Every town, worth visiting has it's green space. Most folks when they hear or read the word Urban Park, they think of Central Park, in New York City. Central Park, containing 843 acres, made it's designer the most famous Landscape Architect in the world. In his career, Frederick Law Olmsted designed over 100 civic parks.
In Kansas City, we revere city planner, George Kessler (1862-1923). One of his contemporaries said he "waged a war against ugliness." He is also known for having designed the St. Louis World's Fair, 1907. Kansas City's Swope Park, all 1,805 acres of it, was designed by Kessler. Besides being huge, it contains the outdoor Starlight Theater, and a zoo.
The city parks in my hometown, include Schangler Park (a real Train Engine), Lincoln Park ( a teeny train to ride) and Lakeside Park (The slide I fell from). I also remember visiting Shifferdecker Park, in Joplin (a very small roller coaster) and Riverside Park in Independence, Kansas (a zoo). Ottawa, Illinois, has a city park, that was the site of a Lincoln-Douglas Debate(1858). Winamac, Indiana, has a city park, located on an island, in the Tippecanoe River!
Parks, no matter their size, are important to a city kid. Even a small town kid.
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Thank You for the world so sweet.
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