Free Events Announced for July 16 “Celebrate Olmsted Day” in Lake Park

Milwaukee (June 21, 2022) – Friends of Milwaukee’s Lake Park will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted with a free, daylong celebration in the historic park on Saturday, July 16, 2022. All are invited. And there will be CAKE!

Olmsted, best-known for his work on New York’s Central Park and the U.S. Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C., designed dozens of parks across the country, including Milwaukee’s Lake, Riverside and Washington parks.

Just as important, Olmsted pioneered a vision of public parks as civilizing and democratizing forces in society – places where people of all walks of life could gather to enjoy the beauty of their natural surroundings – a vision Lake Park Friends continues to nurture today.

The festivities July 16 will include an old-fashioned parade – with prizes for best costumes – a vintage jazz band, art tables, a scavenger hunt, a photo exhibit, birthday cake and more.

Here’s the day’s schedule:

• A parade to kick off the celebration, with noisemakers, music, and handheld Olmsted images. The parade begins at Wahl Avenue and Belleview and ends at the Summer Stage. (11 a.m.-noon.)
• Milwaukee County’s Traveling Beer Garden (11 a.m.-10 p.m.)
• A “Where’s Olmsted?” scavenger hunt for all ages. Instructions at the information booth, near the tennis courts (Noon-3 p.m.)
• Art Tables: Artists will construct park benches and trees under the guidance of Montessori instructor, Heather Eiden. All ages. (Noon-3 p.m.)
• “Frederick Law Olmsted: Landscapes for the Public Good,” a traveling exhibit made available by the National Association of Olmsted Parks, will be shown in the Marcia Coles Community Room, below Lake Park Bistro. (Noon-5 p.m.)
• A photo exhibit featuring images of Lake Park will be on display at the North Point Lighthouse. (Noon-5 p.m.) Prizes to be awarded just before birthday cake cutting!
• Birthday cake – and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” for the father of landscape architecture – will be served at the Summer Stage. (6 p.m.)
• And the Chicago Cellar Boys, the Windy City’s premier vintage jazz band, will wrap up the evening at the Summer Stage with a concert (6:30-8 p.m.)

For more information about Celebrate Olmsted Day, contact Anne Hamilton, at 414-704-0890 or annewing.hamilton2@gmail.com. Learn more about Lake Park Friends and Lake Park at https://lakeparkfriends.org/

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.