Vinton’s Celebration Park makes grand debut

VINTON - An area of Vinton devastated by the Flood of 2008 is seeing new life with the opening of a public park.

Members of the community cut the ribbon on Celebration Park last Saturday. The park occupies a site where several homes were underwater in 2008. Those homes have since been demolished.

The city obtained the property after the flood.

'It's going to be a really popular area,” said Duane Randall, who explained that $325,000 in donations from individuals and local businesses made the park possible. 'Hopefully it will tie our downtown area in with our riverfront.”

The park is centered around a gazebo, and includes a 70-foot limestone wall along the river, a pavilion, and a monument that includes a portion of the historic water tower and an engraving for those who lost their homes to the flood.

Mark Mossman, a Vinton resident, helped the park go from idea to a reality. Mossman saw the park as a way to remember his son, who enjoyed the river. Mossman's son, Burns, died in a motor vehicle accident in 2009

'It was an opportunity to do something in his (Burns) memory,” Mossman said. He said that he was honored when the park's focal point, the gazebo, was named the Burns Mossman Gazebo.

Mossman and Randall said the park's location offers a unique spot for numerous types of events, including weddings, musical events and displays of local art.

'It's a great entrance to the city,” said Mossman, who attended the official opening of the park. 'It's got a welcoming turn of the century look.”

Randall said that if the river does flow over its banks in the future, it will be much easier and faster to clean up the park compared with the homes that sat there previously.

Randall also said the park saw use before it officially opened, and he is expecting to see that use continue to grow. The park is lit at night, not only for aesthetics, but for added safety.

The planning process for Celebration Park began in 2010, but Randall said that fundraising did not get off the ground until January 2013.

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