Families enjoy newly renovated Dillon Town Park as town plans summer of pick

News News | Aug 4, 2023

The Dillon Town Park reopened early last month to once again welcome the laughter of playing children, the cheers of sports leagues, the quiet solitude of dog walkers, and the chatter of friends and family gathering.

Renovated with new play equipment divided into three separate playgrounds, natural rock and wood features, a bouldering wall, and an upgraded baseball field, the park will host a town-sponsored kickball league and social gathering throughout the summer.

“Our office is right across from the park,” Dillon marketing and communications manager Suzanne Phillipson said. “So it’s been really awesome to poke my head out every now and again. There are always people playing, walking their dogs around the park. There is a nice picnic area there.”

The park has been a long time in the making. The town first polled elementary students in 2013 as part of its Town Park Master Plan. Renovations began in 2019, just before COVID-19 forced a yearlong delay. Attempts to restart construction in June 2021 were delayed when the town struggled to find a contractor, pushing work until spring 2022.

On Thursday, Aug. 3, Alicia Boyd sat on a bench as her three sons ran from play structure to play structure. At one point, Boyd’s youngest son Carter called her to help him climb cross the webbing that bridges the structure known as the timber cave.

Visiting from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Boyd said her family has been staying in Keystone. Her husband discovered the park on Wednesday, after spending the morning on the shores of the Dillon Reservoir, and it has quickly become a favorite spot for her vacationing family, she said, commenting on the views.

“The boys wanted to come back here today after we went to the lake,” Boyd said.

With the park’s reopening in July, the town focused much of its 2023 summer programming on celebrating the renovated space, Phillipson said. A new social kickball league has already started its regular season on the new ball field and will head into two weeks of double-elimination playoffs in September.

“I actually played the first game,” Phillipson said. “I didn’t realize I liked kickball so much.”

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The Monday-night kickball league starts at 5 p.m., giving players time to head down to the Dillon Amphitheater after the game to catch the town’s Mountain Music Monday series, which features free shows.

On Tuesday nights, the Dillon Town Park will be hosting drop-in cornhole games, with prizes available for those who rack up points week after week. With check-in at 5 p.m. and play starting around 5:30 p.m., cornhole costs $5 per person and those that attend at least four sessions will earn a spot in the end-of-season tournament.

“You can play with a friend. You can mix it up and play with someone you’ve never met before,” Phillipson said. “It’s kind of just a fun social gathering to get out and throw some bags.”

On Thursday nights, Dillon will be hosting Town Park Socials from 5-7 p.m. with the goal of activating the town park as a space for community gathering. The town will provide lawn games, volleyball, bocce balls, music and more, Phillipson said.

Monday Night Doubles Disc Golf League:

Yoga at the Dillon Amphitheater:

Leisure at the Lake:

Finally, to officially recognize the completion of the park, the town will host a community picnic after a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Aug. 19. The gathering will be potluck-style, with community members able to sign up to host tables that seat up to six people, Phillipson said.

Table hosts will be responsible for reserving their table, coordinating their table guest list and organizing a potluck menu between table guests. The town will provide tables, beverages, entertainment and prizes. The event is free but has limited space. Community members can sign up at TownOfDillon.com/register.

“We are just really trying to celebrate the town park,” Phillipson said. “It has just been such a long time coming, with all the renovations. So we’re really just trying to get people out to the park and to come with all of their family and friends.”

Aug 3, 2023

Aug 2, 2023

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Alicia Boyd helps her son Carter across a play structure at the recently renovated Dillon Town Park on Aug. 3, 2023.As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.