Sarah Jones
Educational Program coordinator, 308.865.8284
UNK– Memories of tire swings, monkey bars and picnics will be remembered during the History of Harmon Park presentation this Saturday (Oct. 9) at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Frank House.
Mardi Anderson and June Flesner-Becker, members of the Kearney Area Preservation Society, will present the History of Harmon Park lecture at 1:30 p.m. The Frank House is located on the UNK West Campus.
“The Frank House is glad to support area preservation efforts,” said Sarah Jones, UNK Frank House director. “The Kearney Area Preservation Society has assisted with the Annual Frank House Preservation Celebration, and a community must work together to safeguard its history.”
In 1924, William E. Harmon organized the Harmon Foundation to lend financial assistance to communities to establish playgrounds. In all, 784 communities applied for the grant, and Kearney was one of the 50 communities to receive financial assistance.
The Kearney Area Preservation Society recently completed a petition to have Harmon designated as a historical district. Anderson and Flesner-Becker will discuss the petition process and will give an overview of the projects completed in the park. The lecture includes a history collection portion.
“Guests are encouraged to bring pictures and share memories of Harmon Park,” Jones said. Oral histories will be recorded and pictures will be scanned for documentation.
The History of Harmon Park lecture, one in a series of Saturdays at the Frank House presentations, is free and open to the public. Donations to the Frank House are always accepted.
The next “Saturdays at the Frank House” event will be holiday card-making for 21st century Victorians on Saturday, Oct. 23. For more information visit www.unk.edu/offices/frankhouse.
