City Park

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03fc8c00dkelyh.png"> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forest Park"><B><IMG SRC="0410b120.png" border=0 width="11" height="18" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id283.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Franklin County Ottawa History"><B><IMG SRC="0420b120.png" border=0 width="11" height="18" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A><B>     </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="18"><B>  </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa High School Class of 57"><B><IMG SRC="04312120.png" border=0 width="18" height="18" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="77" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 30 WIDTH="71"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="30" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="71" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=94 BGCOLOR="#FF3300" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0403c5e1dvmwlb.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Ottawa High School Class of '57</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa High School Class of 57"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa History In Postcards">Ottawa History In Postcards</A>   |   <A HREF="id278.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa 1896">Ottawa 1896</A>   |   <A HREF="id176.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa Business">Ottawa Business</A>   |   <A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flood of 51">Flood of '51</A>   |   <A HREF="id166.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="50s Memories">50's Memories</A>   |   <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lions Band">Lion's Band</A>   |   <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Barbershop Chorus">Barbershop Chorus</A>   |   <A HREF="id250.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Christmas Houses">Christmas Houses</A>   |   <A HREF="id181.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa Tornado 1957">Ottawa Tornado 1957</A>   |   <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forest Park">Forest Park</A>   |   <B>City Park</B>   |   <A HREF="id283.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Franklin County Ottawa History">Franklin County & Ottawa History</A>   |   <A HREF="id245.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oral Histories Of Ottawa">Oral Histories Of Ottawa</A>   |   <A HREF="id284.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Municipal Auditorium">Municipal Auditorium</A>   |   <A HREF="ottawa_bus_line.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ottawa Bus Line">Ottawa Bus Line</A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=386 width="100%" colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>City Park</I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Spring In Ottawa City Park</B></div> <div> Mid-1950's</div> <div> <IMG SRC="4d0e05a0.jpg" border=0 width="480" height="602" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I><B>Photo contributed by Patsy Cupp Kiefer                                                                       </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>    .</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>OTTAWA CITY BAND A TREASURE OF LOCAL HISTORY</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>By Dorothy Nichols, Community Viewpoints</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Ottawa Herald, Ottawa, Kansas, July 28, 2003</B></I></div> <bR> <div> The final concert of the Ottawa City Band for this season was performed in the band shell in City Park last week. There was a good crowd in attendance that evening as the weather was very pleasant. An international theme was</div> <div> performed by the musicians, and was much appreciated by the audience. Chris Reynolds, the maestro for the past few years had chosen a variety of musical scores that the volunteer musicians like to play. Ottawa is blessed with</div> <div> instrumentalists who enjoy performing in the band concerts each summer. The participants range in age from freshmen in high school to some who graduated in 1941 or before.</div> <bR> <div> Actually, the City Band has been a budget item in Ottawa since the early years of the town. A figure of $3,500 a year is the amount I recall from when I served on the City Commission in the late 1970's.</div> <bR> <div> On this night, I sat near the bushes on the east side of the Navy cannon, a relic from World War II; looking north toward the Carnegie Cultural Center, what a lovely sight! It took me back in time to my early memories of the</div> <div> City Park. The band shell was built with restrooms under the performing platform on the northeast side. Those were sealed off probably in the 1940's. A small wading pool was located just east of the sidewalk between the cement bridge over Skunk Run and the Sixth Street entry into the park.</div> <bR> <div> During the summer, the small shallow pool was filled each day and drained at night. The library anchored the north side of the park while the band shell balanced the area on the south. The Dietrich Cabin was moved from the</div> <div> Richmond area just before the 1964 Centennial Celebration of Kansas statehood.</div> <bR> <div> Many varieties of trees were planted on the grounds in the early years of the park. The microburst about five years ago damaged or destroyed most of that magnificent grove of trees. As I sat at the concert, I considered what</div> <div> a great job the Tree Committee and the city workers did in replacing those plantings of early Ottawa. The green space of that midtown park has always impressed visitors and home folk alike.</div> <bR> <div> I grew up on the north side of Ottawa, in the 1000 block of North Poplar, (one of the highest blocks in town where even during times when Ole' Mary flooded, the basement still drained - but that's another column.) After Dad</div> <div> and Mom finally got a car, we would drive down to City Park to listen to the band concert. Most people sat in their cars and honked their appreciation for the music.</div> <bR> <div> Usually we would park on what was just a gravel lane between Main and Hickory streets. It was bumpy and ambled around a big tree. Dr. Davis had built the rock house in the middle of that block where Stan Shisler lives</div> <div> now. The city decided to remove the tree and hard surface that block that had been called Park Street.</div> <bR> <div> That could have been when the telephone company decided to build new company offices and maintenance buildings on Main Street. For years they had been located on the southwest corner of the alley on Third Street.</div> <bR> <div> Dr. Josephine Davis still lived in the rock house at that time and she was enraged. Her letter to the editor of the Herald sizzled as she vented her anger at the "Rape of Park Street". For years after that, I called it "Rape</div> <div> Street".</div> <bR> <div> One of my favorite memories of City Park occurred in 1979 when I was Mayor of Ottawa. Rev. Henry Roberts of the Presbyterian Church asked me, along with other local leaders to help create the first Mayor's Prayer Breakfast,</div> <div> which is still a yearly tradition. I chose a Saturday in March and the location was the multi-purpose room of the Ottawa Junior High School across from City Park. The "Voices of Praise" from Bethany Baptist Church sang for</div> <div> the 200 or more in attendance. Carol Smell said grace, a man by the name of Reed spoke, and Rev. Jim McCrossen prayed to close the event.</div> <bR> <div> Inside the room with Bill Howe's mural of a butterfly migration on the west wall, the gaily-decorated tables, the music, and the fellowship made a wonderful setting, and I was humbled. The thing that I can still visualize</div> <div> is, as we sat down, the sun was just coming up behind the trees in City Park across the street. My thoughts were, "That's got to be the most beautiful sight in the City of Ottawa!" I felt that God was truly with us that morning</div> <div> so many years ago. (END)</div> <div> ====================================================================================</div> <div> <I><B>Ottawa Herald article provided by Jim Corcoran</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>