Children darted through the fountains at the Geyer Commons in downtown Mansfield on Sunday afternoon, splashing water across the concrete as temperatures climbed into the 90s.
Nearby, families sought shade beneath tents while others crowded around food and beverage vendors. Soccer balls rolled across patches of grass as children and adults kicked them between friends. Lines for Czech barbecue snaked around the open events center as savory and sweet smells of smoked meats and cotton candy wafted through the air. On the dance floor, residents and visitors moved to live music despite the heat and humidity.
The crowd filled nearly every corner of the outdoor space as the city hosted Czech Out Mansfield, a cultural celebration tied to the city’s role hosting Czechia’s national soccer team during the FIFA World Cup.
Attendees line the main walkway of the Geyer Commons during Czech Out Mansfield on June 21, 2026, as they visit food and beverage vendors. The event celebrated Czech culture as Mansfield serves as host for the Czech national soccer team during the FIFA World Cup. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
For Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans, the event represented his dream for the city.
“We’ve got an amalgamation of influence of cultures here,” Evans said. “What I’m calling freedom weekend, I think this is really the vision of what that freedom looks like.”
Held just days after Juneteenth and weeks before Independence Day, the celebration brought together residents from a wide range of backgrounds to experience Czech food, music, art and traditions while celebrating the international spotlight now centered on Mansfield.
“This is what America is all about,” Evans said. “We got people from all over here. We got people with Czech heritage. We got our Latino brothers and sisters. We got African Americans. That’s what you want in your city.”
The event also offered many residents their first opportunity to experience the Geyer Commons itself.
Visitors create beaded bracelets at stations set out by the Mansfield Parks and Recreation Department during Czech Out Mansfield at the Geyer Commons on June 21, 2026. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
A glass blower with SiNaCa Studios in Fort Worth works with molten glass June 21, 2026, at the Geyer Commons in Mansfield during the city’s Czech out Mansfield event. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
North Texas Soccer Club mascot, Blue, drums on buckets as fans record the moment June 21, 2026, at the Geyer Commons in Mansfield during the city’s Czech out Mansfield event. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
Ricky Neiman, a Mansfield resident attending with family members of Czech heritage, said they had known of the commons but had yet to be enticed to stop by.
“We’ve driven by it a ton of times but never stopped and hung out, and this is the perfect time to do that,” Neiman said.
As Mansfield continues to grow, Neiman said events like Czech Out Mansfield help showcase what the city has become.
“It’s just one more step in the evolution of the parks and rec department for doing a great job and making sure that we have fun things to do, even when it’s 95 degrees out,” he said.
For others, the celebration offered an opportunity to reconnect with family heritage.
Husband and wife Marvin and Sharon Sulak, both descendants of Czech immigrants, wore matching shirts with the country’s flag while attending the event. Marvin Sulak described himself as “full-blooded Czech,” with grandparents who immigrated from the Czech Republic.
“We’re excited they’re doing something that gives some recognition to it,” Marvin said.
Marvin Sulak and his wife, Sharon, wear Czech shirts and pins while they wait in line with other attendees to get Czech barbecue June 21, 2026, at the Geyer Commons in Mansfield during the city’s Czech out Mansfield event. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
Among the cultural demonstrations was a puppet performance by Dallas Puppet Theater’s Pix Smith. While many visitors may associate puppets with children’s entertainment, Smith said marionettes have long held a special place within Czech culture.
“The Czech Republic has a huge history of marionettes,” Smith said, describing a tradition that stretches from folk storytelling to political expression during some of the country’s most difficult periods.
Oliver the puppet dances center stage June 21, 2026, at the Geyer Commons in Mansfield during the city’s Czech out Mansfield event. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
One of the most meaningful moments for Smith was connected to the intersection of the Czech tradition of puppetry intersecting with African American representation.
He recalled introducing a Black puppet named Natalie during a performance years ago when a young girl in the audience turned to a friend and exclaimed, “She looks like us!”
“It never occurred to me that representation was as important as it is in something like this,” Smith said. “Whenever I do an event, I always see that light up.”
Puppets Oliver and Natalie wait behind the curtain for their time onstage June 21, 2026, at the Geyer Commons in Mansfield during the city’s Czech out Mansfield event. (Joseph Morgan | Fort Worth Report)
The moment echoed many of the themes on display throughout the afternoon — different cultures, traditions and experiences sharing the same space while allowing people to see themselves reflected within it.
Evans said that spirit was exactly what the event was intended to represent.
“I think it gives us an opportunity to really showcase who we are as Americans,” Evans said. “One nation under God. That’s what that one nation looks like. Out of many, one.”
As the afternoon wore on and temperatures slowly began to cool, more residents continued filing into the plaza. Children chased soccer balls across the lawn, dancers filled the floor and food vendors remained busy serving long lines of customers.
For a city welcoming the world’s view through hosting an international team for the FIFA World Cup, Evans said the gathering offered a glimpse of what that future could look like.
“All of this in Mansfield, Texas,” Evans said with a smile. “In a big way.”
Joseph Morgan is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at joseph.morgan@fortworthreport.org.
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