Star Tribune: Wirth's park revolution
There was once a time when Minneapolis children couldn't play on the grass in their city's parks.
Not for baseball. Not for picnics. Not for kickball.
Then came Theodore Wirth, and he changed everything.
Joan Berthiaume is grateful and she wants to show it.
"He ripped down the 'Keep Off the Grass' signs and he tore down the fences," said Berthiaume, a city parks buff.
"Now, they're for the children. They're all for the children."
A group of park-loving citizens wants to give something back. And Friday, they will get their chance.
That's when there'll be a welcome banquet for the Wirth family at the Minneapolis Radisson Hotel. More than sixty members of the Wirth family have descended on Minneapolis -- from as far away as Switzerland and New Zealand -- to pay tribute.
Wirth built the city's park system and was parks superintendent for 30 years. Now the Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society, a nonprofit group co-founded by Berthiaume, will be honoring him with a "Wirth-While Weekend."
The highlight will be the Saturday unveiling of a statue of a man whom she believes too few people know about.
Said Berthiaume: "This will probably be one of our biggest events since we started." She's hoping for strong attendance. "We've got a grand plan," she said. "It's very grand"
Wirth's bronze statue made its way to Minneapolis' Wirth Park -- a 1,000-mile trip -- from Billings, Mont., where it was crafted. But it wasn't traveling alone. Five other statues, depicting children, also will be installed by week's end. One child carries a 1920s-era baseball bat, another totes a picnic basket.
Berthiaume said the statue arrangement shows Wirth's love for children.
Billings sculptor Bill Rains has "created something that is some sort of magic," she said. "They're so lifelike. They look like they're really moving."
Rains, who lives in Billings, said Wirth's was one of the best statues he's done -- which says a lot: Rains has sculpted Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and others.
"What was my inspiration? Well, Ted Wirth loved children," Rains said. "He's basically saying, 'Come let me share my vision for the parks with you.' "
When Rains needed live models, his grandchildren would stop by his home after school and help him. They'll accompany him on the journey to Minneapolis this weekend.
The statues were privately funded, with longtime Minneapolis resident John Richter a primary donor. Now living in Golden Valley, Richter said he wanted to salute what Wirth did for the community.
"Minneapolis would not be the city it is without somebody like Theodore Wirth," said Richter, who will deliver a speech at Saturday's statue dedication. "We're honoring somebody that made Minneapolis the City of Lakes."
Four years ago, Berthiaume co-founded the Parks Legacy Society with Billings resident Ted Wirth, grandson of the former parks superintendent. Their goal: educate the public about the man who wanted to spread his message of active recreation across Minnesota.
Wirth began his 30-year run as parks superintendent in 1906. He died in 1949 -- but not before laying the groundwork for Minneapolis' 6,400-acre park system. Perhaps his most cherished project was transforming the Lake of the Isles from a swamp into a stretch of scenic land and lake.
"We need to remember how fortunate we are to have this system," Berthiaume said.
The Parks Legacy Society is run entirely by volunteers; it funds projects primarily through private donations.