If enthusiasm and people are the benchmark, Saturday’s grand opening of Centennial Park’s Active Recreation Corridor along River Drive in Davenport was a success.

“I didn’t know all this was out there,” said Clifford Dilworth of Davenport, who enjoyed the day with his son, Clifford Jr., 13, and his daughter, Ayana, 11. “We came to let my son skateboard and it ended up being all this out there, so it is great. We played some basketball, signed up my son for a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and they were passing out free T-shirts.”

The day-long list of events included a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving city officials and Iowa Gov. Chet Culver. There also was live music, basketball clinics, demonstrations at the Skate Park, family-friendly games and activities and giveaways.

After the ceremony, people were invited to attend Davenport Night at Modern Woodmen Park. Tickets were free.

The skatepark has been open since 2006, but the Active Recreation Corridor has a lot to offer families, including a complex of two full, tournament quality basketball courts, a youth half-court, a concession/restroom pavilion, a stage, and picnic and informal play areas west of the new skate park. The skate park is for skateboard and BMX bike enthusiasts. It features handrails, stairs, ledges, ramps and a 10-foot bowl. It is open from sunup until one half-hour before sunset.

One popular attraction Saturday was the “bucket” rides being offered in a Davenport Fire Department aerial truck.

“We’re probably going up 50, 60 feet. Actually, it can extend to 100 feet. We’re only going about half-way up,” firefighter Jay Schalk said.

He was helping people on and off the bucket while firefighter John Argo accompanied them on the ride. “Kids love it. Under a few months old to adults, they all can see downtown Rock Island and all of downtown Davenport,” he said.

Dan Linhart of Davenport took one of those rides with his four children, including 2-year-old Lillian, who seemed unfazed after he placed her back in the stroller. “It was nice they let us take the little one up there, too. I wasn’t expecting that,” Linhart said.

“It has high. It wasn’t scary; it was cool,” Marilyn Linhart, 12, added.

Dozens of skateboarders were there to show off new moves and enjoy the special day. That included Mike Gallagher, 14, of Geneseo, Ill.

“I come here once a week. It’s the best place in the Quad-Cities to skate,” said Mike, who has been skating about two years. “I like it because people help you out with tricks and things.”

Another skateboarder is Alisha Allen, 12, of Davenport. She prefers to skateboard. But Saturday, she instead was doing moves on her bicycle.

“I am riding down the ramps,” she said. “I come two to three times a week. Sometimes I skate. I like it better because you don’t have to sit down the whole time.”

Jessikah Smeltzer also was having a busy day. She is the owner/operator of the new concession stand that opened Wednesday. “The city owns the building but we own the business,” she said. “It does not have a name yet. We are going to have a contest” giving young people the opportunity to name the business.

“It’s been pretty busy, pretty good, lots of families eating lunch,” she said.

Items for sale range from soft drinks and bottled water to candy, chips, grilled cheese, pizza and hot dog, both made with meat and vegetarian style.

“There is more stuff for kids to do,” Clifford Dilworth Jr. said. “It’s all close. If you get tired or bored of skateboarding, you can go play basketball. And if you get hungry or thirsty, you can go to the concession stand.

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