Park Yourself

The annoying truth is that there are tons of parking spaces in our cities – even if you never snag a good one -- but there aren’t many pretty, grassy places for you to park your actual ass. On PARK(ing) Day 2009, which is presented by Downtown Cultural Alliance and Community Redevelopment Agency, this won’t be the case. Citizens, artists, and activists will be hijacking the parking lot on the corner of J Street and Lucerne Avenue in downtown Lake Worth and turning it into a temporary public park in order to highlight the need for more urban public space. That’s right: Until the meter runs out, this space will be dedicated to human leisure. Sounds like time for a picnic! There will be lawn chairs and tables – maybe even temporary grass. Folks will invite you right onto their parks -- which are fully functioning: Yoga will be practiced at the yoga park, and people are welcome to bring dogs to the dog park. “While PARK(ing) Day may be temporary,” says Blaine Merker, cofounder of Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio that invented PARK(ing) Day, “the image of possibility it offers has lasting effects and is shifting the way streets are perceived and utilized.” The quasi-holiday started in 2005 in San Fransisco, but this day has now become an annual, global event. It’s free and lasts 2 to 8 p.m. Visit parkingday.org.
Fri., Sept. 18, 2 p.m., 2009