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National Park(ing) Day Celebrated on September 19

Photo: Avery Wham

Public parking spaces around the nation have sprouted grass, trees, flowers, park benches, and lawn chairs, as volunteers celebrate National Park(ing) Day, sponsored by TPL and based on an idea conceived by REBAR, a San Francisco artist's corporative. Check out photos from National Park(ing) Day, 2008, as well as a full list of participating cities at www.tpl.org/parkingday.

The annual event celebrates the importance of parks in cities and calls attention to the need for new city parks. Volunteers in 90 cities worldwide helped create 500 parks for a day-or a few hours-by feeding the meter at a public parking spot.

The variety of Park(ing) Day parks reflects the fertile imagination of American park lovers. This year, volunteers in more than seventy-five cities across the U.S. will create more than 450 temporary parks in public parking spaces. Examples include:

Atlanta: The City of Atlanta will host a Park(ing) Day park at City Hall, involving local artists, farmers, and a demonstration solar panel.

Kenosha, Wisconsin: Students in kindergarten through the 8th grade from Armitage Academy will share information on a variety of environmental topics, including the plight of the honeybee, rain gardening, organic foods, and oil spills.

St. Louis: A park here will emphasize the importance of growing food in public spaces by featuring city-grown vegetables. Passers-by will enjoy a display of pumpkins, grown in what was once an unsightly patch of weeds, and sample freshly harvested apples from an urban orchard.

San Francisco: There will be dozens of parks downtown, in the Mission District, Hayes Valley, and elsewhere, including one Wedd(ing) Park!

More photos from National Park(ing) Day, 2008, as well as a full list of participating cities are available at www.tpl.org/parkingday.

Posted 9/19/2008