a year. The $7.2 million facilities will anchor the reconfigured park, playing host to Blues & BBQ as well as family reunions, weddings, and other large gatherings

Phase one also includes the construction of year-round permanent bathrooms.

Work is expected to continue through the summer of 2025, which means the annual Blues & BBQ festival will not be held next year. "Blues & BBQ actually will be taking a break next year," said North Liberty's assistant director of community relations, Jillian Miller. "Unfortunately, even though the center will be almost done and it is an outdoor festival, there'll still be disturbed land from finishing the exterior construction, and the turf won't be grown in yet."

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Creating an attractive event space

The new event center will enhance the already existing programming while hopefully attracting new performers. Future programming is already in the works with the Englert Theatre, the Iowa City Community School District, and Clear Creek Amana. The city has started booking events for the Centennial Center through 2025-2026, offering a more affordable site for touring acts.

When the Centennial Park project is complete, the outdoor space will include a splash pad, open-air pavilion, and honor garden, along with wheelchair-accessible playground equipment, a picnic area, restrooms, and expanded parking areas.

"Twenty years ago, it was all about finding the next manufacturer or big company to come to be in more towns, to bring jobs, and today, the trend is that we're seeing people often choose where they want to live in the quality of life of the community," Miller said. "What's important about Centennial Park adding to the slate of amenities and entertainment throughout the corridor is that it's in. It's going to add to that quality of life."

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A decade of development and community commitment

Centennial Park's makeover is more than 10 years in the making. The city of North Liberty bought the land on the west side of the city when it was still largely underdeveloped. By 2012, the master plan was created, and in 2013, the city added a playground and a parking lot.

Once completed, the revamped Centennial Park is expected to generate $11.5 million each year.

Last year, North Liberty launched the Next Stage capital campaign to help raise funds for the park. More than $2.3 million has been raised for the $3.5 million goal. Other funding comes through a mix of city funds and state and federal grants.

The City of North Liberty teamed up with Field Day Brewing for the Centennial Park Pilsner as well. The brewery pledged to donate $50,000 generated from sales of the specially brewed draft beer, can, or four-pack.

A park for a growing city

North Liberty officials are excited about the park's potential and its impact on the community and Johnson County. They plan to continue offering free activities and a wide range of programming.

"We want this to be a park for the people," Miller said. "We're going to balance its location near neighborhoods and have it be a carefully curated mix of various programming scopes and prices so that everyone can find something at Centennial Park."

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: North Liberty's $17.7 million Centennial Park renovation breaks ground