KC Parks News

Rock the Parkway Impacts Ward Parkway Area Traffic

The City of Kansas City, Mo., is notifying motorists that the Burns & McDonnell Rock the Parkway half-marathon/5K run will impact traffic significantly in the Ward Parkway area starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 13.

The route for the run starts at the Burns & McDonnell headquarters at 9400 Ward Parkway and travels north along Ward Parkway to circle Loose Park via West 57th Terrace, Belleview Avenue, West 61st Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, West 55th Street, Wornall Road, West 51st Street, West 52nd Street, Summit Street and West 56th Street. Runners will then go south on Ward Parkway to return to the Burns & McDonnell headquarters.

Some 8,000 runners are expected, and police will be on hand throughout the route to monitor traffic. Drivers will be allowed to drive across the race route when runners are not crossing. During times when runners are in the area, motorists will be required to wait. Residents and businesses directly affected by the race have been notified.

Please heed any detour signs and observe caution during this event, which is one of the largest half-marathons in the Midwest.

For further information, contact Troy Fitzgerald, race director for the KC Running Company, at 913-381-2553. Rock the Parkway benefits Science City at Union Station.

Link to Route Map: http://www.rocktheparkway.com/documents/rtp-half-map-2013.pdf

Link to Website: http://www.rocktheparkway.com/documents

Media Advisory: Fountain Day 2013

WHO
Anticipated attendees and presenters:

• Sly James – Kansas City Mayor
• Mark McHenry – Director, Kansas City, MO Parks and Recreation
• Jean Paul Chaurand – President, Kansas City, MO Parks and Recreation
• Charles S. Cassias, Jr. – President, The City of Fountains Foundation

 Children from a nearby daycare center will also attend, in the spirit of The Children’s Fountain and all it symbolizes, to sing a song. The general public is welcome to attend.

WHAT
Fountain Day marks the official day when all 48 of Kansas City, Missouri’s public fountains will open and water turned on.

WHEN
11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

WHERE
The official Fountain Day event will happen at 11 a.m. at the Children’s Fountain, located in Waterworks Park, N. Oak Street at NE 32nd Street. Fountain Day officially launches at a different Kansas City, Missouri fountain each year.

The Children’s Fountain was turned on June 21, 1995 and was designed to celebrate the happy, playful spirit of children. Local sculptor, Tom Corbin used six Kansas City children as models to create the six eight-to-nine-feet-tall figures featured in the Children’s Fountain. The Children’s Fountain dedication plaque reads, “The bronze figures represent children everywhere to whom this fountain is dedicated and the activities that shape young lives making childhood a joy.” 

WHY
Celebrate Kansas City, Missouri’s beautiful fountains springing back to life and the official start of this year’s fountain season. Fountain Day is a holiday that’s unique to Kansas City, showcasing one of the most beautiful aspects of our city.

Groundbreaking Held for Hidden Valley Park Improvements

On April 4, the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners hosted a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the commencement of improvements to Hidden Valley Park, 6400 NE Russell Road in the Northland.  Improvements to this 193-acre park include the installation of an asphalt trail, parking lot, 9-Hole Disc Golf Course, and Rain Gardens.

Featured attendees and presenters includes Commissioners David Mecklenburg and Allen Dillngham, Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners;  Mark L. McHenry, KC Parks Director and Scott Wagner, City Councilman, First District At-Large.

Link to Map.

Groundbreaking for Hidden Valley Park: April 4

The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners cordially invites you to a Groundbreaking Ceremony for improvements to Hidden Valley Park including the installation of an asphalt trail, parking lot, 9-Hole Disc Golf Course, and Rain Gardens.

Please join us for a Ceremonial Groundbreaking:

Thursday, April 4, 2013

10:30 a.m.

6400 NE Russell Road

Kansas City, Missouri

Anticipated attendees and presenters include:
David Mecklenburg, Commissioner, Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners
Mark L. McHenry, Director, City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation
Scott Wagner, City Councilman, First District At-Large

Link to Map.

KC Parks Plays a Key Role in Kansas City’s Art and Cultural Scene

From fountains to First Friday and from museums to memorials—art permeates every corner of Kansas City. And right in the center of it all is an often unacknowledged partner and catalyst, the Kansas City  Parks and Recreation Department.

“You look at the arts community within Kansas City and it seems like we tend to touch or interface in some sense in almost every instance,” said Mark McHenry, Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department director.

In this day and age, in a major metropolitan area such as Kansas City, parks and recreation is about much more than playgrounds and green spaces.

“Parks and recreation is all about quality of life and creating a more livable city,” McHenry said. “When you aren’t working, what are you doing? For a lot of people, the arts are a big part of their life away from work. Arts and leisure, those two kind of go together, and we are a big part of both.”

Read on…

NY Times: Easing Brain Fatigue With a Walk in the Park

Scientists have known for some time that the human brain’s ability to stay calm and focused is limited and can be overwhelmed by the constant noise and hectic, jangling demands of city living, sometimes resulting in a condition informally known as brain fatigue.