- Memorial Park (Omaha)
-
Memorial Park 
Memorial Park on a fine spring day in April of 2011Type City park Location Omaha, Nebraska Coordinates 41°15′45″N 96°00′05″W / 41.2625°N 96.00139°WCoordinates: 41°15′45″N 96°00′05″W / 41.2625°N 96.00139°W Area 67 acres (270,000 m2) Created 1948 Operated by Government of Omaha Status Open all year Memorial Park is a park located at 6005 Underwood Avenue near the Dundee neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The park was created as a memorial for all of the men and women from Douglas County that have served in the armed forces.
Contents
History
Originally proposed by a local citizen in an editorial to the Omaha World-Herald, a group of businessmen and leaders, including Storz Brewery owner Robert H. Storz and the Omaha Zoo namesake Henry Doorly met to discuss a memorial. A site was chosen near Omaha University, where Happy Hollow Club and the Dundee Golf Course were located. A Memorial Park Association was created, and in 1948 it raised funds to create a monument in the park.
On June 5, 1948 President Harry S. Truman dedicated the site. In 1959 the Omaha Rose Society added a rose garden, and in 1990 Woodmen of the World added flagpoles and flags along the driveway coming into memorial park.[1] A pedestrian bridge over Dodge Street called the Memorial Park Pedestrian Bridge was completed in 1968.[2] The park was the site of several anti-Vietnam War protests by youth activists in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[3]
At Memorial Park, there are over 1,000 rose bushes, which make for pleasant scenery.
Events
On the last Friday in June, Bank of the West hosts the "Bank of the West Celebrates America" concert in the park, which always ends with a fireworks show in commemoration of the Independence Day (United States) holiday. The concert attracts over 50,000 people each year.
In 2009, the Guess Who and Grand Funk Railroad performed. [4]
The Bank of the West Celebrates America concert marked its 20th year in Omaha by bringing the national “United In Rock” tour of Foreigner, Styx, and Kansas to the annual free live concert and fireworks show in Memorial Park on Friday, July 2, 2010. Officials estimated attendance reached a record 80,000 attendees.[5]
In July 2004, 311 played at Memorial Park for free in celebration of Omaha's 150th Anniversary. There were over 40,000 people there to celebrate.
Directions to the Park
- From the north: Take 72nd St. south and turn left at Cass St. Cass Street turns into Underwood Avenue. Take Underwood Avenue until you reach the park. The park starts at J.E. George Blvd. and ends at N Happy Hollow Drive (approximately between 61st St. and 53rd St.)
- From the west: Take West Dodge Road (US Hwy 6) East and turn left at Cass St. Cass Street turns into Underwood Avenue. Take Underwood Avenue until you reach the park. The park starts at J.E. George Blvd. and ends at N Happy Hollow Drive (approximately between 61st St. and 53rd St.)
- From the south: Take 72nd St. north and turn right at Cass St. Cass Street turns into Underwood Avenue. Take Underwood Avenue until you reach the park. The park starts at J.E. George Blvd. and ends at N Happy Hollow Drive (approximately between 61st St. and 53rd St.)
- From the east: Take Dodge St. west to 52nd St. and turn right. Turn left on Underwood Avenue and proceed until you reach the park. The park starts at N Happy Hollow Drive and ends at J.E. George Blvd. (approximately between 53rd St. and 61st St.)
See also
References
- ^ "City of Omaha parks & Recreation" City of Omaha. Retrieved 3/23/08.
- ^ "Memorial Park Pedestrian Bridge", Omaha Midcentury Modern. Retrieved 3/28/08.
- ^ "Omaha Is on the Alert After 4 Nights of Unrest", The New York Times. July 11, 1971. Retrieved 4/20/08.
- ^ [1] Bank of the west. Retrieved 6/03/09.
- ^ [2] Bank of the west. Retrieved 6/07/10.
Categories:
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
