There’s nothing quite like sitting in Coolidge Park on a beautiful day for the Kickoff Market, held last Sunday. The field was full of tented booths with art vendors. Youngsters chased each other through the water fountain.
The smells of aromatic candles and spicy food from the food trucks fought for my attention. Best of all, I time-traveled back to Oct. 16, 1999, when the park officially opened with marching bands, singers, dancers, magicians, circus performances, art vendors and fireworks. I sat with other community leaders on the main stage, listening as they went to the microphone with grand opening remarks.
There were good reasons for celebrating. Years ago, a reporter said, “When I was younger, downtown Chattanooga wasn’t someplace you wanted to go hang out, especially at night. It was dark and dirty and the river was more for manufacturing than recreation.”
All that changed thanks to our city government, the design firm HGOR and the River Front Development Committee.
They created this multi-functional park as a venue for local concerts, festivals and special events along with a master plan for the 13-mile long Tennessee Riverwalk.
Coolidge Park now attracts locals and tourists of every age and ethnicity. The atmosphere is joyful and friendly. So I wasn’t completely surprised when my ruminations were interrupted by a grandmother with a cane. She asked, “May I join you?” and sat down on the park bench next to me. I asked her if she was from around here and she explained, “Close by.” She, her daughter and grandson came from Alabama during his school’s fall break to enjoy the artists, parks and our aquarium, and to learn about their history. She asked if I was from here and when I said no, she asked if how long I’d lived here. Smiling, I said, “About 25 years.” She replied, “OK, you’re from around here.” I laughed at her kind generosity.
We both laughed as a little boy ran past us with a dinosaur balloon. Then our eyes followed a balloon in the shape of an elephant that had gotten loose and rose into the sky over the carousel. We came to one of my favorite features in Coolidge Park, the Dentzel carousel, made over a century ago in 1894, that was restored by local master wood carver Bud Ellis at his studio, “Horsing Around.” If you haven’t ridden on one of the carousel’s hand-carved animals or gold-leaf benches, put it on your to-do list immediately.
You won’t be surprised to see history combined with the arts at Coolidge Park. After all, the park is named after Charles Coolidge, a World War II Army veteran and Chattanooga native who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. In 2006, in Coolidge Park, French consulate officials awarded him the National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France.
I write all this in part to remind people that in October 2024, Coolidge Park will celebrate its 25th anniversary. If there are already plans underway for a big celebration, that’s great. If not, it’s time to put together a River Front Development Committee 2.0. Are you ready to plan this? I’d love seeing a marching band, dance and plays performed, as well as hearing bands play on stage. At night, let’s go for a creative laser light show.
And if my favorite Alabama grandmother returns, I will welcome her to join me on that park bench to watch the celebrations. I suspect people from around here and close by will flock to the park. And there won’t be an empty seat in the house.
Contact Deborah Levine, an author, trainer/coach and editor of the American Diversity Report, at deborah @diversityreport.com.