Recent Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Opens Newly Refurbished Park
Submitted By Kay Renz
The City of Pompano Beach is thrilled to Light Up MLK at the newly refurbished Annie Adderly Gillis Park. The holiday celebration is returning with great fanfare to the beloved community space. The event takes place November 20, 2022, with festivities beginning at 5:30 pm and the official tree lighting ceremony occurring at 7 pm. Sounds of the holidays will ring throughout the neighborhood and will include a variety of local community-based performances. Enjoy food and beverages plus a variety of interactive holiday themed activities, and be sure to have your camera ready as Santa stops by for a visit! The event is free and open to the public. Learn more at www.pompanobeacharts.org.
City officials recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to re-open the park and this will be the first major event since the renovation which transformed the park into a beautiful public space. The park now boasts many new features including a courtyard, lush landscaping and trees, shade structures, lighting, walking paths, exercise equipment, street furniture and more. The newly conceived layout of the park features a designated location for the annual Light Up MLK holiday event to continue the park’s cherished tradition. The renovation was funded by the Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency after obtaining feedback from the community about their vision for the park.
Long-time resident and community volunteer, Annie Adderly Gillis, lit the tree at the first event, and in 2011, the city dedicated the park in her honor. In her 98 years, Mrs. Gillis’ contributions to the community were enormous, and her impact will continue to be celebrated with the modernization of this appealing park.
The Light Up MLK event will be sponsored in part by Kappa Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Kappa Foundation of Pompano Beach; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated- North Broward County Alumnae Chapter; and NCNW – National Council of Negro Women.
About Annie Adderly Gillis Park
The park improvement project was recently completed to elevate the park to better serve its community. In addition to a beautiful and practical design, the layout is flexible for the implementation of new features as the community’s needs and wants may evolve in the future. The design includes interconnected concrete walkways, which may also be used as an active trail, landscaping, shade structures for live performances and movies, sidewalks, exercise equipment, and areas with smaller shade structures and food truck accessibility.
The park is located at 601 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Pompano Beach FL
About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department
The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City’s premiere cultural arts venues, including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City’s Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.
