On Saturday, February 22, the kids had to surrender the new Hummingbird Park play structure to the grown-ups for a few minutes, so that we could have a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony (top). Wielding the huge scissors are Alison England, Mark Johnson and Ken Yeager; Debbie Rocha from Ken's office assists (in red on left).

An honored guest: Mark Johnson ( far right). Mark led the original effort with City Beautiful that turned a trashy city lot into a parkscape with greenery. For years everyone called it 'Mark's Park.' Mark now lives in Saratoga.

People ask, where did the name'Hummingbird Park' come from? The inspiration originated with Mark and Jody at City Beautiful; they planted vines around the periphery to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. When it became necessary to officially name the park, 'Hummingbird' really seemed to fit: it's a small and colorful park, perfect for small children (near right), and it's on Bird Avenue. Several people from the neighborhood went to the Parks Commission to petition for the name (the commission prefers historic names, as a rule) and were successful.

Above: Councilman Ken Yeager and NWGNA Alison England plant daisies in the park's color spot facing Bird Avenue;
Sarah Ruby, photographer for the Willow Glen Resident, captures the moment. Early in his tenure as Councilman, Ken listened to advice from the NWGNA about the city lot, and procured the $300,000 necessary to turn the lot into a marvelous 'pocket park' ideal as a play destination for young kids and their parents (right).

After the brief ceremony, remarks and much applause, the kids got back to the business of playing (bottom right).

HISTORY OF
HUMMINGBIRD
PARK