The Foundation and Friends of the Park would like to give a special thank you to Stephanie Engwall, Director of Environmental Practices, and Pam Hughes Pak, Manager of Public Affairs for the Mid-Tex Division with Atmos Energy, for their wonderful support, including coordinating the help needed to get the trees planted. Without the efforts of both of them, none of this would have been possible.
Friends of the Park also ask anyone interested in ensuring the trees planted in the park continue to get the care they need to please email eejfoundation@outlook.com to volunteer to help water the new trees. About Treemendous Quanah: In conjunction with the WKNAI, the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation initiated the Treemendous Quanah program in 2020. The WKNAI is a project of the West Kessler Neighborhood Associated that was created in consultation with and the mentorship of the academics at the University of North Texas (UNT) and LAERF. Working with the WKNAI, the Foundation provides free native tree seedlings to Quanah public spaces and relies upon the help of volunteers to plant trees through local restoration projects to enhance the beautification of Quanah and Hardeman County.   Thanks to the generosity of a donation from Atmos Energy along with a number of individual donors, Treemendous Quanah 2022 will be our biggest event yet!
We need your help to plant trees on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 9:00 AM. We will meet on the east side of Historic Quanah City Park to start the tree planting event. The donations received have allowed us to purchase a total of 18 trees in 30-, 15-, 10-, and 5-gallon containers. Our plan is to plant 14 of those trees at Quanah City Park, 4 at the Hardeman County Historical Museums, and 2 at the Goodlett Cemetery. In addition, as part of our partnership with the West Kessler Native Arbor Initiative, we will also receive a number of smaller trees that will be planted at the various locations and will also be available for free to the public in Quanah! Please help us get all these trees planted on October 8th and bring along whatever equipment may assist in that process (post hole diggers, shovels, gloves, etc.). Additionally, we will need volunteers to help keep these new trees watered for their first 1 ½ - 2 years. Please email eejfoundation@outlook.com if you would like to sign up to help water these new trees! About Treemendous Quanah: In conjunction with the West Kessler Native Arbor Initiative (WKNAI), the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation initiated the Treemendous Quanah program in 2020. The WKNAI is a project of the West Kessler Neighborhood Associated that was created in consultation with and the mentorship of the academics at the University of North Texas (UNT) and the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility (LAERF). Working with the WKNAI, the Foundation provides free native tree seedlings to Quanah public spaces. We rely upon the help of volunteers to plant trees through local restoration projects to enhance the beautification of Quanah.  Here are some pictures taken at Historic Quanah City Park Games Day 2022. Thank you to everyone who made it out to the park on Saturday to enjoy some games, food, and live music! Here is the full schedule for Historic Quanah City Park Games Day 2022: Saturday May 28, 2022 Games / Activities:
 A little over a year ago, what started as a simple idea in a random conversation evolved into our first big project for the Goodlett Cemetery. As we announced last summer, the vision for the Goodlett Cemetery Committee of the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation was to enhance the main entrance to the cemetery by adding a stone wall along with other design elements while maintaining the existing arched entry. Today, we are proud to announce that this past week, that dream has become a reality. As with all of the programs for the foundation, we could not do these things without the support of the community. Thank you to everyone who has supported our mission and who donated their money and time for this project. Without the partnership and support of the Goodlett Cemetery Association, this would not have been possible, so thank you to the Andy Brandon and Goodlett Cemetery Association Board for collaborating with us on this project. Special thanks also goes to Trent Tabor and Jason Smith who did all the heavy lifting. They provided the resources that enabled this project to come to fruition. The members of the committee who took part in making this all happen are Machelle Davenport, Missy Wilson, Jane Wilson, Claudia Stockstill, and Jeanne Johnson. For those not familiar with it, the Goodlett Cemetery is located in western Hardeman County, approximately ten miles west of Quanah. The cemetery was established in the early 1900s and is officially recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as a Historic Texas Cemetery. The Goodlett Cemetery Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in 1947. More information about the Goodlett Cemetery may be found at www.goodlettcemeterytx.org.  We are proud to announce the third annual Concert at the Park, a free concert at the Historic Quanah City Park, to support Quanah Friends of the Park on Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 6:00 PM featuring live music by Grammy Award Winning BRAVE COMBO.
Trying to describe Brave Combo’s music requires a pretty extensive vocabulary, at least for musical styles. Since 1979 the Denton, Texas-based quintet has perfected a world music mix that includes salsa, meringue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, cha-cha, the blues, and more. They are America’s Premier Dance band and a rollicking, rocking, rhythmic global journey — offering what one critic recently wrote, “Even if you come for the party, you’ll leave with something of a musical education.” You can hear Brave Combo’s vivid music in the films David Byrne’s True Stories, Clive Barker’s Lord of Illusions, Late Bloomers, Fools Rush In, Envy, and The Academy award-winning The Personals. In addition, they appeared at Oktoberfest in the beloved American burg of Springfield on an episode of “The Simpsons.” In 2008, Brave Combo provided the musical score for PBS’s first-ever animated series, “As the Wrench Turns,” which resulted in an “Annie” nomination from the International Animated Film Society. Their music has also been featured on ABC’s hit series “Ugly Betty” and Fox Television’s “Bakersfield P.D.” They have also contributed original music for ESPN and The Big Ten network. Thank you to all the volunteers who made it out to Historic Quanah City Park this Saturday to help put some finishing touches on the basketball court including painting new lines and adding some new plants to the west half of the park!
Thanks to everyone who helped support our mission in 2021 through both your financial contributions and volunteering your time. Without the support of so many from Quanah, Hardeman County, and so many other locations, none of this would be possible.   The Quanah Friends of the Park Committee of the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce that it received notification today that Preservation Texas named Quanah City Park to its 2021 list of Texas' Most Endangered Places. Nomination for inclusion on the list was made by Eugene E. Johnson, President of the Foundation on behalf of the Friends of the Park Committee. While working on new enhancements and improvements to the Quanah City Park as well as promoting community events at the park, members of Quanah Friends of the Park also recognize the significance of the beautiful historic structures in the park.
Friends of the Park is excited that Preservation Texas has chosen Quanah City Park to be included on this year’s list and hopes that inclusion of the park on the list will bring needed attention to the park as the group works to preserve and repair the historic features of the park. Johnson stated that the group had made contact with Preservation Texas as part of its regular activities and was encouraged by the interest that the organization had in what we all know is an amazing park in the city we all love so dearly. Along with Quanah City Park, the Krupp Building, Old Fort Parker, and five other sites were named on the 2021 list. In its announcement, Preservation Texas stated, “Construction of the Quanah City Park began as a W.P.A. project in November 1936; the park was dedicated the following year. Historic park infrastructure included stone entrances, retaining walls, tables, picnic benches, and a bandstand. “As the park nears its 90th year, its historic infrastructure is in need of repair, including reconstruction of portions of the retaining walls that have been lost because of the impact of deferred maintenance and erosion. Restoration of the park's historic features will ensure that its Depression-era cultural landscape remains intact for the people of Quanah and Hardeman County to enjoy in the decades to come.” Preservation Texas began its list of Most Endangered Places in 2004, which it states, “has served as a reminder that there are some places that must not be lost because they are too important. It has served as a call to action to ensure that treasured sites will endure for generations to come. And through statewide collaboration, it has empowered those working to save them. In all, the Preservation Texas Most Endangered Places program has put a spotlight on over 150 imperiled historic places across Texas. Only 14, or 9%, have been lost.” Preservation Texas is the only private, nonprofit membership organization in Texas that is dedicated to being a full-service statewide preservation organization. Friends of the Park is dedicated to the preservation and beautification of as well as promoting activities to improve enjoyment of the historic Quanah City Park located in Quanah, Texas between Fourth and Fifth Streets and between Good and Louise Streets. Friends of the Park has been established as a committee of the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation, a Texas nonprofit corporation and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity; EIN 85-1255191. The purpose of the Foundation is to enhance and improve public spaces, including parks, cemeteries, and museums, in Quanah and Hardeman County, Texas, and improve the quality of life of residents through the use and enjoyment of those spaces. The Friends of the Park Volunteer Corps is a group of citizens that enthusiastically supports the mission of the Friends of the Park committee and works with that committee as well as the City of Quanah for the betterment of the Quanah City Park. This group meets periodically to discuss the status of the park, review and assess needs, and develop plans to accomplish its goals for the park. Have you been by your Historic Quanah City Park to see the other big change that is in place? It is for recreation? Is it public art? Is it both?
As we previously announced in August, Friends of the Park selected two designs out of 23 total student entries for the new backboards for the basketball court. Since that time, through funding provided by the American Recovery Plan, the park has installed a whole new concrete basketball playing surface. This smooth concrete surface replaces the uneven and worn asphalt surface and was coordinated by Friends of the Park committee member Becky Parker. In addition, this past week, through the coordination and efforts of Friends of the Park committee member Denise Nowell, along with the generous giving of time and work from Max Nowell, Heath McAllister, and Jonathan Butler, the new posts and goals have been installed. A special thanks also goes to Medicine Mound Ranch Store for providing the concrete used to install the posts. Please go by to see this new addition to your park. Friends of the Park is very happy to have been a part of making this happen with the help of so many, and we hope everyone will enjoy playing some basketball and seeing this first installation of art in the park. Quanah Friends of the Park is excited to announce some big changes taking place! If you have not been by the Historic Quanah City Park this week, you may not have noticed, but there are a couple things that may look a little different now. One of those changes is on the concrete surface of the old koi pond beneath the new blue canopy. Thanks to a generous grant awarded this year from the Gene Conley Foundation providing the funding along with additional support from the community and the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation, Friends of the Park has added six beautiful new picnic tables!
Since the tables arrived in Quanah unassembled, Friends of the Park needed the support of the community to get everything together. The Quanah High School Agriculture Department stepped up in a big way to help. Thanks to several ag students, the tables were assembled by their classes and delivered to their new home in the park. Friends of the Park would like to give a special thanks to the ag teachers and the following students who helped assemble and deliver the tables: Ranson McSpadden, Triston George, Ethan Cato, Cooper Talley, Chance Brandon, and Clancey Bagby, Koda Wood, and Troi Barrera. For Quanah Friends of the Park, it has been enjoyable to see this go from an idea to a reality, and we encourage everyone to get out an enjoy these new amenities at your Historic Quanah City Park. |
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERThe E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation is a Texas non-profit corporation and 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity (EIN 85-1255191).
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