PRESS CONFERENCE AT MLK JR. PARK, JUNE 25, WITH BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD OF WNY, MAYOR BYRON BROWN AND ASSEMBLYWOMAN CRYSTAL PEOPLES-STOKES
BUFFALO, NY — Splish Splash Summer Bash 2016 will celebrate the start of the summer season at MLK Jr. Park’s splash pad today. Presented by BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the Splish Splash celebration will include the BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Zone Cruiser, a picnic zone, a face painting zone, family fun activities, water sports, healthy snacks and more. The Splish Splash Summer Bash is free and open to the public.
DATE: Saturday, June 25, 2016
PLACE: MLK Jr. Park Splash Pad (Best St. & Fillmore Ave., Buffalo, NY 14211)
TIME: 11:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m.
11:00 a.m. press conference
Celebration to immediately follow press conference.
“Everyone — our team, the City of Buffalo and BlueCross BlueShield — has been working together collaboratively and we’re ready to make a super splash at MLK Jr. Park this summer for the community,” said Stephanie Crockatt, Buffalo Olmsted Park Conservancy’s Executive Director. “We have many partners we continue to appreciate for making this historic splash pad feature what it is, especially Mayor Brown and the City of Buffalo for their vital contributions. And we continue to thank our dedicated corporate partner, BlueCross BlueShield of WNY.”
From Saturday, June 25, 2016 through Labor Day, the splash pad will be open every day from 11:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m.
“Our city’s state-of-the-art water attraction at MLK Jr. Park continues to provide our youth and their families with safe and fun year-round activities and the splash pad gets a lot of use during the summer months,” said Mayor Byron Brown, noting that the Humboldt Basin was recently converted from ‘ice rink to summer splash pad mode.’ “Thanks to a great partnership between the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy and BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, this celebration at MLK Jr. Park is a prime example of how the city continues to work collaboratively to implement programs that enhance the quality of life for our residents and enrich the lives of all children in Buffalo.”
“With schools out and the sun beaming – we’re ready to splash again!” said BlueCross BlueShield’s Vice President, Corporate Relations Julie R. Snyder. “This Healthy Zone at MLK, Jr. Park is a great venue for families in Western New York to cool off and stay active this summer. We’re proud to continue our support of this historic landmark in partnership with the City of Buffalo and Olmsted Parks Conservancy.”
A complete list of rules, posted at the entrance of the splash pad, includes the following:
– Young children must be accompanied by an adult
– No bare feet
– Park staff are not responsible for damaged, lost or stolen items
The five-acre splash pad is part of the city’s $4.5 million all-season water attraction that opened during the summer of 2013. It is a reflecting pool during the spring and fall and an ice rink during the winter. Located in the heart of one of Buffalo’s historic Olmsted parks, the splash pad is part of a larger plan for the MLK Jr. Park neighborhood that sets the groundwork to attract new residents and business owners who want to live, work and invest in Buffalo.
MLK Jr. Park Splash Pad History
The present brick casino was constructed between the lily pond and the wading pool in 1926. In 1956, the first of Buffalo’s refrigerated outdoor artificial ice rinks was constructed on the site of the lily basin. The lily pool was partly filled and a wading pool was constructed at its eastern end. The wading pool was partially filled, and transformed into a smaller circular concrete spray pool, while its grand dimensions and grassy banks were retained.
For complete splash pad details, call 838-1249 ext. 17 or visit bfloparks.wpengine.com. For more information call the Pools Office at 851-5998 or visit www.city-buffalo.com. Keyword search: “Pools.”
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About BlueCross BlueShield of WNY
BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York is a division of HealthNow New York Inc., one of New York’s leading health care companies that provides access to quality health care and innovative solutions for members throughout upstate New York. Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, the company is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association.
About the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is the first nonprofit organization in the nation to manage and operate an entire urban park system, which consists of 850 acres of beautifully designed parks, parkways and circles. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is a not-for-profit, membership-based, community organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and maintain the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area for current and future generations. More than 2.5 million people use Buffalo’s historic, award-winning Olmsted Park System annually for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation. The parks were designed by America’s first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, more than 145 years ago. Basic maintenance of the parks has been greatly improved since the 2004 groundbreaking public/private agreement with the City of Buffalo and Erie County. Since that time, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, now partnering with the City of Buffalo, has retained full responsibility for the management and care of these green spaces which are listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. In 2014, the American Planning Association recognized Delaware Park as one of the 2014 Great Places in America. Last year, The Guardian named Olmsted’s Park System as one of the top ten parks in the world.
The Buffalo Olmsted Park System includes:
Six Parks
Cazenovia Park in South Buffalo, Delaware Park in Delaware/Parkside District, Front Park at the Peace Bridge, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Fillmore Avenue, Riverside Park at Niagara and Tonawanda Street, South Park at McKinley Parkway.
Seven Parkways
Bidwell, Chapin, Lincoln, McKinley, Porter, Red Jacket, and Richmond.
Eight Landscaped Circles
Agassiz, Colonial, Ferry, Gates, McClellan, Soldiers, and Symphony.
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