Independently owned since 1905
Final plans are being made for the grand opening ceremony at Ainsworth Park, organized by Thompson Falls Mainstreet, Inc. in conjunction with the city of Thompson Falls. The nonprofit helped raise funds for several key parts of the park, including the veteran’s memorial. According to Daniel Moore, owner of the Black Bear family of companies and chairman of Thompson Falls Main Street, the group also worked with Sanders County Community Development Corporation to submit a Community Development Block Grant proposal that successfully brought $200,000 in for the Ainsworth Park project.
Originally called Ainsworth Field, the space was transformed into a community park in early 2020. According to Mayor Mark Sheets, the field was in disrepair. In order to use the space again, the idea for a community park was formed around 2015. After several years of planning and fundraising, the park project began. Of the contributions, the Montana Office of Tourism contributed $46,000 to the project and the Frisbie Morbella Foundation contributed another $25,000. Bob Taylor with Taylor Services was contracted to build the park. The Ainsworth Park project was budgeted at $552,000, and includes a large grass field, amphitheater, restrooms, perimeter walking path and the veteran’s memorial. Though the park has been open to visitors since last year, the official grand opening ceremony was not able to be held until this year because of the pandemic.
The grand opening for Ainsworth Park is set for Monday, June 21, at 2 p.m. A ribbon cutting ceremony will occur and Mayor Sheets will deliver a speech. More information on the park and events in Thompson Falls can be found on the Thompson Falls Main Street Facebook page. The group can also be emailed at [email protected]. According to Moore, the first public event to be held in the new park will be the Thompson Falls Fourth of July celebration, which will be all Independence Day weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. More information on that can be found at the Facebook page 4th of July in Thompson Falls.
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