For the second year in a row, Riverside Park has a one-in-22 shot of getting a $15,000 recreational grant from Coca-Cola as part of its “America’s Favorite Park” contest.
The contest awards a $100,000 grant to the park with the most votes, $50,000 for second place, and $25,000 for third place. The company randomly selects a park from the fourth through 25th place finishers for the $15,000 grant.
The contest ended at 11:59 p.m. on Monday. As of Monday evening, Riverside Park was in eighth place with 20,502 votes. Another Connecticut park, Fulton Park in Waterbury, was in 10th place with 12,287 votes.
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The top three parks as of Monday afternoon were Veterans Memorial Park in Moore, Okla.; Mason Neck State Park in Lorton, Va.; and Greiss Veterans Memorial Park in Nassau, N.Y. The votes must be tallied and confirmed before prizes are awarded.
The contest allowed residents to vote for a park by voting online once a day. Votes could be gathered at a quicker pace through Foursquare check-ins, which were worth five votes apiece, and logging at least 20 minutes of activity at the park with MapMyFitness, worth 10 votes.
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The grants must be used to “restore, reuse, or rebuild places within the park where people can be active,” according to the contest rules.
Riverside Park finished 24th in last year’s contest.
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