A celebration Thursday evening will showcase new lighting for the sports fields at a park in south Stockton.

City officials are encouraging residents to join them for the lighting dedication at 6 p.m. at Stribley Community Park at home plate of the home west baseball diamond, located at 502 Della St.

City officials said the existing sports field at the park, which is used year-round for various recreational activities, will be enhanced by the new lighting.

“Stribley Park is a very popular park in south Stockton that has been in need of lighting improvements for a number of years,” Stockton Vice Mayor Christina Fugazi said in an announcement. “The new lights will improve public safety and allow teams to continue to use the fields well into the evening.”

Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.