Last Updated on April 23, 2024, 11:37 AM | Published: April 23, 2024
Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation sends this information as posted below:
OKC Parks invites the community to the grand opening of the newly constructed Woodson Park Athletic Complex, 3403 S May Ave.
The $13-million Athletic Complex, funded through Better Streets, Safer City bond election, includes six lighted diamond fields, four lighted rectangle fields, two concession stands with restrooms, children’s play areas and spectator seating.
A ribbon cutting and tours will be held at 11 a.m. May 17.
“It is so exciting to see this latest phase of Woodson Park’s development,” Parks and Recreation Director Melinda McMillan-Miller said. “These new amenities add to the successful Wendel Whisenhunt Sports Complex to the west of Interstate 44 and will allow residents to play on top quality sports fields for generations.”
Grand opening celebration
A grand opening celebration for the Complex will be held from 9 a.m. – noon May 18.
Festivities include a slow-pitch softball tournament for adults, flag football demonstrations, along with yard games like cornhole, giant connect four and bean bag toss.
Teams can enter the softball tournament through May 14 or until all spots are filled. $125 per team. Register here.
Spectators can also watch one of the 405 FC competitive soccer teams christen one of the new pitches with one of their spring 2024 home games.
Other Woodson Park amenities
The west side of Woodson Park is home to the Wendel Whisenhunt Sports Complex, a multi-sport complex that features 18 adult and youth soccer fields, spectator areas, restrooms and a concession stand. Additional amenities include an adult-sized baseball field, basketball round, playground and landscaped parking lots. The sports complex is named after Wendel Whisenhunt, who served as the City’s Parks & Recreation Director from 1996 until 2014.
The park is home to the Boys and Girls Club, gymnasium, swimming pool, picnic areas and walking paths.
History
Woodson Park’s origins go back to the City’s first professional urban plan created by noted landscape architect W. H. Dunn. The plan called for a boulevard encircling the edge of the City dotted with parks and lined with trees. City Council approved the plan in 1909, and Park Commissioner Will H. Clark put it into action.
Originally called Southwest Park, it was slow to develop. The City used the property to grow oats and other crops to feed the animals at the zoo. In the early 1920s, the park served as the city’s first municipal airport.
In the 1930s, the park became a tent city when 3,600 people took refuge after a devastating flood. A later transformation came in the 1960s when Interstate 44 was routed through the park, providing the bridge connecting the two park sections. The park was named in honor of David Samuel Woodson in 1938.
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