New activities coming to Wichita’s parks in 2015

Wichita’s great outdoors will be brighter with new landscaping, gardens, games and celebrations in 2015.

The new parks and recreation director wants people to feel a greater impact from Wichita’s parks by raising their profile and giving people more occasions to go outside and celebrate communally. Botanica’s director sees the gardens there becoming a force for business development with the opening of the Chinese Garden of Friendship – a cultural display as well as a garden.

“We want people to know what we’re doing,” said Troy Houtman, who became the director in September. “More exposure for the parks department is what I’m trying to get to validate our foothold in the community – how important we are.

“We serve people from birth to the golden years. We manage lots and lots of property, we educate, we take care of our environment. So I want to make sure Wichita people know that, and I think that’s going to be evident in some of our promotions, our marketing, classes we’ll be offering.

“At no cost, we want people to enjoy our parks, enjoy themselves, recreate, be more involved.”

Here’s what’s growing in Wichita’s green spaces this year.

Chinese Garden of Friendship at Botanica

Botanica expects to be a force for economic development with the opening of the Chinese Garden of Friendship this summer.

Botanica’s newest garden is a salute to Wichita’s sister city in China, Kaifeng. Rather than just something pretty to look at, it will include layers of Chinese symbolism, history and culture. The artwork, plants, fish pond and stream are expected to teach and connect people as well as please them.

“The nice thing that’s happening, as our business community grows and they start developing more Chinese customers, when those customers come here, Botanica has common ground,” Botanica director Marty Miller said. “I think Botanica is going to be a player in developing new businesses, and we are a global community. I think it’s going to make an economic impact. Every Chinese visitor we’ve had … they were amazed that this would exist in the middle of the U.S.A.”

The garden is just off Botanica’s parking lot as you enter and just outside the events center that opened last year. While 99 percent of the garden’s construction is complete, the plants won’t go in until spring. The garden is expected to open June 5, as long as the weather cooperates.

Botanica also will be opening a coffee shop – offering regular refreshment services at the gardens for the first time – and a new library. “It’ll be a showcase itself,” Miller said of the library.

The new features will be open by June 5 if not sooner, he said.

Grounds of the Wichita Art Museum

Much of the Wichita Art Museum’s grounds have taken the form of a great lawn. But now that lawn is full of dirt-moving equipment – and mounds of dirt – as the nine-acre area is prepared for a $2.8 million landscaping project.

Planting will start in April, said Teresa Veazey, the museum’s public relations manager. A grand opening is planned for Sept. 26.

The plan calls for outdoor spaces at different elevations with multiple paths, new plantings and improved lighting.

“Open space is nice, but the art-garden project will truly, creatively re-imagine the whole exterior of the grounds with more amenities,” Veazey said. “It will really beautify the museum.”

In the meantime, during construction, “we just ask that people bear with us, because the end product will be so fabulous.”

Footgolf at Clapp

Have you tried to play golf but the size of that little ball befuddles you? Would you feel better with something more the size of a soccer ball?

Well, footgolf could be for you. It’s not often you hear about a golf course diversifying its offerings, but L.W. Clapp Golf Course has added a footgolf course to the left of the fairway on the front nine.

“Footgolf is a combination of soccer and golf where players use a soccer ball on a golf course, kicking it into these very large cups in as few shots as possible,” said Stacey Hamm, marketing and development director for Wichita Park and Recreation and the Parks Foundation. “It basically takes the rules of golf but uses a soccer ball.”

Players must book a tee time; the cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youths. A cart costs $7 if you don’t want to walk the nine holes. A soccer ball can be rented for $2, or you can bring your own.

Look for a big promotion of footgolf in March.

Laura Knolla played 18 holes with her husband and another couple one unseasonably warm Saturday this winter.

“I’ve played soccer since I was about 5 years old. I’d never heard of it before,” Knolla said. “I loved it. I had so much fun.

“My husband never really played soccer, but he’s very athletic. He beat everybody.”

Cleats are not allowed on the course, so Knolla wore her indoor soccer shoes, her husband his running shoes. Knolla also recommends that players wear thick socks that go above the ankle because of all the kicking.

The city also has a redesigned website, golfwichita.com, that is a lot easier to navigate and that has information about what’s going on at the golf courses this year, including lessons, clinics, tournaments and discounted rates. A new golf guide will be in Dillons stores the first week of March, Hamm said.

New park at Central and Grove

The northeast corner of Central and Grove has been redeveloped with a new playground, called Elm Neighborhood Park. It was finished in January and has already been a popular spot on nice days. “I’m sure it’ll be heavily utilized,” Hamm said.

Community events

The Wichita Parks Foundation will bring back a fireworks display on the Fourth of July as part of an Independence Day Block Party that will also feature a 1,000-foot slip-’n’-slide downtown. There already has been a lot of interest in the slide; you can sign up to receive an e-mail when registration opens at www.slidethecity.com/events/wichita.

The city will be a partner in the event, and corporate sponsors are being sought to help pay for it.

“There’s a lot of downtown businesses who are excited about it,” Hamm said of the return of the Fourth of July fireworks.

Other events in the works: a family play day at Watson Park, a poker tournament in August at Botanica and a kite festival in early fall at Chapin Park.

In 2016: splash park

A splash park will be under construction this summer and fall in Buffalo Park near Central and Maize Road. The park should be ready to go as soon as the weather is suitable for splashing in 2016, Houtman said.

This story was originally published March 1, 2015 at 11:56 AM with the headline "New activities coming to Wichita’s parks in 2015."