Bowling Green hosts third Summer Block Party at H.D. Carpenter Park

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Families gathered Thursday evening at H.D. Carpenter Park for the City of Bowling Green’s third summer block party of the season.

The event, hosted in partnership with Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, the Bowling Green Police Department, and the Bowling Green Fire Department, offered free food prepared by BGPD officers, music, games and an inflatable water slide in a family-friendly setting.

City leaders say the monthly block parties are designed to encourage residents to spend time in local parks while strengthening relationships between neighbors and city departments.

“A lot of the nearby neighbors were concerned and wanted to make sure the city knew about the park,” said Leyda Becker, community engagement manager for the City of Bowling Green. “Since we have community engagement teams across several departments, we thought this was a great opportunity to activate the park for a couple of hours.”

Becker said H.D. Carpenter Park is one of Bowling Green’s hidden gems and that the city hopes events like the block party encourage more residents to visit.

“It’s a park that’s a little tucked away, so it’s not as visible to the rest of the community,” Becker said. “We want to invite neighbors to discover that we have so many amazing park facilities.”

Organizers say the block party series has already led to increased use of H.D. Carpenter Park throughout the week, even after the events have ended.

The summer block parties are held on the second Thursday of each month during the summer. City officials say they also plan to host similar neighborhood events at additional parks across Bowling Green in the future.