Drivers traveling through the park on Memorial Drive have seen the tunnels and land bridge take shape over the past 18 months, as big slices of cast concrete were put into place and covered with several feet of soil. Now trees have been planted and paths are installed for what will be a big public unveiling.
The newest features in Memorial Park — the Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie — will be on display Saturday as park visitors get their first up-close look during an event billed as the “Biggest Picnic in Texas.”
From 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, organizers are inviting all of Houston to come enjoy the city’s park. Visitors will see etchings in the paths across the land bridge that tell the story of Memorial Park. Animal footprints also have been stamped into the concrete paths.
Food trucks will be on hand, or guests can bring their own picnics. The festivities include live music and face painting.
On Friday, the city of Houston and Memorial Park Conservancy, gave a sneak preview of the park’s newest amenities.
A community picnic will mark the opening of the land bridge and native prairie
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Where: Memorial Park, at Memorial Drive and Picnic Lane
Parking: If you drive, free off-site parking is encouraged; there will be free shuttle service to the event’s front gates from Lot H,which is a paid lot at 1643 Memorial. There will also be a bike valet for those who prefer to ride to the park.
Information: memorialparkconservancy.org
Major donors Rich and Nancy Kinder, whose $70 million catalyst gift largely funded the project, and Cyvia Wolff, whose $10 million gift paid for the seeding and care of 45 acres of new Gulf Coast native prairie, were on hand as park officials and others, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, gathered on top of the tunnels for a ribbon cutting.
In the past 25 years, the Kinders have given $600 million to Houston area nonprofits, with nearly half of it going to park projects, including Discovery Green, Buffalo Bayou Park …
