In celebration of the City of Lafayette’s 200th birthday, Columbian Park will host a full weekend of events throughout Memorial Day Weekend, May 24-26.
All weekend long- Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 10:00am-4:00pm- the Tippecanoe County Historical Association will host a Bicentennial pop-up exhibit in the Columbian Park Carousel Building. The exhibit will feature 10 stand-alone pop-up displays each showcasing different stories in Lafayette’s history including the founding of Lafayette, Columbian Park, and the Wabash and Erie Canal.
Beginning Saturday, May 24, at 10:00am, the Columbian Park Zoo, Columbian Park Express train ride, and pedal boat ride fees will be 200 cents off in honor of the City’s 200th birthday. Regularly $3.00, each attraction will cost $1.00 for the day. Daily, the final pedal boat launch is 6:15pm, the last train ride will leave the station at 6:30pm, and the zoo will close at 7:00pm.
From 11:00am-6:00pm Saturday, guests will enjoy half-price admission at Tropicanoe Cove. Regularly $12 for those over 48” tall and $8 for those under 48” tall, rates will be reduced to $6.00 and $4.00 respectively for the day.
Those looking to enjoy the beautiful Loeb Stadium Saturday can catch a double-header between Lafayette Jeff High School and Richmond High School beginning at 11:00am.
Park-goers can patronize Mr. Ice Cream, Kona Ice, and Travelin’ Tom’s food trucks Saturday in Columbian Park near Memorial Island on Crescent Drive from 12:00pm-4:00pm.
On Sunday, May 25, from 1:00pm-5:00pm, the community can enjoy an open field day at Loeb Stadium featuring inflatable games, bounce houses, and obstacle courses. At 7:00pm, the City will host a showing of Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo on the Loeb Stadium videoboard screen. Admission is free and gates will open at 6:00pm. Concessions will be available for purchase. The first 200 children through the gates will receive Finding Nemo goodie bags.
Park-goers can patronize Mr. Ice Cream, Kona Ice, Travelin’ Tom’s, and Beverly Ann’s food trucks Sunday in Columbian Park near Memorial Island on Crescent Drive from 12:00pm-4:00pm.
On Monday, May 26, the Tippecanoe County Veterans Council will host Memorial Day program, “Lafayette, we are here!” at 1:00pm on the Columbian Park Memorial Island stage. The program will feature keynote speaker Colonel Seth P. Bretscher of the U.S. Air Force.
At 7:30pm on the Memorial Island stage, the Lafayette Citizens Band will perform their Memorial Day & Lafayette Bicentennial Concert. Attendees can enjoy a pre-concert by The Riverboat Ramblers beginning at 6:45pm. Dos Amigos and Mr. Ice Cream food trucks will be on-site from 6:00pm-9:00pm.
Weekend-long event details are available at https://www.facebook.com/LafayetteIN/
“May 25 is the date Lafayette was founded, so we’re excited to celebrate our Bicentennial all weekend long in Columbian Park Memorial Day Weekend,” said Mayor Tony Roswarski. “We invite everyone to join us for a big kickoff celebration weekend, as we gear up to celebrate this incredible milestone all year long!”
View a full list of the City’s yearlong celebration at www.lafayette200.com.