April 04, 2009

The dog and I spent most of our free time this week roaming through Kiwanis Park.

The park is fantastic — tucked away in a forgotten corner of the city, Kiwanis is wild, wet, and nearly deserted for most of the year. It’s the sort of place that makes you want to run around without any clothes on.

That’s why I was sad to learn a bit over a week ago that the city is considering selling the land for development. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to take some decent photos of the place before it’s too late, and the dog has been on a mission to eat all the dead birds it can find in the woods. She loves doing disgusting shit like that.

My photo mission took me on a Kiwanis photoroam last Saturday. On Sunday, it took me storm chasing and fence-hopping by the river. And at various points through the week, the dog and I drove out to Kiwanis to photograph sunsets and rainscapes together.

And each time I went back to Kiwanis this week, I was reminded that the park is indeed special and worth preserving. Kiwanis is a rare piece of wilderness in a city that thrives on suburbs. Thus, if you live in KW, you should go out and enjoy your parks — and what’s more you should join the effort to save Kiwanis.

If you’re interested in saving Kiwanis, this Wednesday (April 8), Gallery on the Grand is hosting a Save Kiwanis Gala. If you come out, you can see one of my photos on display and find out how to get involved.