Ogden City wants to fire up Lester Park — introducing “Dancing in the Park.”

In a press release earlier this week, Ogden City Arts announced the Dancing in the Park series at Lester Park featuring Deja Mitchell with the first of four dates set for June 29 from 6-8:30 p.m.

Ogden City Arts Administrator Lorie Buckley told the Standard-Examiner on Thursday that the series has been a couple of years in the making.

“We created it and wrote for grant money two years ago,” she said. “We were going to do it last summer and then we were told the park was going to be under construction so we held off and that didn’t happen.”

She said it’s part of a broader effort to bring a little more life to Lester Park.

“Mayor (Ben) Nadolski was asking us to look at ways to program Lester Park so it could be a more activated community asset, so I came up with this program that worked really well into the America250 celebration,” she said. “It’s going to be decorated with red, white and blue decor on the stage. Really, it’s about community connection, health and wellness, bringing neighbors together.”

According to the press release, “each event will highlight a variety of dance styles led by instructors who will guide participants through the steps. Coach’s Smoking BBQ food truck will also be on-site with food available for purchase, making it easy for attendees to enjoy an evening of dancing, dining, and community connection in one of Ogden’s favorite outdoor spaces.” The event was made possible by grants from Ogden Circle of Giving ($30,000) and Weber County RAMP ($10,000).

The four dates and their associated dance styles are as follows:

• June 29 from 6-8:30 p.m. — Charleston, Hand Jive, Twist, Cowboy Slide;
• July 13 from 6-8:30 p.m. —  Electric Slide, Modern, Jazz Dance;
• Aug. 10 from 6-8:30 p.m. — Surfer Rock, Saturday Night Fever, Rock ‘n’ Roll;
• Sept. 14  from 6-8:30 p.m. — Macarena, Dancehall, Vogue.

Additionally, Buckley said each event will feature representatives from area organizations such as the Weber County Health Department.

She said that the inspiration for the event came from some of her travels.

“I actually experienced something like it back East one time traveling with my husband,” she said. “They had outdoor dancing and they just played music, people were out on dates and they were dancing outside with lights and stuff and I thought, ‘This is so fun,’ and it stuck so much in my brain. I’ve been here 10 years and I’ve been hem-hawing over, ‘How do I implement this into some sort of program?’ I often thought I would do it at the Dumke Arts Plaza — and that still may be down the road — but because the mayor wanted Lester Park to be activated, this actually worked out perfectly.”

Buckley added that the events are open to all ages and that dancers will be in very good hands.

“Deja Mitchell is teaching the dance lessons,” Buckley said. “She’s taught at Eccles, she’s taught at Weber State. She’s really talented in dance and movement, so she’s got quite a few different fun dance moves to teach the community.”

Buckley said that activities like this can go a long way toward bringing life to a community asset like Lester Park.

“Lester Park has been one that maybe a lot of people have stopped going to for whatever reason,” she said. “It’s a little less active. There isn’t a sports field there. They’re doing a little activation with the pickleball courts behind the Golden Hours Senior Center, but this is actually bringing people to the park for a particular activity that’s actually in the park that’s not in the library or in the Golden Hours Senior Center. We’re actually activating the green space of the park with families. They’ll bring lawn chairs and blankets and maybe explore the space. … We’re just hoping to bring people that maybe haven’t been to Lester Park in a while.”

She said that, for now, this year’s Dancing in the Park series is a one-off event and extending it into future years will depend on acquiring the necessary funding.

“I think it would be a great inclusion to regular summer programming, but at this point, it’s only going to be for this summer,” she said.

For more information, visit www.ogdencity.gov/arts.