Community Post

Long-neglected Blanche Lavizzo Park getting some action

Blanche Lavizzo Park is quite possibly the least-loved public spot in the Central District. Long and narrow, it exists in a ravine and isn’t visible from any major thoroughfare. But it’s got something that no other park in the neighborhood has: an amphitheater. And two separate groups have plans this summer to make use of it.

First up is The 4th Annual Good Vibe concert scheduled for this Saturday, July 24th, 1-5pm. They’ve schedule a line-up of performances including hip-hop, soul, jazz, and poetry. It should be a fun afternoon, with live music, free food, and community-building.

The second set of events are scheduled for six nights in August, when The Wrecking Crew theatre ensemble will be staging their performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The shows will run every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm, from August 13th through August 28th.

Each event is now on our community calendar for your summer activity planning.

0 thoughts on “Long-neglected Blanche Lavizzo Park getting some action

  1. I love all the theatre in this town. I saw the wrecking crew practicing one day, it was clear they were staging something Shakespeare like…and I wondered what. Thanks for the insight!

  2. If I recall correctly, this used to be a well used park that was much larger, but lost land when a former mayor assisted in arranging for a developer to build along the outer edges of the park. The effect was to drastically reduce the access and size of this park, and created a very nicely maintained, and vertually private yard for the new apartments/condos. I no longer use the park, as it now has what I feel is a less than open and friendly/safe feel to it. Since Pratt is up the block, I use it instead.

    Great to hear our community is finding use for this space, and I hope to participate.

  3. There is a humongous park near Judkins Park on MLK that looks like a gigantic amphitheater that I’ve yet to see one human being using…I’d like to know more about it, too, and why it’s always seeming unused.