HOUSTON – April 8, 2019 – Houston Parks Board’s fifth annual Bayou Greenway Day was its most successful to date, garnering its highest community member attendance and its broadest participation of community and city event partners. Presented by Noble Energy, approximately 6,000 adults, teens, and children took part in the free festival at Mason Park along Brays Bayou Greenway.

Saturday’s event featured football and cheer clinics with the Houston Texans and The Wade Smith Foundation, as well as soccer games and drills with the Houston Dynamo. The day began with a free 5k Fun Run and Walk in partnership with Houston Wellness Project. Other events included an Easter Egg Hunt and activities provided by the Houston Zoo, Houston Public Library, Nature and Eclectic Outdoors, Bayou Preservation Association, Bike Houston, Bayou City WaterKeeper, and a dozen others.

KPRC’s Justin Stapleton and Telemundo Houston’s Carlos Robles served as emcees for Bayou Greenway Day 2019, welcoming several dignitaries including Mayor Sylvester Turner; Rich and Nancy Kinder, Kinder Foundation; Ken Fischer, chief financial officer of Noble Energy; Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, District 18; Senator Carol Alvarado, District 6; State Representative Ana Hernandez; Council Member Robert Gallegos, District I; At-Large Council Member Jack Christie; At-Large Council Member Mike Knox; At-Large Council Member David Robinson; Beth White, Houston Parks Board President and CEO; Steve Wright, Houston Parks and Recreation Director; Dina Alsowayel and Laura Spanjian, Bayou Greenway Day Event Chairs; and more.

One of the most ambitious parks projects in the country, Bayou Greenways 2020 is completing a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways. The $220 million project will connect people, places, and greenspace while enhancing air and water quality, preserving greenspace in flood-prone areas and stimulating economic development in Houston.

“It is exciting to see Houstonians come together to spend a day outdoors and gather in the public spaces that make this city their home,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Houston is able to thrive and flourish due to projects such as Bayou Greenways 2020.”

Bayou Greenways 2020 is a public-private partnership between the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, the City of Houston and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and is being implemented in close collaboration with the Harris County Flood Control District, which manages the county’s bayous and creeks for drainage and flood risk reduction.

Bayou Greenway Day 2019 is a project of the Houston Parks Board and in collaboration with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. The event was presented by Noble Energy. Media sponsors included KPRC Channel 2, Telemundo, and La Subasta Newspaper.

A nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing access to quality parks and greenspace in the Greater Houston region, Houston Parks Board creates, improves, protects and advocates for parks for everyone. Since 1976, the organization has utilized public-private partnerships and its extensive philanthropic, government and community relationships to improve parks large and small. Houston Parks Board is currently leading the transformational $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 project to complete a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways. For more information, visit www.houstonparksboard.org.

Bayou Greenways 2020 is one of the most ambitious parks projects in the U.S. By transforming more than 3,000 acres of underutilized land along Houston’s major waterways into linear parks, Bayou Greenways 2020 will complete a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails. The $220 million project will connect people, places, and greenspace while enhancing air and water quality, preserving flood-prone areas and stimulating economic development in Houston.

In 2012, thanks in part to the “Parks By You!” campaign, Houston voters overwhelmingly approved a bond proposal that set aside $100 million for Bayou Greenways 2020. Houston Parks Board is raising a matching $120 million and managing acquisition, design and construction of the Bayou Greenways. Public investment was matched by significant private contributions including an extraordinary lead gift of $50 million in 2013 from the Kinder Foundation.

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (H.P.A.R.D.) stewards and manages over 37,851 acres of parkland and greenspace for the City of Houston and develops and implements recreational programming for citizens of all abilities. For more information on the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, call (832) 395-7022 or visit www.houstonparks.org.