Lovie Watson Park Ribbon Cutting Marks Renovations

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held the evening of June 19, 2024, at Lovie Watson Park and coincided with Juneteenth Cowely County events.

Hosted by the Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce, the ribbon cutting marked the culmination of extensive efforts by the City of Arkansas City's Parks Department to renovate the park. These renovations were made possible through a grant secured in November 2023 from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Healthy Pathways program.

The grant was used to implement key improvements at Lovie Watson Park, including installing new equipment and establishing a tobacco-free policy within the facility.

The successful grant application was a collaborative effort involving the City of Arkansas City, the Lovie Watson Park Task Force, and the RISE Cowley Steering Committee.

The Pathways initiative, known as Pathways to a Healthy Kansas, is the largest community grant initiative ever funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. It combines community-wide, evidence-based solutions and practices to help Kansas communities improve active living, healthy eating, and tobacco prevention. The initiative provides community coalitions the tools and resources to engage their communities and remove barriers to healthy living.