Surrounded by historic homes, schools, busy shops and local services, Clark Park serves as the “town square” of a thriving area in southwest Detroit. It regularly hosts festivals, concerts and special events for the most ethnically diverse community in the City, while serving as a popular meeting place for family picnics and gatherings. Year-round activities are regularly enjoyed by the neighborhood’s youth.
An oasis of nature in the middle of the city, Clark Park was staffed by the Detroit Recreation Department until 1991 when it was closed due to the City’s financial crisis. Concerned citizens succeeded in forming a nonprofit to partner with the City of Detroit’s Recreation Department, resulting in a successful public-private collaboration.
Today, Clark Park remains the community’s anchor, providing four seasons worth of programming for more than 1,200 youth. It operates the only regulation-sized outdoor ice hockey rink in Metro Detroit, and provides free lunches daily, to more than 100 youth throughout the summer. The park’s value to the area is evident by the hundreds of volunteers who donate their time each year.
Clark Park is truly a place where the community is teaching our youth to dream.