The city of Vicksburg will reopen the renovated pavilion at City Park Thursday with pomp, a ceremony and a party.

“We’re going to have a band, health screenings, and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will be out,” said Vickie Bailey, program coordinator for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. “We’ve refurbished the pavilion, put a new surface on the playground and painted the restrooms. We want people to come out and see what we’ve done.”

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen in April awarded a contract to Fordice Construction of Vicksburg to renovate the 51-year-old pavilion on the park’s Lee Street side with a new roof and other changes for $453,475. The project was funded through the city’s $9.2 million capital improvements bond issue.

Renovating the pavilion was one Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s priorities under the bond issue, which was approved in 2015.

Built in 1965, the pavilion is a popular place in the city, and is rented by people for parties and reunions. According to the City Clerk’s Office, which oversees pavilion rentals, 46 events were held there in fiscal 2015 at $75 an event, generating $3,450 for the city. The pavilion was closed in May for the renovations.