Located at the heart of Moose Jaw, Crescent Park is packed with culture

Crescent Park encompasses 28 acres of beautiful parkland at the heart of Moose Jaw. The richness and history of Crescent Park, its walking trails, many activities, and popular events (such as Park Art and the Kinsmen Canada Day Festivities) combine to create a year-round draw for residents and visitors!

Land for the creation of a central park was first set aside in 1911. The initial landscaping was completed in 1922. The first elements of Crescent Park were also built in that timeframe: the tennis club formed in 1911, and the courts have remained in their original position. The Moose Jaw Public Library was built in 1912 and the Crescent Park Cenotaph followed in 1923.

In the decades since, further projects have been completed, such as the landscaping of the Serpentine pond and creek; the geothermal mineral water Natatorium, now closed and designated as a Heritage Property; an outdoor amphitheatre and stage in 1972; a 1982 time-capsule cairn, to be opened in 2083; a spray park in 1991; and more, resulting in what the city proudly claims as the “Jewel of the Prairies.”

Phyllis Dewar Outdoor Pool

The Phyllis Dewar Outdoor Pool is named for Moose Jaw’s first Olympian, who trained at the now-retired Natatorium next door. It is a full Olympic-size pool, 50 metres in length. There are two springboards (one metre and three metres) and a diving tower with jumping options at seven and ten metres in height. The tower is not always open, so brave swimmers looking for a challenge should check the schedule before their visit. The outdoor pool opens for the season in June.

Exercising in the park

On the southeast corner of the grounds are Crescent Park’s five tennis courts — the park’s firstinstalled infrastructure. They are still in the same place as the original 1911 courts. The Tennis Club offers lessons, camps, and clinics to improve your game. They also host regular tournaments, men’s and women’s leagues, and Wednesday night mixed doubles. Memberships are available for the full season, and the club also accommodates drop-ins and onemonth memberships. Bowls, or lawn bowls, is an ancient and highly civilized strategy game with origins in the Roman Empire. The bowling green at Crescent Park is a beautiful venue. The goal of bowls is to roll ‘biased’ balls (shaped unevenly to allow curved shots) so that they come as close as possible to a target ball on the green. It is a fun, low-impact social game. The tennis and lawn bowls clubs begin their seasons in mid-April, weather permitting. Another way to exercise is the

outdoor adult fitness equipment,

installed in Nov. 2021. Machines include a chest press and a recumbent bike.

Moose Jaw Public Library and MJMAG

The Moose Jaw Public Library (MJPL), at 461 Langdon Crescent on the west side of the park, is an active and vibrant part of the city’s life.

comics section, a children’s library filled with current favourites, video games for every platform, a movie collection, and several digital options for e-books and audiobooks. The MJPL offers regular children’s activities, a knitting club, two different book clubs, weekly Magic the Gathering games, teen Discord activities including Dungeons & Dragons, and more. Downstairs in the same building as the library, the renowned

Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gal-

lery (MJMAG) boasts lobby exhibits, rotating exhibitions in the Norma Lang Gallery, and permanent historical exhibits in the Heritage Gallery. Crescent Park has a Spray Park for the little ones with a playground attached. It is the perfect place to enjoy a summer picnic — possibly even enhanced with some produce from the edible garden! While picnicking, don’t miss the park’s art projects, including tree carvings by Saskatchewan artists. The Tree Carving Project turns dead trees, identified for removal by caretakers, into beautiful carvings. Tree removal experts leave a tall enough stump that local artists can transform the stumps into intricate works of art.

There are well-cared-for gardens throughout the park, including a rose garden and a newer project designed to show that edible plants can also be aesthetic. The edible garden contains mostly vegetables, with a few edible flower varieties as well. The city encourages park-goers to considerately snack on the garden’s produce — make sure to wash your flowers and vegetables before eating them!

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