MT. VERNON, IL — The City of Mt. Vernon is inviting residents to an Opening Day Launch Event from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday when they can try the Fitness Court® at Lincoln Park, a sleek and modern outdoor Fitness Court® with a supporting mobile app.

This capital project is a featured part of a 2020 initiative launched by National Fitness Campaign (NFC), a nationwide consulting organization that partners with cities and schools to plan, build and fund healthy infrastructure.

This year, the City of Mt. Vernon, and dozens of other select recipients from around the country were awarded a $30,000 grant from NFC to help support the program and funds from a Blue Cross Blue Shield grant. In addition to grant funding, a city match was contributed to make the project possible in Mt. Vernon.

The new Fitness Court® at Lincoln Park is an open-air wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout. Created with adults of all ages in mind, the Fitness Court is adaptable for all fitness levels.

New users can also download the free Fitness Court App — a coach-in-your-pocket style platform — that transforms the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness ecosystem. The Fitness Court App, entitled “Fitness Court”, is available for iOS and Android.

Mayor John Lewis. Says the city has been working on updating the its Comprehensive Plan and one thing that stood out in many comments and suggestions from the Listening Sessions was more recreation. Lewis says the grant enables the city to add recreational opportunities for our residents.