Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. Announces Official Opening of Northwestern Mutual Community Park

New inclusive playground opens to the community June 19

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Jun 17, 2021, 11:30 ET

MILWAUKEE, June 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. and Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, today announced that the new Northwestern Mutual Community Park will officially open at Henry Maier Festival Park on Saturday, June 19, 2021. This entirely redeveloped entertainment space for families will offer inclusive and accessible play for children ages 2 to 12 years of age, including those who may experience a variety of challenges.

The Northwestern Mutual Community Park will be open during Summerfest, ethnic festivals, and other select events. Opening June 19 and closing for the season August 1, 2021, the park may be accessed by the community Monday through Friday from noon – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Days and times may vary depending upon the event calendar and are subject to change. Please visit MilwaukeeWorldFestival.com to view the operating schedule.

"The new Northwestern Mutual Community Park will connect families and children throughout our community, benefitting all who visit this new premiere family destination," said Don Smiley, President and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival Inc. "We want to thank Northwestern Mutual for their investment in this one-of-a-kind park, which creates engaging and accessible play."

Northwestern Mutual Community Park Amenities

Enhanced Play Equipment: All new age-appropriate playground equipment on soft surface, including interactive musical play pieces. Equipment design also includes ramps allowing for wheelchair access. Shaded seating will be available within the playground area.
Flexible Stage: New, permanent stage structure with accessible seating, and a viewing area for over 500 patrons.
Toddler Play Area: "Giggle Grounds," a covered play area for toddlers ages 6 months to 2 years, includes shade and age-appropriate activities and play equipment.
Flexible Programming Space: Over 4,000 square feet will be devoted to flexible programming spaces, which will allow local organizations and non-profit partners to provide interactive programming on a rotational basis.

The Northwestern Mutual Community Park encompasses 54,000 square feet of play equipment for children. Addressing the specific needs of families, the new 1,800 square foot, air-conditioned family services building features the following:

Permanent Family Restrooms: Accessible restrooms equipped with changing tables for babies, children and adults requiring an assistant.
Nursing Mothers Stations: Mothers seeking a quiet space to nurse will have dedicated space.
Sensory Rooms: Three individual and wheelchair accessible, air-conditioned quiet rooms, creating a calm environment for children that may be overstimulated by the noise, environment, or experience.

"We're excited to officially open the Northwestern Mutual Community Park, one of Wisconsin's most accessible parks, to Milwaukee residents and visitors," said Eric Christophersen, President of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "This park reflects our company's deep commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes people of all abilities and backgrounds, while also ensuring cultural traditions in our city, like Summerfest, thrive for years to come."

The park's environmentally conscious design incorporates storm water management; recycled content on playground surface and equipment and steel structures; LED lighting and low-energy consumption fixtures; low-flow Zurn bathroom fixtures and locally sourced products and materials.

Eppstein Uhen Architects was the lead architectural firm for the design of the Northwestern Mutual Community Park and JCP Construction managed construction of the project.

For more information, and the Northwestern Mutual Community Park Fact Sheet, visit MilwaukeeWorldFestival.com

About Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. is an independent, private 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1965 that produces Summerfest, presented by American Family Insurance, a three-weekend festival that typically generates approximately $187 million in economic impact for the community each year. Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. also maintains and improves Henry Maier Festival Park, located on 75 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI. In addition to Summerfest, Henry Maier Festival Park hosts a variety of ethnic and cultural festivals, concerts, walks, runs, and other special events, attracting nearly 1.3 million people. The mission of the organization is to promote an understanding of different ethnic cultures, the histories and traditions of various nationalities, harmony in the community, civic pride and provide a showcase for performing arts, activities and recreation for the public and employment opportunities for the youth of the community. For more details, visit Summerfest.com, Facebook.com/Summerfest, Twitter: @Summerfest or Instagram: @Summerfest.

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $400 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.

About Northwestern Mutual|
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With $308.8 billion in total assets, $31.1 billion in revenues, and $2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.75 million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. The company manages more than $200 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses. Northwestern Mutual ranks 90 on the 2021 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE^® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2021.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual