City celebration spotlights Mozingo Park

With a refurbished golf course clubhouse and a new marketing campaign underway designed to turn the recently renamed Mozingo Lake Recreation Park into a regional destination, the city of Maryville has decided to throw a party marking the return of spring to the municipally owned playground.

A daylong series of activities, billed as a grand re-opening, is planned at the 3,000-acre park for Saturday, April 6. Action will start early with the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat Open, a collegiate angling event hosted by the Northwest Fishing Club.

Two-person boat teams will hit the water and 6 a.m. and continue working the 1,000-acre lake in search of lunker bass until 3 in the afternoon.

The public portion of the celebration begins with a 5-kilometer run/walk at the golf course. Registration opens at 7 a.m. with the race starting at 8 a.m.

Both the course and the remodeled clubhouse/pro shop will be open throughout the day, with staff on hand to award hole prizes and display Mozingo merchandise during a special "sidewalk sale."  

Shuttle buses will carry students and community members from the Northwest campus to the park throughout the day, departing once each hour between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Buses will return to campus at 6:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the end of the day's festivities.

Food and live entertainment are scheduled at "The Point" on the east side of the lake throughout the afternoon. Opening act Tyler Folkerts will take the stage at 4 p.m. with headliner and Maryville native Mitch Gallagher performing at 5 p.m.

Now based in Nashville, Gallagher recently released a self-titled extended-play set that went to No. 46 on the iTunes Top 100 Country Albums chart earlier this year.

Other activities will include shuttle tours of the park along with a bounce house and games for children.

A summary of grand re-opening events is listed below:

Golf Course

7 a.m. — Register for 5k Early Birdie Run.

8 a.m. — Begin 5k Early Birdie Run.

9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. — Hole prizes.

All day — Clubhouse a sidewalk sale.

The Point

11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Refreshments by  Hy-Vee Catering

Noon-5 p.m. — Shuttle tours of the park.

4 p.m. — Opening act, Tyler Folkerts.

5 p.m. — Featured entertainment, Mitch Gallagher.

6:15 p.m. — First buses return to campus

7 p.m. — Last buses return to campus.