stlmomsworld.com - Kay Quinn

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Forest Park!

Forest Park is 132 years old. It was officially dedicated on June 24, 1876.
Here is some Forest Park history from Forest Park Forever that may enhance your enjoyment of this jewel of St. Louis.
A large public ceremony was held the day the park was dedicated. 1876 was also the year our nation celebrated it's 100th anniversary.
A survey in 1874 showed Forest Park spanned 1,371 acres. Today, it's one of the largest urban parks in the country, 500 acres larger than New York's Central Park.
The park is famous for hosting the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, officially known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The fair used the western half of Forest Park.
Interestingly, the World's Fair Pavilion was built after the fair. The Missouri State building, built specifically for the fair, once stood on the site. But it burned down on November 18, 1876, and since the fair was almost over it was not rebuilt.

Above is a picture of the World's Fair Pavilion from the City of St. Louis web site.

In 1986, Forest Park Forever was formed. The private, non-profit organization's goal is to make Forest Park one of the finest urban parks in the country.
The first phase of the master plan to rehabilitate the park cost $94 million. Forest Park Forever raised more than half of the money needed and the City of St. Louis provided the balance through public funding.
Today, Forest Park Forever focuses on Park maintenance, education and outreach. You can find more fascinating history on the park and more about Forest Park Forever by visiting the web link below.

http://www.forestparkforever.org/HTML/index.html

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Name: Kay Quinn

Location: St. Louis, MO

ABOUT ME

Health and medical issues make up one of the most exciting beats in the newsroom. Few other areas of news touch each and every one of us so closely and so often.

Whether you're a senior worried about paying for prescription drugs, a parent concerned about the health of a child or waging your own fight against cancer or heart disease, you can usually find health news that applies to you in my daily reports.

I always tell St. Louisans they are so fortunate when it comes to health care. Our city is home to two research hospitals.

Doctors and scientists at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis University School of Medicine are involved in some of the most critical research underway in medicine today.

Work is bring done right at this moment, right in our area, that could lead to a vaccine for bird flu or better ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease.

I enjoy staying on top of those stories, as well as bringing you health and medical news you can use.

Along with the latest medical breakthroughs, you'll frequently find information on low-cost exercise programs right around the corner from where you live, or details on where to get this year's flu shot.

Many viewers want to know whether I have a medical background. I don't, but my mother was a nurse and I know her health background made a big impression on me as a child.

It's the lifelong curiosity and interest I have in health issues that serves me well in my work as health reporter.

Staying on top of what you need to know to stay fit and healthy is a job I love.