The public is invited to join in the groundbreaking celebration for the new playground at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park on Wednesday, May 6Â at noon (4055 Nicollet Ave. So.)Â at the site of the current playground.
The playground will be the first in the state of Minnesota to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, and African-American History. In collaboration with four local African-American artists and design consultants, the neighborhood and its stakeholders have designed a park that will inspire children, their parents, fellow neighbors and friends of the community.
Main elements of the new playground will include:
- interpretive panels with historical information and QR code links to the African-American Registry website
- a climbing structure replicating the Edmund Pettus Bridge
- a climbable mountaintop
- an educational staircase illustrating authors of African Heritage
- a flag from the Red Hand Division WWI African-American regiment
- themed children’s play to highlight African-American inventors, including our own Minnesotan, Frederick McKinley Jones.
You can learn more about the playground on the project webpage here.
The old playground will be completely removed and a new one installed. This special event will feature a brief program, official groundbreaking and light refreshments to follow.