Sound system upgrade for Lake Harriet Bandshell
In April 2008 People for Parks donated the funds required to upgrade the sound system at the Lake Harriet Band Shell.  This equipment is being installed in time for the kick-off of the 2008 concert season. 

Lake Harriet Bandshell Bench and Paver Program
People for Parks is fund-raising to pave the audience area in front of the bandshell and refurbish the worn benches.  The new paved surface will serve as a water filtration system, improving water quality in Lake Harriet. Click here to see how you can support this project with a personalized bench or paver.

Tennis Courts Upgrade
People for Parks donated $7500 in May 2008 to Support the Courts, a Minneapolis nonprofit which is rebuilding tennis courts at Powderhorn Park, Webber Park, and Pershing Park.

The People for Parks Movie Night at the Bandshell
People for Parks is sponsoring three movies at Lake Harriet on the third Thursday of each month during June, July and August of 2008.  The movies will be shown on an inflatable screen. 

Arbor Day
People for Parks provided money to cover food and transportation for schoolchildren to attend Minneapolis Park’s Arbor Day celebration held in May 2008 at Kenwood Park. 

Lake Harriet Picnic Shelter
People for Parks was the major sponsor of the Lake Harriet picnic shelter, built in 2007 to  provide shade and shelter for picnickers on the north shore of Lake Harriet.

Dutch Elm Inoculation
Foresters from all five districts of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board identified boulevard and parkland Elms of “importance” to the city –elms that would be sadly missed if they were to succumb to Dutch Elm Disease. People for Parks donated $10,000 for inoculating the trees against Dutch Elm Disease.

Elm Trees on Victory Memorial Drive
In summer 2006, People for Parks donated $9,675 to MPRB for the planting and maintenance of 43 new trees on Victory Memorial Drive. The trees replaced trees that had been lost to Dutch Elm Disease.

Showmobile
People for Parks purchased and donated the Showmobile to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation board.  The Showmobile is still in use today at many community events including concerts, speakers, and festivals.

Theodore Wirth Park improvements
A $2,700 donation from the Minneapolis Ski Club for cross country trail lighting at Theodore Wirth Park developed into a long term project for People for Parks.  People for Parks raised money in subsequent years to complete a network of ski trails at Wirth, providing signage and additional lighting.

Lake Harriet Rock Garden
One of the most popular People for Parks projects was the Lake Harriet Rock Garden. A bridge was constructed as a symbol for peace, with a Japanese planting at one end and an American planting at the other

Daffodil Gardens
A People for Parks member provided the original funding for a daffodil garden on Minnehaha Parkway near Nicollet Avenue. During subsequent years, over thirty beautiful daffodil gardens were planted in Minneapolis parks. 

Recreation Center Signs
People for Parks offered a matching fund program for communities who wanted to install outdoor, lighted informational signs for their recreation centers. Lions Clubs, Kiwanis and others stepped forward to meet the need. Signs were eventually placed at all Rec centers.

Minneapolis Pops Orchestra
Renowned for great sound and family oriented concerts, the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra has performed for decades at outdoor Minneapolis venues. People for Parks was an initial contributing sponsor of this summer tradition.

Theodore Wirth Green Book
People for Parks supported the Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society with a $2,500 donation towards the reprinting of a limited edition of a book written by Theodore Wirth, “The History of the Minneapolis Park System, 1883-1944”, which chronicles his efforts to develop the Minneapolis Park System.