Crystal Frolics Temporarily Moves to Welcome Park
The Crystal Frolics have been around for approximately 60 years. In that span of time there has been plenty of fun for thousands of festival goers.
But Frolics 2019 will look much different than before.
“We had to take an event that encompassed all of Becker Park and all of Welcome Park and consolidate it into Welcome Park,” said Frolics President Lynn Haney.
The change of venue means a change in plans. This year the Frolics is smack dab in the middle of surface streets and residential houses. Welcome Park is going to roll out a welcome mat to frolics visitors.
“There are gonna be people here,” Haney said. “We hope people will come and enjoy it, we hope the people in the neighborhood will walk in. We will have bike racks so people can ride their bikes in from the neighborhood and we are going to do whatever we can to accommodate the neighborhood.”
Neighborhood challenges
One key question at this year’s Frolics is can the neighborhood absorb large crowds?
“The big con is the disruption that will be to the neighborhood, which I understand because it’s also my neighborhood,” Haney said. “Parking is going to be a big thing, so there will only be parking on one side of the street.”
“As people are coming in there’s going to be challenges with traffic and parking,” said Brian Hubbard, Crystal Deputy Police Chief. “That venue is a little bit smaller. I do know that the Frolics organizers will be organizing shuttles to get people in and out of venue to help alleviate some of that. Really just the congestion of that space will be primarily what we working through.”
People going to the Frolics can park at neighboring schools and shuttle in. Find out the shuttle schedule here.
Minimize disruption
Frolics organizers want to minimize disruption to the Welcome Park area. Volunteers, like the Cooper High School Girls Swim Team, will be walking the neighborhood to pick up a stray cup that might’ve been left behind.
The move to Welcome Park is temporary. In 2020, the Frolics goes back to Becker Park.
“It’s going to be all re-imagined,” Haney said. “That park will be built for events. It’s going to be perfect so we can reach out to all of the communities in Crystal and the neighborhoods and be as diverse in our events as we can to bring everybody in.”
