Children play in a bounce house.Lincoln Park looked and sounded like the old days Saturday, with rhythm and blues playing over the park, the Howard band performing on the ball field and fire blazing from a hot dog grill.
“This was our playground,” said Vannice Hughley, president of the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. “On Labor Day and all holidays this park was filled to the rim.”
It was the first Lincoln Park reunion since Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke’s announcement the city is working to acquire the five-acre site from Erlanger Health System and preserve it as a park.
However, the Erlanger board has not yet approved the donation, worth about $1 million.
“The city and the board are going to get together to discuss ultimately what is in the best interest of Erlanger,” health system President and CEO Kevin Spiegel said Saturday. “But I have to tell you the board is really committed to ensure that the park stays a park forever, so we have to figure out how do we work with the city.”