It's official: CreekFest planned for May 9, 2015, at Tricentennial Park in Midtown Mobile

MOBILE, Ala.. -- The inaugural Creek Fest, a family-friendly celebration of the revival of Three-Mile Creek, is planned for Saturday, May 9, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lake Drive Tricentennial Park in Midtown Mobile.

The event will include a cane pole fishing tournament for ages 16 and under along with other fun activities. Opportunities for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to earn merit badges will be available. Live music, food trucks and kayak rentals will also be part of the half-day event as the natural beauty of one of Mobile’s historic waterways is showcased. Three Mile Creek was the city’s first source of drinking water.

The idea for the event came from Dr. Bernard Eichold, who in 2012 created the Mobile County Health Department's Public Health Advisory Board, known as Women Making a Difference (WMD).
Dr. Eichold, Mobile County's Health Officer, wanted to give everyone an opportunity to see why the waterway is something worth redeveloping.

In December, WMD applied for and received private grant funding of nearly $220,000 to make improvements to an area of Three Mile Creek in Midtown Mobile. The funding, $218,650, from the Sybil Smith Charitable Trust, will be used to create a kayak and canoe launch and to install sidewalks/walkways along a section of Three Mile Creek near Lake Drive Tricentennial Park off Stanton Road. The project should be completed by October 2015.

The goal of the public health advisory board is to bring attention and action to issues affecting the public’s health in Mobile County. Comprised of women from across the community -- including social service agencies, health and mental health systems, conservation, city, housing, workforce development, concerned residents and leadership -- the board is well-equipped to positively impact the health of the community.
 
Driven by data showing the high rates of obesity, depression and cardiovascular disease, the group decided to focus attention on the Three Mile Creek area as a recreational site for residents of Mobile.
More information about CreekFest will be announced soon.