Council OKs $253,850 plan for Lynnwood Park grand opening, eyes headline entertainment and drone show

Council members unanimously accepted the awards/ceremonies committee’s recommendation Sept. 15 to fund a multi-day grand opening for Lynnwood Park, the roughly 140-acre site the city acquired from the state.

Danielle Barber summarized the proposed weekend of March 11–14, 2027, telling council the event would kick off with a ribbon cutting and include local performances, a Saturday headliner, and a drone show during the city’s Christmas-in-the-City portion of festivities. “We would like to see a national artist come to Gastonia to help us celebrate,” Barber said as she described the committee’s recommendation for $253,850. Staff said the bulk of that amount would be offset by sponsorships, with Gaston County Tourism and the Gastonia TDA already lined up to assist.

Council discussed capacity and crowd control for an estimated 5,000–8,000 attendees; staff said private crowd-control vendors and the police department would be contracted to manage larger crowds. The motion to accept the committee’s recommendation passed unanimously. Staff will prepare sponsorship packages and a detailed event plan for future council consideration.

The vote advances event planning and budgeting steps but does not yet commit the city to every line item pending sponsorship solicitations and further planning.