Live music, history and ice cream will mark the official debut on July 20 for a new event space in downtown Branson.

Liberty Plaza Park, phase two of a Downtown Streetscape project, opened as a parking lot for the Liberty Light Up on July 3, and will have an official ribbon-cutting July 20.

Were excited, said Cindy Shook, director of parks and recreation for the city. We think this is a wonderful amenity for the city, a wonderful amenity for the public and downtown.

Liberty Plaza will add 23 parking spaces to downtown Branson, as well as an additional trolley stop. Shook said the plaza will function just like a city park and will be able to host a variety of events.

We definitely see wedding receptions, she said. The stage will be perfect for music, downtown has some ideas of what theyd like to do in here. Really wed like to encourage people to come here and check it out.

Branson Alderwoman Chris Bohinc said the plaza will add another option for hosting events in downtown Branson.

We have the beautiful Branson Landing, but the downtown used to originally have events down at the lakefront, Bohinc said. So now weve got the Landing and the downtown. We still have our historic flavor and our newer fun flavor with the Branson Landing, but this gives an identity back for an event space in the downtown.

In addition, Liberty Plaza will feature a fountain and monument honoring veterans of the United States Armed Forces. City Engineer David Miller said the fountain can be customized depending on the event.

The fountain has some color changing features, Miller said. (It) should make for a nice space for weddings and other events besides the big days downtown.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will feature musical performances from Family Anthem and Prince Ivan. There will be an ice cream and sweet treat social for National Ice Cream Month and Dicks 5&10 will be celebrating the stores 56th anniversary.

Bohinc said the look and feel of Liberty Plaza is trying to evoke the feeling of the history of downtown Branson. The name for the space is inspired by the Liberty Tree, which was a long-time landmark in downtown Branson.

The opening of Liberty Plaza will also mark the end of phase two and portions of phase three of the downtown project. According to Miller, many of the major improvements will be invisible to the visitors downtown, but will have a major impact.

We have new water lines, better fire protection, new storm sewers to eliminate flooding, and the sidewalks have been rebuilt and will last for decades longer, Miller said. A lot of the costs are underground, so nobody will see what weve really accomplished .

To reserve a space at Liberty Plaza Park after the ribbon-cutting on July 20, Shook said to contact the Branson Parks and Recreation Department at 417-335-2368.

Originally posted here:

Launching Liberty Plaza Park; Ribbon cutting set for July 20 - Branson Tri-Lakes news