Huntingburg Parks Board approves new community festival
The Huntingburg Parks Board approved a new community festival and allocated funds for baseball facility improvements during its regular meeting on Monday.
Mighty Kindness, a Louisville-based nonprofit organization, received approval to host a family-friendly community unity festival at Huntingburg City Park on Nov. 1, 2025. The event aims to bring together regional businesses, nonprofit organizations, artists, musicians and farmers to promote community connections across southern Indiana.
Organizers have hosted the event in Louisville for several years and are expanding into Southern Indiana. They chose Huntingburg due to the accessibility and location in the region.
The festival would utilize the green space south of League Stadium, including pavilions, playgrounds and potentially one parking area for vendors. Organizers plan to include acoustic music, children’s activities, workshops on topics like native plants, and possibly food trucks.
The organizers stated the Louisville festival grew from 200 attendees in its first year to 5,000-6,000 people daily over 13 years. The Louisville event was eventually recognized as the second-favorite festival in the city after the Kentucky Derby.
The board approved the event contingent on the organizers obtaining required insurance, permits and an emergency action plan from the fire chief. Vendors would pay $45 for for-profit businesses and $15 or less on a sliding scale for nonprofits.
In other business, the board allocated $4,000 toward roof replacement for the youth baseball league’s concession stand at the Dan Merkel Field. The Huntingburg Youth Baseball League requested financial assistance for the project after discovering significant water damage from the deteriorating 20-year-old roof.
The existing roof was constructed from donated materials pieced together by volunteers more than 20 years ago. League officials reported seeing daylight through multiple spots and water damage affecting interior rooms.
Incoming Parks Superintendent Jace Merkel mentioned that a local contractor with children in the baseball league has expressed interest in potentially donating time or materials for the project, which could reduce costs further.
The board also approved special event applications for two other community activities. Southwest School received approval for a Shakespeare in the Park performance, continuing a successful program that serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade at no charge.
The Herbstfest Queen contest received approval to use Market Street Park and Old Town Hall on Sept. 21, 2025, marking the fourth year for the event. Organizers requested the upstairs of Old Town Hall as a backup location in case of rain, citing last year’s hurricane that affected part of their programming.
The board also received updates on several ongoing projects, including the senior center construction, which remains on schedule for completion about a month behind the original November target date. The facility has received donated furniture from local manufacturer OFS and is progressing through the electrical and plumbing installation phases.
Pickleball court construction continues with rock spread and preparation underway, pending coordination with Tennis Tech for proper pole placement. The courts are expected to be paved when the city completes its street paving.
The swimming pool will close Aug. 3, and the splash pad will close during Herbs Fest weekend. Market Street’s Fourth Friday events continue monthly, with the next scheduled for Aug. 22.
The next Parks Board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 18, 2025.
