Norwalk Recreation & Parks committee unanimously approves permits for five community events

The Norwalk Recreation and Parks Committee on June 10 voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to enter into use agreements for five upcoming community events at parks and plazas across the city.

Organizers presented short overviews of each event and answered members’ questions before the committee approved each permit. The items included EJ’s Heart’s “Walk for Elijah” at Veterans Park on June 11 (estimated 80 attendees); the Sono Arts Festival at Washington Street Plaza on Aug. 1–2 (approx. 475 attendees); Broadway in the Park presented by the Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts at Matthews Park on Aug. 22 and 29 (approx. 275 attendees); Kingdom Restoration’s Nor Community Block Party at Ryan Park on July 25 (approx. 300 attendees); and the Gregory Bernett Senior Memorial 5K and Fun Run at Calf Pasture Beach on Oct. 18 (approx. 249 participants).

“this is our annual walk. we are celebrating 10 years being a nonprofit and so … we help raise funds to … get a scholarship in his name,” said Fritz Gilmore, speaking for EJ’s Heart about the scholarship mission behind the Walk for Elijah.

Susan Brown Gordon, who sought the permit for the Sono Arts Festival, described it as “a beloved event in the city” that mixes veteran and new artists and provides free cultural programming; she said police have reviewed and approved the proposed layout. Danny Loftess George, president of the Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts, told the committee the conservatory received support from the Arts and Culture Commission that will allow students to attend Broadway in the Park free of charge: “I’m Danny Loftess George. I’m the president here at the Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts.”

Pastor (Mr.) Prophet, presenting the Nor Community Block Party on behalf of Kingdom Restoration, said the event has evolved from a church-run community day into a larger block-party format that previously brought roughly 90 agencies and community partners; organizers plan expanded activities, including youth sports and live entertainment. “we took the community day to the streets … and from that it evolved … into a block party,” he said.

Organizer Morris Red described the Gregory Bernett 5K as a fundraising event for a new scholarship foundation tied to a local fraternity and said the group hopes to raise at least $10,000; he also confirmed tiered entry fees will apply. “This will be the inaugural event … our expectation is to have 249 people participate,” he said.

Committee members repeatedly praised the events as community-building and inclusive. Questions from members focused on local-artist participation and attendance-estimation methods for the Sono Arts Festival and on promotional plans for the 5K; organizers provided program-descriptive answers but did not supply exact local-artist tallies. Council Member Johan Lopez joined the meeting during discussion of the EJ’s Heart item and was noted by the clerk.

Each permit was moved, discussed briefly, and approved by voice vote with no roll-call tallies read into the record. Where organizers gave attendance estimates, the numbers were presented as approximations by the presenters.

The committee also discussed an upcoming recreation-center tour for full council members; staff will circulate proposed early-morning and afternoon tour times. The meeting adjourned after a final motion to close the session.

The committee record shows the approvals were votes to authorize the mayor to sign event-use agreements; no ordinances, budget approvals or regulatory changes were enacted at this meeting.