The Art Park is located at 6113 Lake Isabella Blvd, Lake Isabella CA 93240. Look for the tallest clump of trees across from Isabella Market. My first encounter with the Art Park was on a lazy walk about town. I think I was hunting for sweet rolls and just needed a break from being mom for a few minutes. Ruby was almost a year old and we were staying with my mom.
Flash forward two days. The three of us, baby, mom and papa Ray were about to be looking for a new place to live and quick. We were going through a lot back then. That’s how we ended up neighbors with Merry Shaimes. We had just moved in and did not know very many people apart from our church and I did not know about KRVAA. Ok, so I was sitting there munching my HFC (High Fructose Corn Syrup) FREE raisin buns by the wall on that particular day and something caught my eye. There are two weird pillars or obelisk shapes by some trees right across the street. No way is this going to get by my investigations. So off I went sticky bun stuff in face moment. Wow cool! It’s a new adventure! I had no idea how synchronistic this would be. A year and a half later I am Secretary of the organisation that owns the very property I was looking at. That’s right and we have some big plans.
Those two pillars are at the entrance to the Art Park owned by the Kern River Valley Art Association. Later I learned that it was founded back in 1962. What?? From looking at this place you would not think much has been happening. For one thing there is not much Art to look at. Then there was a couple of vandalized pick-nic tables donated by the forest service. That’s just sad. The ground was littered with cigarette butts… a lot of cigarette butts and that’s just gross! Sitting on a bench I was vexed and irritated that there was a park so central but seemingly so disregarded and un used. How could this be? I hung out for a while and it was not long before I could imaging a fun vibrant place where people are mingling and having a good time but it was hot and really windy so I moseyed back home as the sun was setting. That sure is a pretty time of day.
It’s not hard to see that Lake Isabella was not planned very well in the beginning so we have some interesting solutions to problems to come up with. One is that Lake Isabella is one long strip of business centers that are just barely close enough to walk to but far enough apart to seem disconnected and in extreme weather it’s not very appealing to walk very far. The wetlands restrict growth so there is not much opportunity for development. It’s probably for the best. I find it hard to imagine Lake Isabella getting much bigger and I like it that way. We do have an opportunity with the Art Park. With a little investment and some good foresight and planning it could be a wonderful little spot to host events.
Most of you are aware that we need more fun safe places for people to gather so the more the merrier right? This need was stated loud and clear. I attended the recent Stop Meth Now meeting along with other concerned citizens, Chamber of Commerce, Family Resource Center, District Supervisor, DEA and Law Enforcement. As a community we are faced with defending our young people from getting involved with the wrong elements. The statistics are alarming and with the recent cutbacks and government shutdown we have to be creative and pull together now more than ever. Supervisor, Mick Gleason stressed this and commended our valley for being resourceful and the spirit of volunteerism that we have. At that meeting we discussed things we need and what could be done. One thing that stood out to me was our Art Park. So Instead of hanging out in the parking lot at Von’s this could be a great place for young people to turn to after school. Here they could have supervised fun and learning activities. The Art Lot as it’s been called was purchased about 14 years ago as part of the then Lake Isabella Chamber of Commerce. They maintained it until 2009 when a KRVAA volunteer took over. Emily A. Diggles Beautification Group has done much landscaping. A storage shed was added, fencing, a display case and in 2013 the “Boots” showed up. The Boots are a collection of hand painted cement cowboy boots weighing 80 lbs. each! That’s some kickers ayeeeee!
In 2013 I joined KRVAA, an organisation that has a long history of success in good and poor economic times and added community values to Kernville and the Valley. The Art Park has played host to various events in the past and I have been privy to plans for developing the property. Questions remain about why the project was delayed. Some have expressed an interest in selling the property outright as if it was too much of a drain because it seems like it’s not being used. Others are enthusiastic about its potential and very optimistic. “I’m tired of all the talking...just let me make a buck!” stated Stan Silvers at one of our last general meeting. He is a well-known local photographer. It is perplexing, there is a local flea market just a few doors down every weekend but we do nothing. What is stopping us from having booths set up so our artists can sell their work? The answer is nothing. The Art Park is available to any member who would like to set up a booth on a Saturday or Sunday. The cost will be $10.00 per booth and as a member you are covered by our insurance. The money will go to the up keep of the park. We should have a couple volunteers on site to help monitor things so we are looking for individuals who are interested.
I have observed the Art Park’s present and past proposals so it is clear we do have something interesting going on and it won’t be long before we can enjoy the Art Park. Future activities include workshops, concerts, screenings, markets and so much more. I anticipate a friendly atmosphere where people can enjoy spending time learning and sharing. To me it seems like a natural thing to do. I would even dedicate the name of the Art Park to one of the founding members of the KRVAA.
One thing we are planning is, at a later date, installing a permanent protective shade canopy with a custom designed wind buffer. To get an idea of what a protective canopy looks like go to: http://www.shadestructures.net. They have a wide variety of styles and colors. A canopy like this can be modified for lighting and sound as well. The Art Park is 60’ wide x 170’ long and street parking within 500 feet. There is easy acsss.
I see a great need for a place like this especially for the young people here. They don’t have very many choices so this will give them an opportunity to hang out in a safe environment. We are already discussing ways we can involve more young people. There has been very positive feedback across the valley and most agree that is will help to vitalize Lake Isabella and foster a sense of community spirit. Isn’t that nice? I think so and I’m looking forward to great things. I hope it works out.
Update: Since I wrote this back in October 2013 we have had a successful Art Park Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair. We had it the same day as the annual parade. There were art vendors, children's crafts, a bake sale and a petting zoo by McNally Ranch,. Fun times had by all.
It is still unclear what the fate of the Art Park will be. There are a few projects in the works so we will see what happens. ◊
The Art Park Beacon
by Jennifer Colley