By Kris Leonhardt

MARSHFIELD – The Wenzel Family Plaza on the 200 block of Marshfield’s Chestnut Avenue is now open and things are gearing up for the remainder of the summer.

The plaza is a year round public square and event space that is designed to promote a sense of community in the city of Marshfield. The plaza was made possible by a combination of public and private funds.

Since its July 11 opening, the plaza has been a hub of activity in Marshfield’s downtown.

“It’s really been incredible,” said Marshfield Mayor Bob McManus. “For me it’s like when you get something new on Christmas Day, you just want to go around it. I drive by (the Plaza) three or four times a day. There is always a dozen or two people in there playing in the water feature, parents are around – many times the parents are actually in the water feature as well, other people sitting on the grass having a picnic; it has really been tremendous.”

Open containers

City officials say that while the plaza is considered a gathering place and not a park, the same rules governing the city’s parks apply, including “allowing open containers, outside of licensed events.”

Upcoming events

With the plaza opening and active, organizers have started programming for the upcoming months.

Yoga in the Plaza, hosted by Off the Mat Studio, will be every Saturday morning 8- 9 a.m., Aug. 4 – Sept. 22, 2018. The classes will be suitable for all levels and open to the public. The classes are donation-based, benefiting the Hannah Center.

Total Body Fitness ZooFit Boot Camp will offer a boot camp – an intense 30-minute, full-body workout that mixes intervals of cardio and strength training to increase your calorie burn and help you reach your fitness goals. The camps are Saturdays and Tuesdays, Aug. 5-Sept. 30. Saturday camps will be held 7-7:30 a.m. and the Tuesdays are 5-5:30 p.m.

Ron’s Boomer Tunes will hold a lunch time concert series Aug. 4 & 18 and Sept. 1, 15, & 29, noon-2 p.m. The series will feature classic music from the 1920s to the 1970s. The concerts are free and open to the public.

Other scheduled events include, Oktoberfest on Sept. 8 and the United Way Fall Campaign Kick Off Picnic on Sept. 13.

Hosting an event at the plaza

Anyone interested in hosting an event, fundraiser, or food truck/vendor at the plaza, can contact Plaza Coordinator Mark Davis at 715-387-3299 or mark@mainstreetmarshfield.com.

“The Plaza is for the City of Marshfield and its residents, so I want to make sure people know that it can be a host for a variety of events,” said Davis

For more information on the Wenzel Family Plaza, visit http://mainstreetmarshfield.com/wenzel-family-plaza.