The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) leads an annual celebration in July – Park and Recreation Month. This year, the focus is on telling our parks and rec stories, sharing experiences and memories. It’s a perfect time to share a bit of the history of Garland’s Central Park. In addition, it’s the perfect time to thank the people who work so hard to make our parks great.
The city is blessed with a Parks and Recreation Department staff made up of people who are dedicated to making sure that Garland has the best of everything in its parks and rec system.
These folks have seen to it that we have parks with pools and pavilions, parks with athletic fields and walking trails, parks with inclusive playgrounds and indoor rec centers, parks for tennis, basketball, disc golf and parks for parties and picnics. There’s also a park for dogs and coming soon, a park for skateboarders. These are just some of Garland’s parks and recreation amenities.
Thanks to the staff in Parks & Rec, Garland’s parks system of over 2,800 acres is one of the best in the area.
Central Park:
One of the parks dates back over 140 years and has been impacting the lives of Garland residents all those years. In 1880, an event called a “grand picnic” in a Dallas Daily Times Herald article was held at Central Park, as it is now known,
The “grand picnic” was a gathering of approximately 2,000 men, women and children along with a number of political candidates. It included an address from Governor Oran Milo Roberts as well as music provided by a brass band.
Before being dubbed “Central Park,” it was called the “old Garland Park grounds,” “Williams Park” and City Park. For a time, the park included “Lake Garland” when a dam was built in Duck Creek to create a swimming area.
After World War II, Garland purchased 50 acres from the Williams family and in 1948 the area became the city’s first municipal park. The city’s first pool and tennis courts were later built at the site.
The pool is no longer there, but the park does have a new inclusive playground, picnic areas, athletic fields, a dog park and more.
Fun facts from NRPA
Health and wellness benefits of parks and rec:
- Three in five people visited a park, trail, public open space or recreation facility during the first three months of the pandemic.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that increased access to places for physical activity led to a 25.6% increase in people exercising three or more times per week.
- Living close to parks and recreation facilities is related to higher physical activity levels for both adults and youth.
- The connection to nature that parks provide relieves stress, strengthens interpersonal relationships and improves mental health.
Environmental benefits:
- Local parks play a role in the protection of the environment through green infrastructure, maintenance of public lands, preserving wildlife habitats and more.
- Parks contribute to overall urban cooling, making cities more comfortable in the summer.
- A 60-study meta-analysis was conducted by the International Federation of Parks and Recreation Administration. It found that parks promote both plant and animal biodiversity, which helps support overall ecosystem functionality.
Sources: www.nrpa.org/events/july/ and www.garlandtx.gov/