Every Wednesday, June 14- July 26 from 6:30-8p in Kennedy Heights Park, Play in the Park holds family-friendly fun with art, music and play. Everyone is welcome to join this free event with snacks and activities hosted by the Cincinnati Police Department!
The Power of Play
This festive event has become a yearly tradition, summoning residents from across Kennedy Heights and welcoming neighbors from Pleasant Ridge, Silverton, and elsewhere. The cheerful green signs have become such a steady presence each summer that it is easy for this author to forget that the program is only in its eighth year. It is important, then, to pause and reflect on the power of people—people committed to creating the neighborhood they believe is possible.
Play in the Park History
In 2013, Kennedy Heights Park was becoming less welcoming, infamous for dice games and drug deals. When it also became the site of two shocking acts of violence, Susan Wade Murphy decided that enough was enough. This park belonged to the neighborhood, and it was their right to reclaim it for fun and not fear. Wade Murphy took and idea to the Kennedy Heights Community Council Safety Committee and shared her idea: a weekly planned community gathering with activities and food, chaperoned by the police to restore a sense of safety to the space. The idea was popular, and Wade Murphy rallied approximately 30 neighbors to pull it off. Their efficiency is a testament to what can be done with enough motivation and enough volunteer power: The second act of violence occurred on June 12 of 2013. The first Play in the Park was held on July 24 and occurred weekly through August. By September 3, the event was a cover page story in The Cincinnati Enquirer.