By David Markham
For its fifth year, The Parks & Recreation Foundation of Johnson County’s popular Meadowbrook Park Festival on Friday, June 5, will highlight three new JCPRD Public Art Program initiatives: Celebration Flags, the Passport to Public Art, and the Public Art Coloring Book.
As in past years, this free public celebration will also feature artists, makers, food trucks, music, and more on the park’s Great Lawn, located at 9101 Nall Ave. in Prairie Village. For a complete schedule and the latest information about the festival, visit JCPRD.com/1934/Meadowbrook-Park-Festival.
The festival began in 2022 as a way of celebrating JCPRD’s Public Art Program, which continues to enhance the beauty of district parks. Meadowbrook Park’s iconic 12-foot sunflower-inspired sculpture, “Gateway” by Amie Jacobsen, which was also the first permanent installation of the program, is the centerpiece of the festival.
“We’re excited to share with the community how much the public art program has grown across Johnson County since the program began in 2019,” said Foundation Representative Lisa Eagle.
A portion of the new Celebration Flag collection will be installed around the Great Lawn. Ten regional artists were commissioned to design and create a total of 40 3-by-6-foot flags out of ripstop nylon fabric from a decommissioned hot-air balloon. Ten of the flags will be debuted at the Meadowbrook Park Festival, while the other 30 have been installed at the Theatre in the Park in Shawnee Mission Park for the Johnson County Watch Party on June 16 through July 19.
“These nature-inspired abstract flags celebrate the intersection of nature, creativity, and community gathering,” Eagle said. “The flags serve to welcome visitors from around the world to our parks during the soccer events this summer.”
JCPRD’s new Passport to Public Art program is free and invites and incentivizes park patrons to explore the district’s 16 permanent public art installations in any order and at their own pace. Printed passports will be available at the festival.
The new Public Art Coloring Book features artwork from the JCPRD Poster Project featuring 12 district parks rendered by regional artists in the iconic and majestic style used by Work Progress Administration (WPA) artists in the 1930s. The 8.5 x 11-inch books are for anyone but ideal for older kids and adults, and are available with a $5 donation to The Parks & Recreation Foundation of Johnson County. Colorful pinwheels, which have been popular in past years, as well as festival T-shirts will also be available at the foundation’s booth.
Eagle said she is excited that the foundation is continuing to grow the festival.
“Thanks to a sponsorship from Academy Bank, this year we’ve added a kids’ tent that will feature a Mad Science presentation at 4:30 p.m. and a musical performance by Mr. Stinky Feet & the Hi-Tops at 5:30 p.m. The tent will be located just South of the pickleball courts. There will also be several local business vendors in that area bringing activities for families and kids. And of course, KC Bubble Parties sponsored by Honey Bee Pediatric Dental will be back again. Children chasing giant bubbles floating across the park is a staple of this festival.”
This year’s musical headliner, The Vincents, is intended for all ages, and will take the Mainstage at 6:30 p.m.
“They are a high-energy band playing popular tunes from 1950s rockabilly to modern hits,” Eagle said. “They add a flare of acrobatic stage antics to their show, such as balancing on the instruments!”
Acoustic artist Kurt Caldwell will be playing from 4 to 6 p.m., also on the Mainstage. Caldwell is a singer-songwriter playing a diverse range of music.
JCPRD’s Fine Arts program will host an art activity at shelter #1 sponsored by Creekside Orthodontics. Festival goers are encouraged to make a butterfly puppet at the shelter and then head over to “Gateway” for a selfie with the sculpture.
This event will also feature about 40 artists and makers with Farfalla Events, as well as local food trucks featuring great dinner options, summer mocktails, and ice cream and frozen treats. The festival’s food trucks have moved to the shelter #2 area of the park this year, just south of the Great Lawn.
The public is invited to bring a blanket or lawn chairs and set up a spot on the Great Lawn for the musical performances.
Once parking in the Meadowbrook Park lot fills, parking is available at area churches including: Christ Church Anglican 91st & Nall Ave.; Hillcrest Covenant Church 88th & Nall Ave.; Overland Park Church of the Nazarene 91st & Lamar Ave.; and Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church 93rd & Nall Ave.
All funds raised during the festival will benefit JCPRD’s Public Art Program through The Parks & Recreation Foundation of Johnson County. To contribute online, go to jcprdfoundation.org/donate.
