After years of major events – and big crowds, flooding and COVID forced this Park’s Great Lawn to “go dark”. In 2021, we agreed to partner, with the City of Council Bluffs, to return a major event back to the Great Lawn.
Reestablishing Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park as a premier outdoor venue was important to the City and the Riverfront. So a search was on for an event to once again fill the park. Eventually, a concert stepped forward – Sweetstock. Previously one of the area’s largest draws, the Great Lawn provided the perfect venue for Sweetstock’s return..
On August 28th the event went off without a hitch. The performers included TLC, Shaggy, 98 Degrees, O-town, C+C Music Factory and others. The media attention was significant and even with an uptick in COVID and very hot weather, Sweetstock drew over 5,000 very happy music fans. “Great times!” wrote Matt T, “Already looking forward to next year!”
Project Partners: City of Council Bluffs, Broadmoor, HDR, Noddle Development, Iowa West Foundation, Waste Connections, American National Bank, CB Visitors Bureau, Judd Construction, Meco-Henne, Arbys, Hurrdat, Smart Water, Coke and others.
Estimated Financial Support: Back to the River $5,000
Estimated Total Project Cost: $280,000
Years: 2021
