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Community members held a lighting ceremony at Darley Gateway Park in East Baltimore on Thursday night.

For years, the area was a dumping ground filled with trash. Now, it's been transformed into a park.

After five years of work, improved lighting now enhances safety so people can spend more time at night in what’s the first predominately African American park in Baltimore.

"Thousands of people travel up and down Harford Road every day. When we first started here, this site looked like many abandoned sites across Baltimore. Darley Park is an incredible neighborhood, and it was definitely not getting the justice it deserved when people were driving by. So, five years of fundraising, listening to what the community wanted and ultimately building it with the culmination of these lights tonight," said Steven Preston of Parks and People Foundation.

Thursday night's event featured live music and a gathering to kick off the new lights.

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