Temple Terrace Kicks Off First River Jam Festival To Celebrate 100th Birthday

At Riverhills Park on May 3, Temple Terrace will launch its first-ever waterfront music bash, River Jam. The $100,000 event marks a century since the city's birth. From morning till dusk, visitors can catch live shows, grab tasty bites, and join the fun.

"This one here is an event that's not been done in the city, and it's a very, very large event," said Cori Collins, Parks & Recreation director, to the Tampa Beacon.

The big day marks when the city first became official back in May 1925. Staff members think crowds will pack the park during the eight-hour bash.

Music will fill the air all day long. Students from three schools, Riverhills Elementary, King High, and Tampa Bay Tech, start things off with drum beats at 10:30. As the sun climbs higher, Moonberry, Danny Moody Band, and Soul Circus Cowboys take their turns on stage.

When the clock strikes noon, Mayor Andy Ross steps up for a special talk. Then Tampa History Center's Rodney Kite Powell shares stories about how golf shaped the city's past.

You'll find plenty to do and see at 32 different stands run by groups from around town. The young ones can bounce around in inflatable castles, make art, or play in the sand.

No need to stress about parking, free buses will pick up folks from three spots: the elementary school, sports complex, and the old shopping plaza by Winn-Dixie.

It took two years to plan this big party. The money helps create new art on walls at three city buildings: where officials work, where seniors gather, and where families play.

Back when Temple Terrace turned 75, they spent $45,000 on the party. Now they're going twice as big. That old celebration brought in 4,000 people to hear the Florida Orchestra play.

"It's very expensive to put something like this on," Collins said. "We do get requests to have concerts out there, and we don't approve them because of the parking issues and all of the dynamics that go along with it."