A Partnership of All Partnerships

Several members of Metro Parks staff received a tour of The Kentucky Center For the Arts during a partnership with the center.

By Portia White Muhammad
Arts and Culture Manager
e-mail Portia

It’s not always easy to offer arts programs in community center settings that are outstanding, engaging, accessible, challenging and use an  “outside the box ” approach.

However, through a sixteen-year partnership between Louisville Metro Parks and the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, that is exactly what’s being offered in our centers.

For clarity, Metro Parks has been no slouch in developing and implementing wonderful arts programs, but for maximum potential, partnerships and collaborations with community agencies and organizations is the way to go! Through the Kentucky Center’s ArtsReach program, Metro Parks has had more than 500 community center staff receive training in how to successfully program the arts.

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Become a Volunteer Naturalist at the Forest!

By Sherry Wright
Jefferson Memorial Forest Volunteer Coordinator
Click here for e-mail

Are you interested in learning more about the Forest? Do you have a passion for nature and want to share your appreciation with others? Volunteer Naturalist training prepares volunteers to work closely with Forest education staff to lead classes, field trips and public programs. During this 15-week series of classes, volunteers will enhance their understanding of the Forest ecosystem, deepen their knowledge of the history of Jefferson Memorial Forest and its inhabitants, learn teaching methods and develop presentation skills.

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Building Community in Boone Square Park

This morning's press announcement at Boone Square Park.

By Mike Slaton
Volunteer Coordinator

This morning, I joined Mayor Abramson and Parks Director Mike Heitz in a sub-freezing press conference at Boone Square Park to thank 10 new and continuing members of the Adopt-A-Park program.

I really enjoy working with our Adopt-A-Park program partners. Without exception, they are motivated groups that care deeply about our community. Meeting these neighborhood leaders, learning about their organizations, and working with them to improve our community is a definite high point of my job here.

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Getting the sled out

Barringer Hill in Cherokee Park is one of the most popular destinations for sledders in the Louisville area.

By Louisville Metro Parks
Community Relations Staff

The annual press release we issue each year reminding folks about our sledding hills that are open for business when snow reaches 2-3 inches deep varies little from year-to-year. In fact, each year when it’s issued we joke about “dusting it off” and sending it back out with just a few minor changes.

Despite the fact that little has changed in where we encourage people to sled — and how to do it safely — this particular release always invokes a lot of discussion .  Almost everyone who grew up in Louisville has a story about where they used to sled, with whom, and where.

Where are some of your favorite places to go sledding? Do you have any special memories of sledding with family and friends in Louisville that you’d care to share with us?

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Louisville’s Olmsted Parkways

Louisville's Eastern Parkway is one of the six Olmsted Parkways that serve as the city's "ribbons of green," connecting to its signature parks.

By John Swintosky
Landscape Architect
john.swintosky@louisvilleky.gov

Many of us know the original parkway names:  Eastern, Southern, Algonquin, Southwestern, Northwestern, and Cherokee.  Quite a number of us drive them during our daily commutes.  Some of us even stroll their shaded avenues beneath the arching canopies of the old oaks and maples.

But how many know the history of these familiar corridors?

Louisville was a growing industrial city in the 1890s, and wished to reflect the values and culture of the better known and larger northeastern cities.  There were no significant parks in the city yet.  The leaders of the time believed this type of civic amenity was deserved by its citizens and would serve to better promote Louisville on the national stage.  To this end, the idea was generated for parks to the east, west, and south of the urban center.  Pursuit of a skilled and well-known park designer was the next step.

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Louisville’s Olmsted Parkways Receive 319 New Trees

Southern Parkway (formerly Grand Avenue) circa 1926

From Louisville Metro Parks

Louisville’s historic Olmsted Parkways are getting a healthy dose of new trees.

Mayor Jerry Abramson announced that Metro Parks is currently planting 319 new trees along the 15-mile parkway system that was originally designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. The non-profit Olmsted Parks Conservancy contributed $26,000 for this year’s tree-planting effort, with Metro Parks providing the labor. Abramson has placed a priority on planting trees through his Community of Trees initiative.

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Video outreach on cyclocross

By Jason Cissell
Public Information Officer

Recently, we produced our first “outreach video,” to update local cyclocross riders about work to build the nation’s first permanent big-city cyclocross course at Eva Bandman Park. (Cyclocross is similar to cross-country running, but on bikes, and with attitude!)

We’ve been surprised how well-received this has been… the video has been viewed more than 700 times, it has found its way into a Courier-Journal sports blog, and been featured on a national cyclocross web site. More importantly, it has gotten the local ‘cross riders — like the folks who run the Red Zone youth program — excited and better-informed about the work that’s taking place.

Seeing how powerful video can be, we’re thinking about doing more of this in 2010… as time permits, of course. And we’ll do a better job on the audio next time! I had a fun time shooting it, and the editing process was easier than I expected, although I’m still a novice.

Any fun topics you’d like to see local parks officials discussing in a short video?

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Table Tennis Fun

By Terry Wooden
Recreation Manager

Recently, I saw a picture of four people who attend our Table Tennis program on Wednesday mornings.  The picture was of four participants holding a ping-pong paddle to their hearts.  I thought it would make a great topic for a blog post.  The four people in the picture are Norm, Dave, Jack and Roger.  You can find them most Wednesdays at Beechmont Community Center playing table tennis.  Their enthusiasm for the game shows while they hit winners and then tease the other players about the shot they just made.  It is fun listening to them.  Everyone is playing for a different reason, some to get better for upcoming tournaments and some just for the fun of playing and enjoying time with friends.

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What is your favorite playground?

One of the perks of being Construction Manager for Metro Parks, writes Paul Adams, is the ability to create and shape playgrounds children can enjoy.

By Paul Adams
Construction Manager, Louisville Metro Parks

In my eight years as construction manager of Metro Parks I have gotten the most enjoyment constructing playgrounds.  Playgrounds are just plain fun to build, and I get immense satisfaction from playing a part in building a place for the children of our city to grow and develop their physical and social skills.

That being said, there are a few playgrounds in our great system that I am particularly proud of – not to mention they have the seal of approval from my two junior playground connoisseurs (while they are only 9 and 5 they are much more critical than one might expect).  I offer the following three as my favorites:

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