Overland Park officially opened its 84th city park this week, nodding to the city’s longtime connection to its sister city, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.
On Monday, Overland Park, joined by officials from Bietigheim-Bissingen, dedicated the park, formally opening it for the community. They also sealed a time capsule filled with items representing the connection between the two cities, which is scheduled to be reopened in 25 years.
Dozens of people attended the ceremony, and several children took advantage of the brand new playground throughout the festivities.
Bietigheim-Bissingen Mayor Jürgen Kessing, one of the representatives from Germany in attendance at the dedication ceremony, called it “a significant moment.” Both he and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog spoke on the value of the park and the long-term connection it symbolizes during a time of upheaval.
What’s at Bietigheim-Bissingen Park?
- Bietigheim-Bissingen Park — pronounced Bee-tij-hime Biss-en-gen and shortened to Bi-Bi Park — is at the corner of 159th Street and Quivira Road.
- The park features a play structure depicting a coat of arms with a tower and other imagery that harkens back to the city for which it’s named.
- It also has a large green space and a stone sculpture from German artist Dieter Kränzlein.
- This park’s opening marks the fulfillment of a long-term goal to add a community park in the southern third of Overland Park.
Sister city connection goes back decades
The connection between the two cities began decades ago as part of a cultural exchange with the Bietigheim-Bissingen music school and the Shawnee Mission South orchestra more than 40 years ago.
In the years since, the two communities forged connections and eventually established an official sister city relationship in 1999.
At the same time, the two schools on different continents maintained a close relationship as well, sending students back and forth to learn about each other’s history and culture while staying in host family homes.
“During the exchanges, the visiting students become family, and in many cases, these relationships continue long after the trip is over,” said Shawnee Mission South band director Steve Adams. “This comes from students’ immersion into the host home community.”
That history was baked into the park, with students from an Advanced Placement English class at Shawnee Mission South contributing to the informational signs posted throughout the park with research and writing. Additionally, members of the band and orchestra from Shawnee Mission South played music throughout the celebration on Monday.
Mayors allude to “global tensions,” value of connection
During their formal remarks at the dedication ceremony, leaders from both cities alluded to the value of the international relationship — and the connection the park symbolizes — amid what Mayor Kessing called “global tensions.”
“The establishment of Bietigheim-Bissingen Park represents our lasting commitment to preserving democracy and freedom. We stand together for these values which form the basis of [our] friendship,” Mayor Kessing said. “Peace and friendship are created through personal connections, through listening, through shared experience.”
Mayor Skoog — who has hosted students from Germany and whose own children went to Bietigheim-Bissingen as students at Shawnee Mission South — echoed those thoughts as well.
“The power and the longevity of these relationships make a difference, and in times like today … where we’re trying to find our new normal,” he said, “our relationships across the street, across state lines and across oceans become more and more important.”
Keep reading: Overland Park has replanted thousands of trees. Now, officials worry they aren’t getting the proper care.
