DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Mayor James Boyd announced plans to build the Nelson Family Pavilion at Voyageur Park during Wednesday’s 2022 State of De Pere luncheon.
Located along the Fox River, Voyageur Park hosts a number of things, including Yoga in the Park, De Pere Beer Gardens, community band concerts, art walks and others. It also includes the city’s largest inclusive playground and is adjacent to the popular De Pere Riverwalk and Fox River State Trail.
The planned Nelson Family Pavilion will be located near the park’s current restrooms and will include interior space that can accommodate 250 people for private gatherings. The garage doors will be able to open up to a patio situated on the hill, overlooking a one-acre open space.
The new pavilion will provide a wide range of uses from small intimate gatherings to major concerts and weekend festivals for crowds of 5,000 people or more.
Project leaders also hope the venue can be used year-round for art shows, markets and the new holiday light show.
The project is currently scheduled to start construction in late summer 2022 and could open as early as winter 2022, with a full calendar of events in 2023.
Fundraising has been kickstarted by a donation from the Dave and Rita Nelson Foundation, and, to date, the project has already raised more than half of its goal for the projected $1.5 million facility.
