Cap Gardner Park honors former mayor
May 9—Coming in at 1.6 acres, Owensboro's Cap Gardner Park is one of the smaller community parks operated by the Owensboro Parks and Recreation Department, but that does not make it any less important than the large, multi-use facilities like Legion Park and Smothers Park.
Acquired by the city in 1977 and originally known as Nature Park, the park at 238 E. 20th St. was renamed for former Owensboro Mayor Casper "Cap" Gardner in 2005.
Bob Whitmer, former city manager, said he made the recommendation to rename the park after Gardner.
"I was at a Rotary meeting one day and, quite frankly, Terry Woodward made a comment one day that he couldn't believe that nothing had ever been named in honor of Cap Gardner," Whitmer said. "I knew the reputation Cap had and how so many people thought so much of him, and we looked at what had not been named (in honor of someone), and there was the park over on J.R. Miller Boulevard and 20th Street."
Whitmer said Gardner was in late-80s at the time and was still employed in a part-time role as Owensboro's alcoholic beverage control administrator.
The dedication of the park was a surprise for Gardner, who was convinced by Whitmer to drive over there from City Hall one day because some type of announcement was planned, and maybe there would be something there to eat for lunch. Gardner was surprised by an assembly of about 200 people gathered in his honor.
Gardner was elected mayor in 1954 at age 37 and also served as a state senator between 1962 and 1968, in addition to having served on several local boards and committees throughout his life.
Amanda Rogers, parks director, said smaller parks like Cap Gardner fit nicely into the department's overall plan and mission statement.
"We have three primary goals and missions in our system, first and foremost is a variety of programming for quality of life initiatives for our citizens, another goal is to help support the local economy through sports and recreation tourism, and then the third goal is to ensure green space for future generations," Rogers said. "We want to make sure that we have green space in nature available for future generations."
Cap Gardner Park features a 0.25-mile walking path, a gazebo and picnic facilities.
"If you have been to Cap Gardner and you don't live in the immediate proximity to that park, you may have been exposed to it because someone you know was married there," Rogers said. "It is a very popular location for small weddings. For many years it has been a popular location for engagement and senior pictures as well, and typically there is a wide variety of flowers that are maintained at that location."
Rogers described the small green space as "a clam, peaceful, quiet area in the heart of our busy community."
