Mayor's Corner: Evolving Our Programs to Better Serve South Jordan
In South Jordan, our goal for recreation is to offer programs and events that bring our community together and make the most of your time, your tax dollars, and our shared spaces. To do that well, we don’t stand still. We regularly evaluate our recreation and arts programming to ensure it reflects what residents are actually attending, enjoying, and asking for.
Every change we make is guided by data. We look at participation numbers, feedback, costs, and how each program supports the City’s strategic priorities—building community connection, supporting the arts, promoting healthy lifestyles, and creating meaningful experiences for residents of all ages. When something works, we build on it. When something doesn’t hit the mark, we adjust.
Last year, we introduced an Art in the Park series. While it had some great moments, participation showed it wasn’t connecting the way we hoped. Rather than continue a program that wasn’t meeting expectations, we listened to the data—and to you.
This summer, we’re bringing back a community favorite: Art on the Towne, happening Saturday, May 18. The event will kick off what we’re calling the SoJo Summer Art Series, which includes many of our most popular arts programs: the ArtVenture Scavenger Hunt, Plein Air Competition, SoJo Summerfest Chalk Art Festival, the wildly popular Family Paint Workshop, and a community theater production of Guys and Dolls.
At Art on the Towne, you’ll find artist booths and a Makers Market, live art demonstrations, activities for kids, live music, several showcase events, and chalk artists creating their work on-site. These experiences are designed to bring neighbors together and celebrate creativity in our community.
You’ll also notice a thoughtful change to one of our longtime spring traditions.
Spring Spectacular is evolving. While the event has been well attended, we wanted to create an experience that serves a wider age range, provides more long-term value, and reduces environmental impact. We’ve retired the traditional candy scramble and will instead offer candy at individual spring-themed activity stations.
The event has been reimagined as a spring celebration aligned with Arbor Day and Earth Day, while keeping longtime favorites like the baby animal petting zoo, the Dunk Team, spring characters for photos, and the tree and plant raffle.
New additions will include master gardeners available to answer your planting questions, tree-planting demonstrations by the City’s arborists, a plant cutting exchange, a spring-themed maze painted on the grass, plus food trucks, vendor booths, and more.
The new Spring Spectacular will take place Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’re designing it as an open-house-style event where attendees can come and go at their convenience, with most families planning to spend about 90 minutes, depending on the activities they choose.
In addition to the activities, we’ll be giving away 250 two-gallon trees to residents. This supports our environmental goals and celebrates America’s 250th anniversary as part of the nationwide America250 initiative.
These updates reflect how we approach programming in South Jordan—thoughtful, responsive, and focused on long-term value. By using data and aligning programs with our strategic priorities, we can continue offering events that strengthen community pride, support the arts, promote sustainability, and create meaningful experiences for families.
Thank you for participating, sharing your feedback, and helping us shape the future of recreation and arts in South Jordan. We look forward to seeing you this spring and summer.