Monday

December 16, 2013

Purely Parks Newsletter

Purely Parks. Those two words sum it all up. Tulsa parks are the gateway to nature, green space, trails, playgrounds, picnics, recreation and community. Tulsa parks offer a space to get away from the demands of work and school to relax alone or socialize with friends and family. As stewards of the Tulsa park land, our City of Tulsa Parks family takes the job seriously. We strive to provide the best park programs and park space so that Tulsans have a place to slow down and purely enjoy our parks and the simple pleasures they have to offer.

This quarterly newsletter will focus on the creativity, the nature and the activities at our Tulsa parks. Feel free to share it with other nature and park enthusiasts. Enjoy!

What's Happening in and Around Tulsa Parks?


Kendall-Whittier Park The park is completely finished and now features sports courts, three major shelters, several open spaces, a water playground, landscaping, new trails and lighting, and children's play areas. Revitalization and restructuring of the park has been accomplished through cooperation among Tulsa Parks, the University of Tulsa, and the George Kaiser Family Foundation.	Challenger 7 Community Garden At Challenger 7 Park, 3909 W. 41st St., the decommissioned pool has been repurposed and replaced with a community garden. Children are learning about gardening, and neighboring residents have fresh produce.	Terrace Park Teaching Arboretum Terrace Park, 2877 S. 77th E. Ave., will receive a donation of nearly 40 trees planted and maintained by Up With Trees. The trees include flowering and non-flowering varieties, oaks, maples, and cypress.


Tulsa Trails and Adopt-A-Spot Tulsa Parks now has responsibility to maintain most of the main bike trails in Tulsa. Recently added to that list are the Midland Valley, Tisdale Expressway, Osage, Skelly Bypass, Creek and Liberty trails. The trails, as well as several parks, are available for "adoption" through the City of Tulsa's Adopt-A-Spot program. A company or organization c an apply on-line at www.cityoftulsa.org to be responsible for such duties as clean-up, mowing, and light landscaping.	Newblock Park, Gano's Crossing, Overlook A historic part of the Civil War was "Gano's Crossing" in the Arkansas River. The north side of the crossing is now known as Newblock Park. The newly constructed overlook at Quanah Avenue and Seventh Street documents and celebrates this area, as well as offering a picturesque view.	Tulsa Parks New Initiative: 'Purely Parks' Tulsa Parks has adopted a new initiative called "Purely Parks" to promote the importance of parks and park programs. What would Tulsa be without parks? The new "Purely Parks" logo will soon be seen in all park materials.

New Programs:


Ranger Rick Geocaching While geocaching has been around many years, the new Tulsa Parks "Ranger Rick Geocaching" is growing daily since beginning in September 2013. Kids and a parent can visit a website, download a location app, and start finding the eight hidden "treasures" in various city parks. When children find a location, they remove a trinket, replace it with one of their own, and then document it on the Ranger Rick Passport.	WaterWorks Art Center: "Tapestry Weaving Revisited" Among the many art classes offered at WaterWorks Art Center, the loom classes are gaining in popularity. In "Tapestry Weaving Revisited," beginning and intermediate students can learn hand-woven tapestry techniques.	Clark Youth Theatre's "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" To celebrate the holiday season, Clark Youth Theatre presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson, a story about the non-churchgoing Herdmans, who end up with lead roles in the Christmas play. Performances will be held at the Henthorne Performing Arts Center, 4825 S. Quaker Ave. Dates and times are Dec. 6, 7, 13, and 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 8 and 15 at 2 p.m. For more information and to make reservations, call the Henthorne PAC at (918) 746-5065.

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