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80 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, July 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 26, 2004 Jaclyn Dennis applies finishing touches to a section of the mural at the new White City Skate Park. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Adding color to White City’s newest recreation site Student mural brightens skate park By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — Creating a new piece of public art is helping White City kids take pride in their community. About 30 kids worked Saturday and Sunday to paint a graffiti-style mural at the new White City Skate Park on Division Road. Called "Take Pride in Your Park," the project will be the showpiece of the park’s grand opening at 3 p.m. today. "I think it’s cool because it’ll bring more people to here ... (The park) is just all gray, and it brightens it up," said 13-year-old Patrick Bourgeois who added a Yin and Yang logo to the mural’s baby blue background. While the mural’s theme has roots in graffiti, its message is respect. The fluid motion of three human figures portray each sport — skateboarding, in-line skating and bicycling — seen in the park. The mural’s depiction of ramps and rails resemble those found just a few feet away in the park’s 14,000-square-foot expanse of concrete. Advertisement "We wanted to have all the disciplines," said designer Casey McDonald. "It’s really important for them to all have a part of their community." Backed by a vibrant street scene, the three figures also wear helmets, a vital example at White City’s helmet-deficient park, organizers said. "Pack your trash" is a prominent motto. If kids take their cue from the mural’s message, representatives of the local Youth Against Drugs organization hand out McDonald’s coupons and ice cream cones. The mural, funded by a grant for National Youth Service Day, was planned largely by a group of White Mountain Middle School students who also attend local meetings of the Boys and Girls Club and Youth Against Drugs. But park goers of all ages wielded paintbrushes Sunday to help out. "Everybody in White City just seems kind of bored," said 13-year-old Kimberly Kinnaman, who shaded in cauliflower-shaped trees. "So for us, this means a lot." The park’s grand opening comes after more than six years of planning and fund raising by the White City Charitable Foundation, which raised more than $100,000. Grants from White City’s Urban Renewal Agency matched the funds. Private donors, and regional and national foundations also pitched in. Free to area boarders, in-line skaters and bicyclists, the park will be open daily from dawn to dusk. The area will be monitored every hour by Jackson County sheriff’s deputies and watched over by staff at the nearby Cascade Community Pool. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times