Brad Combs remembers it was about 25 years ago when the city of Clinton allocated $10,000 to put the first playground equipment in Hurt Park, in a residential area on the north side of Clinton.
“It was a big deal,” he said.
On Wednesday, Aug. 24, Brad, director of the Parks and Recreation department in Clinton, was back at Hurt Park for the celebration of a $125,000 renovation of the facilities and grounds. The work included a new roof and complete interior remodel of the park restroom, renovations of the picnic shelters, installation of ADA sidewalks and parking spaces, and new playground equipment.
The renovation was funded by $100,000 of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act plus $25,000 from the Clinton Parks and Recreation budget, according to Christy Maggi, city administrator. The work was done by Westport Construction of Clinton.
“These shelters needed help and we were glad to give it to them,” Christy said. “We addressed issues that needed to be addressed.”
Rita White helped Brad and others cut the ribbon. Rita, her sisters Teresa Steward and Gwen Thomas and their mother moved to the Clinton neighborhood in 1960, Rita said. In 1987, the sisters started the Organization of Black Heritage, raising money to maintain the park and hold an Emancipation Celebration there every year for 27 years.
The weekend long celebrations, held on the first weekend in August, featured music, food, games and contests, including a talent show, Moon Pie eating contest, and twister and Hula Hoop marathons.
The park was originally called North Park, but at some unknown date was renamed Hurt Park for the family who donated the land. According to an article in the May 6, 1965, Henry County newspaper, the deed for two adjacent tracts of land for the park was presented at a city council meeting by Emory Hurt, a banker and community leader. Emory’s son, Kenneth, an officer of Union State Bank, was also present.
Kenneth Hurt later donated more land to the park. Born in 1916, he graduated from Clinton High School, attended Central Missouri State College and followed in his father’s footsteps, eventually becoming president of Union State Bank.
Two years after his father died in 1968, Kenneth, age 54, sold his bank stock and retired to fulfill his dream to travel. Kenneth, who lived to be 98, died in 2014 and is buried in Englewood Cemetery.
People attending the ceremony also recalled Bettye Miller, one of the neighborhood’s most famous residents. Born in 1926 into a musical family, Bettye grew up in north Clinton and attended Lincoln School, as Clinton schools were segregated, as were the other city parks and the public library.
Bettye left Clinton to study music in Philadelphia, and eventually earned bachelor and master’s degrees in music at Lincoln University in Jefferson City. In the 1950s, she moved to Kansas City, where she played the piano and sang at the Horseshoe Lounge. Known as the Queen of Kansas City Jazz, she performed at jazz festivals around the country with bass player Milt Abel, whom she married.
Bettye died of cancer at age 50 in 1977, and is buried at Antioch Cemetery. But her memory lives on at the Henry County Museum, where her piano, fur stole, jazz festival posters and other memorabilia of her music career are featured in its music room.
Music was a big part of Emancipation celebrations, which were held in Missouri on the first weekend in August, in contrast to 4th of July celebrations. Blues musician Taj Mahal and Max Groove, a state jazz treasure, played at the celebrations at the park, Rita recalled, and there were gospel singers on Sunday.
A favorite memory everybody recalled was the year the Marching Cobras were invited to perform at the Emancipation Celebration. A nationally-known drill team from Kansas City, the drummers and dancers marched from the Clinton Square down to Hurt Park, passing under an arch created by a Clinton flower shop, the sisters recalled.
They also recalled the outfits they wore in their singing act on Talent Show night, with Teresa as lead singer, and teased Connie Rucker about winning the “Miss Legs” contest.
The weekend celebrations were supposed to end at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, but everyone always had so much fun, it was hard to get people to go home, Rita said, adding they couldn’t even get their mother to leave early.
Others remembered food trucks circling the park on Emancipation Celebration weekends. There was catfish, barbecue, cinnamon rolls and the funnel cakes that Larry made. Teresa recalled her son, Andre, selling root beer from a wagon he pulled around the park. Neighbors also remembered when B & L Electric donated a big light on a pole that was installed in one corner of the grounds, and how bright the light was.
Photographs and memorabilia from Clinton’s Emancipation celebrations in Hurt Park have been donated to the Henry County Museum. According to Nick Smith, assistant director, the material will be displayed in the Community Room, which is being created on the second floor of the museum, where the veteran’s room used to be before it was moved downstairs.
The basketball court at Hurt Park, which is still there, saw a lot of use when their children were growing up, the sisters said. Several of the players went on to become all-state and all-conference champions, including Shannon Shockley, Tracey Steward and Andre Steward.
Shannon attended last week’s celebration, as did Gary Mount, who grew up near the park and recalled spending much of his childhood there. The former city community development director, Gary currently represents Ward 1 on the city council.
Gene Henry, Ward 4 city council member, said he was proud to have Hurt Park in his ward.
“This is probably the strongest neighborhood park in Clinton,” Christy said.
At the Renovation Celebration Brad Combs, who is now in his 50s, shared his memories of playing baseball at Hurt Park when he was 7 or 8 years old. The team was coached by Homer Wagoner and his son, Eddie.
“That’s where we practiced,” he said, indicating the southwest corner of the park.
He also remembers sitting in the city administrator’s office three years ago discussing how to use the ARPA funds, and Christy telling him to “dream big.”
“I always had a vision of what we wanted and what needed to be done,” Brad said. “This is what we have, $125,000 later. It’s well-deserved, and I’m proud of it.”
“It’s a great park for the neighborhood.”
Hurt Park is located at 700 N. Main St.
