Douglass Park wraps up centennial celebration with commemorative banquet

Local leaders and residents gathered on Oct. 15 to mark the end of the year-long Douglass Park 100th anniversary celebration with a community banquet.

More than 50 events were held throughout the year to celebrate the West End park, including a tree planting, a Jazz Music Nights series and the reveal of a new playground design, which should be completed this spring.

Banquet attendees included council members James Brown, Shevawn Akers, Richard Moloney and Angela Evans, Lexington Fire Chief Kristin Chilton, and Glenn Brown, Lexington’s deputy chief administrative officer. The Rev. Gerald Smith, history professor at the University of Kentucky, delivered the keynote speech.

“The banquet was the commission’s way of celebrating the history of this park,” said Brown, whose district includes Douglass Park. “It was also our way of thanking those who helped to provide opportunities and worked to keep the park safe for our youth and families in the community.”

In the fall of 2015, Mayor Jim Gray announced the formation of the Douglass Park Centennial Commission, a 25-member group of community stakeholders representing neighborhoods, businesses, schools, churches and city officials in the area. Brown organized the commission and served as its chairman.

Named for civil rights leader and educator Frederick Douglass, Douglass Park opened in 1916 as the first black park in Central Kentucky. During segregation, Douglass Park was one of the few places black residents could go for recreation and entertainment. The park is located at 726 Georgetown Street.

Other centennial events included Leadership Lexington’s 100 Hands Project, the West End Family Reunion, the YMCA Back-to-School Rally, a Booker T. Washington school essay contest, Family Movie Nights, Super Sunday and the return of the historic Dirt Bowl basketball tournament.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Douglass Park wraps up centennial celebration with commemorative banquet."