AKRON, Ohio — The 4th annual Akron Parks Week will kick off, with the goal to energize the community, encouraging residents to come together to use and improve city parks.
This year, residents will vote on what edible plants are installed in the Elizabeth Park Food Forest, as well as what planting design is used in the forest.
Akron Parks Week will run May 9 through May 15, and feature several events throughout the week, the city said in a release.
Parks Week is a collaboration between the city, Keep Akron Beautiful and Kent, Ohio-based Davey Tree Expert Co.
“Research has shown that people who spend time outside are healthier and happier, so we are delighted to encourage the Akron community to get outside and enjoy the area’s beautiful parks,” said Sandra Reid, Davey Tree’s vice president of corporate communications.
This year, volunteer groups from FirstEnergy and Keller-Williams Realty will partner with city employees at Waters Park, 169 E. Glenwood Ave., in the North Hill neighborhood, the city said.
The volunteers will conduct several beautification projects at the historic park, which sits high atop a hill overlooking downtown.
A free community event will run noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 14 at Elizabeth Park, 40 E. Lods St., in the Cascade Valley neighborhood. The rain date is Sunday, May 15.
“The residents in the Cascade Valley neighborhood have shown their commitment to Elizabeth Park and have put in the time and effort to make it a great park for their community,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan. “That type of engagement is what truly drives an enhanced and thriving public space that best fits the needs of the area it serves, and that’s what Parks Week is all about.”
The event will feature many opportunities for volunteers, including tree planting, landscaping and mulching, the city said. A general park cleanup and food-forest cleanup will be underway as well.
Volunteers should bring gardening gloves, but shovels and planting tools will be available on-site. Volunteers are asked to register online before the event either individually or in a group for a two- or four-hour shift.
The city’s parks maintenance staff and recreation and parks staff will be at the event to oversee the planting of more than 100 trees, including a fruit orchard and native trees, the city said. To vote on what types of trees are planted, visit the Elizabeth Park Food Forest voting site.
Residents also can vote on a planting design, choosing from several colorful plans available for viewing online. Choose from Mind Body Soul, Leaves & Rivers, Jazz Spiral, Flower of Jazz, Sacred Spirals or Sacred Circles.
Residents who attend the event are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket as Akron’s Red Rose Panic will provide live music from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the Showmobile Stage.
Food and beverages will be available for sale from the International Jerk and Jenuine Cuisines food trucks. Also on hand will be 4 Bros and a Sis Lemonade Stand, which is an Ellet family company, launched by the siblings.
Akron Parks Week is separate from the Akron Parks Challenge, which is a city-led initiative that each year asks residents to submit their best ideas for improving a city park. Two or three parks are chosen in each challenge to undergo about $100k in improvements.
In 2019, the Cascade Valley neighborhood was an Akron Parks Challenge winner. The Elizabeth park environment — seating, picnic tables, basketball courts and a performance area — have been improved or under construction since then.
“Having been part of the winning team for the 2019 Akron Parks Challenge, we have seen increasing interest from across northeast Ohio in supporting community engagement in Elizabeth Park and the Cascade Valley neighborhood,” said Michael Anthony Howard, co-founder of Friends of Elizabeth Park. “When people hear that there are efforts to engage residents in participatory projects that improve the community, the excitement is palpable.”
The food forest was developed separately under the direction of urban designer Beth Vild, with several collaborators, the city said.
While a food forest aims to provide sustainable nourishment and improve health for residents, the Elizabeth Park Food Forest is also about reparation for systemic racism the neighborhood has faced for decades, Vild said, from redline districting to suburbanization that caused developers to build Route 59 through the heart of the largest Black business district in Akron in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The Elizabeth Park Food Forest is designed so once it fully matures, harvesting, weeding and path upkeep will be the only maintenance required, which will be overseen by Friends of Elizabeth Park, Vild said.
The food forest is also about reparation for systemic racism the neighborhood has faced. (Jennifer Conn/Spectrum News1)
