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Locals gathered on Aug. 22 for a groundbreaking ceremony at Pat Baker Park. The park will get a major overhaul and will be shut down during that process. It was originally created with volunteer labor and donated materials in a vacant lot from July 17 to July 19, 1968, and was originally named Instant Park. One of the participants in the 1968 effort, Dolores Feemster, spoke at this week’s gathering. She called the park “something we got that we didn’t have to march for, demand or anything”—though there was a good deal of work involved. The park was eventually named for Pat Baker, who organized much of the original work. The new work, done under a city contract, is expected to take longer than three days.
PHOTO/DENNIS MYERS
