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JCPRD

Thirty years ago, the old Kuhlman Diecasting plant just south of 159th Street and Mission Road was abandoned, gradually becoming a toxic eyesore and a danger to the school children who made it their forbidden playground. Now, after years of...
By Theatre in the Park Producing Artistic Director Tim Bair If you’ve had children in your life in the last ten or so years (or you’re just a full-fledged Disney fan by default), then you will have heard of Disney’s...
Johnson County Park and Recreation District is asking local and regional artists to submit ideas for three upcoming public art projects. JCPRD opened the call last week as part of the district’s new public art master plan. Artwork for the...
A major upgrade that would allow Theatre in the Park to be enclosed during inclement weather, reconfigure and expand parking and address many accessibility issues at the outdoor venue has begun to move through the planning process at the...
By Tim Bair Take it off… TAKE IT ALL OFF! (Well… kind of!) So, it goes like this… a group of men have been laid off from their jobs at the town steel factory. Their wives, many of whom are supporting...
After a month of reconsideration, the county park district board approved a diversity and inclusion statement almost identical to one a county commissioner had decried as promoting “critical race theory.” The unanimous vote let most of the original language stand...
A Johnson County commissioner's criticism of a draft diversity and inclusion statement for the Johnson County Park and Recreation District has prompted the district's board to reconsider the statement's language. County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara said the proposed diversity statement, which...
A proposal to mine limestone from beneath Big Bull Creek Park, Johnson County’s biggest public park, has been turned down by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s governing board. The eight-member park commission concluded the leasing proposal by Topeka-based...
The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District this month launched a partnership with RideKC Bike for a bike share program. RideKC bikes became available at several Johnson County parks on June 1, and the partnership features hybrid “dockless” bikes. RideKC...
The Johnson County Park and Recreation District has hired a new director to lead the Johnson County Museum. Mary McMurray, a historian specializing in 20th century U.S. history, will start in her new role on April 6. She said she...
From the Johnson County Museum In 1947, South Park (Merriam) built a new, modern school building with $90,000 in taxpayer bonds. The school board decided the school would serve the district’s 222 white students. African American students would continue to...
Jill Geller, who has overseen the award-winning Johnson County Park and Recreation District as executive director since 2013, will leave her position this fall to take a job in California. The park board accepted her resignation at its meeting last...