McKinnie Commons Concert Series
Friday, June 13, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
McKinnie Avenue and South Anthony Blvd.
Kick off the summer at McKinnie Commons with the high-energy hits and feel-good vibes in the heart of the city. Grab your family, your dancing shoes and your lawn chairs for a fun-filled evening of live music and community. Don’t miss this free summer celebration!
Color the Park
Friday, June 13, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Promenade Park, 202 West Superior Street
Calling all artists! Join us on the riverfront for this interactive chalk art event, where the community is invited to grab some chalk and bring the park to life with color. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just want to doodle for fun, everyone is welcome to take part in transforming the walkways into a masterpiece. As you create, enjoy live music
and grab your favorite snack and beverage from Teds Snack and Bar! This event is free and open to all ages.
Sweet Breeze Specialty: Bird Watching Tour
Saturday, June 14, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Promenade Park South Dock
Join members of Three Rivers Birding for a two-hour birding excursion on the three rivers! Light refreshments will be provided. Don’t forget your binoculars and cameras. This Sweet Breeze specialty tour is $34 per person. Reservations can be made online (until midnight on day prior to tour) at https://www.fortwayneparks.org/parks/riverfront/sweetbreeze.html or via the Fort Wayne Parks App; in person at the Parks and Recreation Offices (705 East State Blvd.) or by phone 260-427-6000 during normal business hours. Walk-ups are welcome at the dock as space is available by cash or credit card. Specialty tours are scheduled throughout the season. Visit the website or app to see all the options.
Father’s Day in the Garden
Saturday, June 14, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 15, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Foellinger-Friemann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 South Calhoun Street
Treat Dad, Granddad and Father Figures to a special outing at the Botanical Conservatory where they get in free on Father’s Day weekend. Make it a family outing with live butterflies and beautiful garden displays. The first 300 Fathers to visit receive a free plant! For an extra special treat on Sunday from 12:00-3:00 p.m., enjoy live music from the G-Money Band and lawn games, too. Also enjoy tasty brews and delectables for purchase from Hop River Brewing Company & The Spicy Bird. Sponsored by 96.3 XKE.
Tread the Trails
Thursday, June 12, Meet at 6:00 p.m.
Moser Park, 601 West Main Street, New Haven, IN
The 2025 season of Trek the Trails and Tread the Trails continues. Meet on Tuesday for a 7.43-mile bike ride or on Thursday for a one mile or 5K run/walk. There is no cost to participate. All experience levels are welcome, and participation is at your own risk. Riders are encouraged to wear helmets and to also bring a front white light and rear red light/reflector. Trek the Trails is presented by the City of Fort Wayne and Fort Wayne Trails and proudly sponsored by Northeastern REMC, UAW Local #2209, VS Engineering and Old Fort Bicycle. Tread the Trails is presented by the City of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Trails Inc. and The Fort Wayne Running Club. Follow the City of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Trails, Fort Wayne Running Club and Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation on social media for weather-related updates. For a complete list of locations and dates, visit: https://www.fortwayneparks.org/trails/news-events.html.
Featuring:
Dance Promenade
Monday, June 16, July 14, August 18, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Park Foundation Pavilion
Dance Promenade is back again featuring not one, not two, but three different dance styles throughout the summer! Each session will feature different styles of dance giving you the chance to learn a little bit of everything this summer. Try out one or all of these styles of dance as we bring a little flare and fun this summer. Register online or by calling 260-427-6000 by the Tuesday prior to each class. Walk-ins are welcome if space is available (credit card only). Fee: $10 in advance or $12 walk-in.
Free Bicycle Safety Training
As our community continues to develop a bicycling culture, the City of Fort Wayne invites elementary-aged students to attend one of four FREE bicycle safety workshops that will teach young bicyclists the essentials for a safe, enjoyable biking experience. The Fort Wayne Police Department Bike Patrol will discuss bike safety basics. Trek Fort Wayne will show students how to properly fit their equipment, including their bike and helmet, and will demonstrate general maintenance techniques like pumping up a tire, adjusting brakes, and more.
Students are asked to bring their bikes and their helmets. For those who don’t have a bike, there will be a limited number of bikes to practice on, compliments of Pedals of Hope. While supplies last, the Indiana Department of Transportation will provide free bike helmets. After the workshop, there will be a 1-mile guided ride for students to practice what they’ve learned. Please call 260-427-6002 for additional information.
The following four sessions below will provide the same safety training and are open to all elementary-aged students:
- June 16, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.: Buckner Park – Meet in the parking lot
- June 25, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.: McMillen Park Community Center – Meet in the east parking lot behind the Community Center
- July 21, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.: Franke Park – Meet in the north parking lot by the BMX and mountain biking trails
- July 23, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.: Shoaff Park – Meet at the Conklin Pavilion parking lot
Lakeside Rose Gardens Tour
Saturday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Lakeside Park, 1401 Lake Avenue
Tour the Rose Gardens at Lakeside Park with the Head Gardener and learn how each rose variety grows uniquely. Discover how staff care for the roses, identify common pests and diseases, and explore tips on fertilizing, pruning and winter protection. Ask questions, see the new roses and signage, and enjoy a walk through all the Rose Gardens. No registration is required.
Also Happening:
Color in Motion: Live Butterfly Exhibit!
Until June 22, public hours
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 South Calhoun Street
Live butterflies have landed at the Botanical Conservatory bringing with them an array of natural beauty and wonder. Watch in awe, their wings in flight, as they flash with color pigments and refracted light. Observe exotic butterflies emerging from their chrysalides right before your eyes! An epic display of multicolored flowers and foliage elevates this annual spring exhibit. Sponsored by: the English Bonter Mitchell Foundation, Fort Wayne Park Foundation, “In memory of Jo Ann and William Wyatt,” 21Alive and 97.3 WMEE.
Sweet Breeze Tours
Saturday, June 14, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. (90-minute), 5:45 – 6:30 p.m. (45-minute)
Sunday, June 15, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. (90-minute), 3:45 – 4:30 p.m. (45-minute)
*Thursday, June 19, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (60-minute), 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. (60-minute)
South Dock, Promenade Park, 202 West Superior Street
Travel Fort Wayne’s rivers on Sweet Breeze, an authentic 1840 canal boat replica. This fully accessible tour provides an opportunity to learn something new about Fort Wayne through its riverfront. Choose 90 or 45-minute cruise options. Tickets are $30 per person for a 90-minute cruise, $23 for a 60-minute tour and $20 per person for 45-minute cruise. Reservations can be made online (until midnight on day prior to tour) at www.RideSweetBreeze.org or via the Fort Wayne Parks App; in person at the Parks and Recreation Offices (705 East State Blvd.) or by phone 260-427-6000 during normal business hours. Walk-ups are welcome at the dock as space is available by cash or credit card. Specialty tours are scheduled throughout the season. Visit the website or app to see all the options.
Registration for the Fort Wayne Senior Games continues
FWPR Community Center, 233 West Main Street and other locations
Since 1979, the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Community Center has hosted the annual Senior Games. The popular event has expanded over the past 46 years. It offers over 40 fun and challenging sports and game events for men and women age 50 and above. The games promote the benefits of remaining active and physically fit and encourage all older adults to adopt a healthy, enjoyable lifestyle. Events are planned June 2 until July 2. Registrations after May 30 are $2 per event. Fort Wayne Senior Games event registrations are also accepted up to two business days prior to the event. Download the entry form on www.FortWayneParks.org, or stop by the Community Center to pick it up. Follow the instructions and join the fun.
Salomon Farmers’ Market
Wednesdays, 4:00-7:00 p.m. and continuing each Wednesday until September 3
Salomon Farm Park, 817 West Dupont Road
Find fresh produce, baked goods, honey and artisan crafts at this mid-week market. Stop by and say hello to the newest members of the herd—Lucky and London the Valais Blacknose Sheep or Mickie and Frankie the Highland Coos as well as the goats, a miniature horse and more.
Park & Play Mobile Recreation Returns
Monday, June 6 – August 1
Park & Play staff will bring free fun and games for youth ages 5 and up to a variety of Parks with two mobile recreation units. Two morning and two afternoon sessions Monday to Thursday and one session on Fridays will include a selection of sports, games, arts and crafts, fitness, nature and outdoor educational activities.
The schedule includes the following times and locations:
- Mondays & Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Hanna Homestead, Gay & Lewis Streets
- Lakeside Park, 1401 Lake Avenue
- Mondays & Tuesdays, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
- UPDATE: field behind Fairfield Elementary School, 2825 Fairfield Avenue
- Waynedale Park, Koons & Elzey Streets
- Wednesdays & Thursdays, 10:00-12:30 p.m.
- Psi Ote Park, Wenonah Lane
- Tillman Park, 600 E. Tillman Road
- Wednesdays & Thursdays, 12:00-4:00 p.m.
- Lions Park, 3299 Carew Street
- Hamilton Park, Spring & Cherokee Streets
- Monday to Friday, 12:00-4:00 p.m.
- Cooper Center, Reservoir Park, 2300 South Clinton
- Funtastic Fridays, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
- Various locations; visit Park & Play link.
Grace Yencer: Gentle Turning
Until June 22
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 South Calhoun Street
Grace Yencer has been creating art for as long as she can remember, inspired by a childhood dream of becoming an artist or art teacher. Yencer’s love for snail mail sparked an early career in greeting cards, but she soon shifted focus to art as self-expression. With roots in the Midwest, her style reflects both a sense of nostalgia and a playful exploration of the world around her, making her pieces as heartfelt as they are visually engaging. Her work invites you to pause, look closer and maybe catch a hint of sorrow in the details. “To create one’s world takes courage,” Georgia O’Keeffe.
