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Take a break at
Veterans Memorial Park
V
eterans Memorial Park, located at 17th and McKinley St. in Great Bend, is the site of the annual Party in the Park, which takes place in August. A highlight has been the wet-dry parade, a tradition since 2017. The party was canceled in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic but was set to return in 2021. Vets is a popular park in Great Bend. On any given day, people can be seen fishing, playing disc golf, playing or exercising on the equipment, and taking walks. There is a dog park on the northwest side of the lake. It is also a fun place in Great Bend to try out the new Bird e-scooters that can be found at various locations around town. The scooters are not city-owned; they are were brought to Great Bend by brothers Matt and Mason Hiss in order to bring a transportation alternative to town. They can be rented
through a mobile phone app. Several improvements at Vets Park have been made over the years: • A new Fit Trail was added in 2016. It features 11 workout machines was well as playground equipment for children. • In 2018, the disc golf course at the park was redesigned and the equipment was updated. The course was designed by Eric McCabe with the Professional Disc Golf Association. • Also in 2018, the local Great Bend Tree Board put the final touches on improvements to the Argonne Forest, located in the northeast corner of the park. Starting in 2015, the Tree Board planted additional native trees, created walking paths and adding signs identifying tree species. Then it added an arboretum at the entrance with additional displays to explain some of the historical significance of the area. These include artwork of a World War I soldier
that stands next to a sign that explains the Battle of the Argonne Forrest. • In 2019, a new toddler playground was added next to the playground equipment for older children in the southeast part of the park.
This popular event was a fundraiser and proceeds will go to the dog park. Although that was still up in the air by summertime, Hammke said the Rec Commission hopes to add an obstacle course item or something that dogs can use for enrichment.
PAWesome new event The Great Bend Recreation Commission’s first PAWesome Easter Egg hunt brought dog lovers and their pets to Veterans Memorial Park on a Saturday in March of 2021. Dozens of plastic eggs were scattered throughout a field north of the dog park. When Megan Hammeke from the Rec gave the signal, the dogs were allowed onto the field. The dogs were on leashes and their humans carried baskets. “When your dog’s nose or paw touches an egg, you put it in your basket,” Hammeke explained.
About the dog park Back in 2010, a group of dog lovers started raising money for the Bark Park, a safe place for off-leash play dates where dogs could run to their hearts’ content or socialize with new friends. They started another tradition, Bark at the Waterpark, as a fundraiser. Each summer after the Wetlands Waterpark closes for the season, the pool is turned over to the pooches for an afternoon of dog paddling. Donations are accepted for improvements to the Bark Park.
