Work was recently completed at Historic Quanah City Park to restore many areas of stonework in the park including parts of the perimeter wall and the creek retaining wall. Over recent years, there were several places that had significant damage that were sustained during storms and from other erosion. The work completed by Bobby White and his team was focused on those places in most serious need of repair and restoration. In addition to the planning of activities and upgrading amenities in the park, Quanah Friends of the Park is dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the park. It is with that goal in mind that Friends of the Park was actively involved in seeking recognition for the park to be included on the list of Most Endangered Places by Preservation Texas in 2021. Following that recognition by Preservation Texas, funding was sought to begin work restoring the historic rock structures in the park. In March 2023, through the Koch Companies Community Fund, Georgia-Pacific Corporation provided a contribution that allowed for this initial work to be completed. In addition to that funding, other contributions from individual donors made to the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation for Quanah Friends of the Park, were also included to provide sufficient funding for this phase of restoration. While this is a time to celebrate the work already completed, it is also a time to continue to raise awareness of the continued need to complete additional work to preserve and restore more of the historical stone infrastructure in the park. Friends of the Park will continue in its efforts to seek out additional sources of funding to continue with more restoration activities. We are pleased to present the 2022 Annual Report of the E. Eugene Johnson Memorial Foundation, which has been dedicated to enhancing and improving public spaces in Quanah and Hardeman County, Texas, since 2020. The Foundation has made significant contributions to various local projects in the past year, including the Treemendous Quanah initiative, the Goodlett Cemetery Committee, and the Quanah Friends of the Park. Through these projects, the Foundation has continued to advance its mission of improving the residents' quality of life by using and enjoying these spaces. This report highlights the achievements and impact of the Foundation's efforts in these key areas and provides an overview of our financial performance over the past year. After being originally scheduled for October 8, 2022 and postponed due to weather, Quanah Friends of the Park is excited to bring you the Concert at the Park at beautiful Historic Quanah City Park. This rescheduled concert will be the afternoon of April 22, 2023 and will feature Brave Combo, the Two-Time Grammy Award-winning band from Denton, Texas.
About 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. Join us for a fun-filled day of picnicking and live music at the historic Quanah City Park on Saturday, April 22, 2023. The Quanah Friends of the Park is proud to host this Spring Picnic, starting at noon, and it promises to be a day of endless fun and entertainment for the whole family.
Bring your picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful park's excellent picnic tables and benches. There will be live music all afternoon, with several games available, including disc golf, horseshoes, basketball, and cornhole. Additional food options will be available on-site for those who want to avoid packing their lunch. The day's highlight will be the Concert at the Park, Presented by United Supermarkets, featuring Brave Combo, the two-time Grammy Award Winning band. Brave Combo will take the stage at 3:30 PM, so be sure to plan to stay all afternoon to enjoy the full experience. Take advantage of this opportunity to spend a beautiful day with family and friends at the historic Quanah City Park, with live music, games, and a concert featuring Brave Combo. So come on down, grab a picnic blanket, and enjoy the day!
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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!
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