Long Time Gone

While driving through an area on the southside of downtown recently, I happened to see this block of seemingly abandoned buildings. I have no idea what businesses were - or are - housed in these buildings, nor do I have any idea what city planners have planned for this block. Within a few blocks in any direction, a myriad of high-rise condos are going up, altering not only the Nashville skyline but also the dynamics of the neighborhood.

Nashville's "Lighthouse?"

No, this isn't a lighthouse in the middle of the Cumberland River! It is actually a water intake station for the Omohundro Water Filtration Complex (OWFC) in Nashville. Built around 1888, the OWFC is one of the oldest water pumping stations in the United States and is still in use. The filtration plant complex, completed about 35-40 years after the intake station, stores and pumps the water. Originally steam-powered, it is now powered by electricity. The Omohundro Complex is on the National Register of Historic Places. My understanding is that it is still one of only two treatment plants supplying water to Nashville.

Ft. Nashborough

On Christmas Eve, 1779, James Robertson led a group of 200 settlers from North Carolina to a bluff on the west bank of the Cumberland River near what is now downtown Nashville. Four months later, Robertson's friend, John Donelson, and another group of North Carolinians joined the original group at Ft. Nashborough. At the time, North Carolina owned the land on which Ft. Nashborough stood. When North Carolina incorporated the town in 1784 and changed the name to Nashville.

The original fort measured approximately 125 X 250 feet and enclosed two acres. In each corner stood two-story blockhouses that the settlers used for defense. The smaller, one-story cabins in the fort were home to the families living there. The replica of the fort (shown above), stands on the same ground as Ft. Nashborough. However, it is only 1/4 the size of the original.

A couple of interesting notes:

* The pioneers travelled approximately 500 miles over land and twice that by river to reach their destination.
* The settlers named the town for General Francis Nash who died in the American Revolution. Because of anti-British sentiments, they dropped the British "borough" and added "ville" with the town's incorporation in 1784.
* A number of the pioneers set up camp at the base of the hill where the state capitol building now stands. Because of repeated Indian attacks, most of them either moved to the fort or to Kentucky.
* North Carolina eventually ceded the land to the federal government, and Tennessee became a state in 1796. Nashville was chartered a city in 1806, but it did not become the permanent capital of the state until 1843.

Elvis Has Left The Building

Even though he passed away 30 years ago (or *did* he?), Elvis is still popular! You can find "him" dancing away in front of stores and bars in downtown Nashville. If you drive by the statues during high-traffic times, you're sure to see a tourist having his/her photo taken with Elvis!

Don't you wonder, however, why he isn't wearing blue, suede shoes?

"Dragon" in the Heat

Located on the west bank of the Cumberland River, Riverfront Park was the site of the Nashville Dragon Boat Races Festival on Saturday. The multi-level park hosts a variety of activities during the summer, including concerts and the world-famous Fourth of July Fireworks extravaganza.

I took this photo from street level (1st Avenue), looking north. The starting line for the races was close to the red bridge at the top of the photo, and the finish line was in the area of where I was standing. Each team had a tent set up where paddlers could cool off and relax between races, and where friends, family members an co-workers could cheer them. There were a number of tents on the street level, also, including a shade tent (where I was standing at the time), a misting tent, food and drink tents, and information tents where attendees could get fliers about programs and events.

In the upper, left corner of the photo, you can see a log cabin which is part of historic Ft. Nashborough. The fort is a replica of the village built by the first settlers to the area. It's open daily and free to the public.

Directly across the river from the park and on the east bank of the Cumberland is LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans. On game days, the red bridge a the top of the photo is closed to traffic (except for game shuttles) to allow fans who park downtown easy access to the field.

When they hold concerts in Riverfront Park, there is usually a floating stage set up in front of the park. And, the General Jackson Showboat, which is a replica of the 19th Century paddlwheelers, turns around in front of Riverfront Park during its daily cruises.

A couple of items to note: The park has three, grassy levels with large, concrete steps on the edge of each level. Unfortunately, because of the drought, the normally beautiful green grass is like more like straw. Note the beige umbrella and a red/white striped umbrella in the lower, right corner of the photo. I saw a number of festival goers sitting or walking with open umbrellas to protect them from the hot sun.

"Dragon" Bottom

Yesterday morning, 35 area teams paddled their way down the Cumberland River in Nashville's first annual Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon boat races originated in China over 2500 years ago and are held to commemorate the death of Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Legend has it that Yuan committed suicide by drowning, and, upon hearing the news, townspeople ran to their boats and beat the water with paddles to prevent fish from eating Yuan's body.

A team sport, dragon boat racing emphasizes the fact that no one person on the team is more important that the other. Dragon boats are very long, narrow boats and hold 22 paddlers, a caller, a drummer, and a steersman. The drumming provides a cadence to which the paddlers paddle while the caller - sitting in front and facing the paddlers - yells out voice commands. The steersman stands behind the drummer at the back of the boat and steers it. Each race consists of several boats sprinting several hundred meters from the start to finish line.

The Nashville Dragon Boat Festival benefitted the Cumberland River Compact (CRC) and the Tennessee Scenic River Association (TSRA). The CRC works to improve the Cumberland River's water quality by educating the public and promoting cooperation between government officials, builders, contractors, architects, everyday citizens, etc. An all volunteer organization, the TSRA monitors and cleans up Tenneesse's rivers and waterways and works to preserve and protect the same. In addition, TSRA members offer kayak, canoe, CPR, swiftwater rescue, and wilderness first aid.

Dry Creek

While driving by Belle Meade Plantation the other day, I noticed that the creek that runs in front of the mansion is suffering from our drought. Note how dry the creek is.

Yesterday marked the third consecutive day of record-breaking heat in Nashville; the 30th consecutive day where the temperature was over 90 degrees; the 23rd consecutive day where the temperature was over 95 degrees; and the 15th consecutive day where the temperature was over 100 degrees. The monthly average temperature is almost 10 degrees above normal. Coupled with the fact that Nashville has had .05 inch of rain during the month of August, the area is experiencing what the National Weather Service has deemed an "extreme or exceptional drought" situation.

Because of the heat, schools in Nashville were open only half days all last week. Several schools had air conditioning problems, students couldn't go outside for recess, and the heat on the buses was suffocating. Farmers in the area have been selling livestock much earlier than normal because there isn't much grass for the animals to eat or enough water for them to drink. And, because of low water levels in area lakes, rivers and streams, several surrounding communities have put water restrictions on residents.

Last evening, we did have a brief thunderstorm in the area. While it rained hard for about five minutes, it didn't rain enough to help very much. In some areas of Middle Tennessee, the winds were so severe that they did quite a bit of damage. The roof of a hotel south of Nashville blew off when straight-line winds went through the area.

Mini Me

When my husband was shopping for a new car four years ago, I noticed tiny, ugly cars in the lot at the dealership. Michael told me they were Mini Coopers, now made by BMW. I guess I had seen them before in photos, although I didn't remember that. Pronouncing them, "UGLY!" I asked him why anyone would ever want to drive one of those things.

Over the next few weeks, I started seeing Minis on the road in Nashville, and they started to grow on me. Whenever I would see someone getting into the Mini, I would ask him/her how the car handled, what kind of gas mileage it got, how they liked it, etc. Soon, everytime we saw a Mini on the road - and there are a lot of them on the road in Nashville - I would point to it and say to Michael, "There's my car!" I was still joking to a point as I wanted a convertible (mid-life crisis??).

Last year, my nine-year old SUV started to fail. In addition to needing more work than it was worth, it was guzzling more gas than I wanted to buy at $3/gallon. I started to look at cars, and one Saturday went to test drive a Crossfire. Next to the Crossfire on the lot, however, was a red Mini. I drove both, and the die was cast.

By the following Wednesday, I was a member of the "Mini Cult." (The salesman told me that Mini owners have this secret club, and that they wave at each other as they drive by. I thought he was joking. He wasn't. We do. )

And, I now know why Minis are so popular in this area. They handle great. They're well-made. They get great gas mileage. And, they're fun!

Mini Mine!

More Sea Serpent Mosaic

I thought you might want to see a close-up of one of the designs on the dragon that "swims" in Fannie Mae Dees Park. And, given the fact that it's still hot. . .very, very hot. . .and sunny in Nashville, I thought this particular design appropriate!

To note: I'm told that the tiles Silva used were from artwork made by children in neighboring schools. In addition, the diameter of the sun (from the edge of one ray to the edge of one opposite it) is more or less two feet.

By the Sea Serpent

Spread throughout the Nashville area are a number of wonderful parks and greenways. When school is not in session, you can usually find children climbing all over the playgrounds throughout the city. One of the most popular playgrounds in Nashville is the "Dragon Park," or Fannie Mae Dees Park as it is officially known.

In the late 70s, Chilean artist Pedro Silva designed and built the mosaic serpent using chipped, painted tiles. Silva used the tiles to make hundreds of different designs, fairy tales and portraits on the serpent. Included are portraits of Fannie Mae Dees (for whom the park is named), Minnie Pearl, Dolly Parton, and others.

In the photo, the serpent's head is in the foreground. The curled tail is on the right toward the back. And, there are no children around because it's still too hot in Nashville!

Tie-dye Mary

I am a bit tired of the hazy skies over Nashville, and I thought that I'd throw a little color on the blog today! And, what shows color better than tie-dyed clothing?

At a recent street festival, I saw these great shirts hanging in the sun. Isn't it funny that tie-dye has remained popular with different generations over the past 30-40 years?

Red Sky at Night. . .

Because of the heat and lack of rain, the Nashville skies have been quite hazy this summer. Of course, the haze affects the light for photography, and in a lot of the photos I've taken over the past few weeks, the sky is just not very pretty. :-(

One night last week, however, I looked outside and saw that there was some color to the sunset for the first time in a long time. I shot this from the fence in our backyard. In the foreground, which you can't see, is the cow pasture. There are two more pastures beyond that one. Bordering that third pasture on the westside just beyond the treeline is the Harpeth River.

Tennessee Capitol Building

In 1826, Nashville became the permanent capital of Tennessee. However, construction of the capitol building didn't begin until 1843 and wasn't completed until 1853. The Capitol Building occupies the highest point in the downtown area, and the north side of the building, shown in this photo, overlooks Bicentennial Mall (yesterday's photo).

Architect William Strickland modeled the Capitol after a Greek Ionic temple, and the tower after the Lysicrates monument in Athens. Walls, both interior and exterior, are limestone, while Strickland used marble and cast iron inside the structure. Strickland passed away about a year before the building's completion, and he is entombed above the cornerstone.

Nashville was the first state capital to fall to the Union Army during the Civil War, and from 1862-65, the Capitol served as headquarters for Ft. Andrew Johnson.

Bicentennial Mall

Covering 19 acres in downtown Nashville, Tennessee's Bicentennial Mall was completed in 1996 to celebrate the state's 200th birthday. At the top of this photo, which I took from the northern most point of the mall, you can see the State Capitol (and some of downtown).

The pillars that you see in the forefront of the photo are part of the carillon which plays part of the Tennessee Waltz every 15 minutes. At the top of the hour, the carillon plays the entire song, followed by chimes representing the time and a few other Tennessee-related songs. Of interest is the fact that the 95 bells that make up the carillon represent the state's 95 counties.

In addition to being a state park, the mall is also an outdoor museum of Tennessee history. Included in the many monuments and exhibits on the mall are a 200-foot, granite map of Tennessee (featuring all of the waterways and communities in the state), a marble wall engraved with bits of Tennessee history that span thousands of years, a WWII memorial (a rotating granite globe that floats on water) that pays homage to the Tennesseans who fought the great war, and more. On either side of the mall is the Walkway of the Counties. Engraved in the sidewalk are facts about each county, including when it was established, its size and county seat.

A couple of side notes: The fountains in the photo that I posted earlier this month are part of Bicentennial Mall and are located behind the treeline that you see in the middle of this photo. In addition, the Farmers' Market (where I took a few other photos also posted earlier this month) is on the east side of the Mall (right side of this photo).

Irish Eyes & Butterflies

Irish Eyes, according to a gal at the nursery where I bought this plant, are related to Black-eyed Susans. They get their name because instead of having a dark brown or black center, they have a green one. I don't want to be skeptical, but the center looks yellow to me!I noticed that butterfly on my plant about two weeks ago. He stayed on that same flower almost 10 minutes, and I was able to run in the house and find my point and shoot camera. I set it on a macro setting, so I was able to get very close to him. He just concentrated on getting his pollen, so I guess he didn't mind me too much.

The Old Mill Creek

If you travel east from downtown on the Cumberland River, you eventually come to Mill Creek. This serene tributary is a mere 15-minutes by boat from Riverfront Park. In the near future, developers plan to start work on a harbor and residential community. The development will include a clean-up of the creek and shoreline before building begins.

Greetings from Nashville

While driving around downtown over the weekend, we found this "postcard" painted on a deserted building south of the Country Music Hall of Fame. I remember seeing these "postcards" in a few different parts of town 10 or so years ago when Southwest Airlines started flying to and from Nashville, but this is the only one remaining, I believe. If you look at the individual letters that spell "NASHVILLE," you'll see area landmarks including (from left to right) the Grand Ol' Opry, Parthenon, Batman Building (BellSouth Tower), Andrew Jackson Monument, and the General Jackson Showboat.

Music...Music...Musica

Since 2003, nine bronze, nude, dancing figures have graced the roundabout on Music Row. The sculpture, created by artist Alan LeQuire, pays homage to the lifeblood of Nashville, music, through dance. The sculpture has been controversial as some were less-than-thrilled that the 15-foot dancers were nude, while others thought that a sculpture that is the focal point of Music Row should have more to do with country music than with frolicking Greeks.

I should point out, however, that while most people know Nashville for its country music roots, the other genres are big here, too. Nashville is second only to Los Angeles in the number of recordings made annually.

By the way, this is not my favorite photo, but since we were driving by it Sunday, I thought I would share Musica with you today. Note that I didn't give you full frontal views, either! :-)

Home Grown Tomato Art

I thought I would post one more photo from yesterday's Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville. As we were walking through the craft booths that were set up between two buildings, I noticed tomato art hanging on fence behind a tomato garden! Unfortunately, there were not a lot of tomatoes on the plants due to the drought, no doubt.

The drought has affected all crops. On our way home from the Tomato Fest, we stopped at the Farmers' Market for a few things, and I noticed that the price of tomatoes rose dramatically in the six days since I was there last. Last Sunday, I bought Beefsteak, Heirloom, Bradley and yellow tomatoes, paying $1 per pound for each variety. This week, the Beefsteaks were $1, but the Bradley and yellow tomatoes were $1.50 per pound, and the Heirlooms were $2 per pound. Squash prices were also up, although they were just 25 cents per pound more this week. If the South doesn't get some much-needed rain soon, there won't be any fall vegetables.

You Say, "To-may-to," and I say, "To-mah-to. . ."

In 2003, two Nashville artists decided to host a tomato-themed art festival after reading an article about a similar event held in California. For the first Tomato Art Fest, about 1000 people showed up to view the tomato art and participate in a number of fun contests. Four years later, in addition to an increase in the number of participating merchants and artists, the festival attendees have grown to over 10,000. Events include a parade (for which a number of attendees dress up in tomato red or as tomatoes), tomato tasting, tomato decorating (Yes, people do dress the things up!), the biggest/smallest tomato contest, fashion show, tomato art, the Tomato King and Queen contest, "tomato toss" (Participants throw inedible tomatoes at a building.), and more.

We decided to head to historic East Nashville for the Fest early. When we arrived a little after 10 am, there were a lot of people walking through the festival. However, we didn't see as many people as we expected to see, nor did we see many people dressed in tomato costumes. We didn't last too long as the sun and heat were oppressive, and there were not a lot of shady places to which we could escape. (Hence, we believe, the reason for the lack of costumes.)

As a side note, East Nashville is a historic area full of Victorian and arts-and-crafts homes which residents have renovated. There are a number of funky retail shops and art galleries there, as well as some interesting restaurants and bars.

Moo-ving Down The Field

As I mentioned the other day, there are cattle and horse farms in the vicinity of our house. What I didn't say was that our neighborhood sits on what used to be cattle pastures, and our yard actually backs up to pastures that are still in use. Every couple of weeks, the "girls" and their calves grace the fields behind our house.

I love to watch the cows and calves when they're in the field. There is a group dynamic that is hard to explain. However, if you watch long enough, you know which cows are the leaders, and which are the followers. There are a few that are quite boisterous, mooing when they see the farmer or something else that gets their attention. The calves are quite playful and like to chase each other while their mothers keep an eye on them. If it's hot, they spend time in the shade (You can see the tree line behind the calf.). In the afternoon, they all head to the pond for a drink. When the farmer drives into the field, they all run after his truck.

The adult cows are not too thrilled when I walk my dogs in the backyard. They'll run away from the fence if we get too close. The calves, however, are a little braver and quite curious. While they don't walk up to the fence, they will stand and stare at us. I have a feeling they're wondering what kind of miniature cows I'm walking on those leashes.

Give Me A Little Love(less)

One of the best-known restaurants in the Nashville area is the Loveless Cafe, known for good, country hams, fried chicken and delicious biscuits (The recipe remains a secret to this day.).

The Loveless got its start in the early 50s when Lon and Annie Loveless sold fried chicken and biscuits (made using Annie's secret recipe) to those traveling to and from Nashville on Hwy. 100. When business boomed, they converted rooms in the house to accommodate diners, and they expanded their offerings to include country ham and homemade jams and preserves. The Loveless changed hands a few times over the years, and each owner shared the biscuit recipe with the next. In 1985, the then-owners closed the motel and concentrated on the cafe and mail-order business. Sometime in 2003, new owners took over the Loveless, and, in 2004, they closed the cafe for renovations. The Loveless reopened with an expanded dining room (and kitchen), and the former motel rooms now house a number of shops, including the Loveless Country Market.

The picnic tables in front of the current Loveless are a reminder of the picnic tables from which Annie and Lon sold their fried chicken to hungry travelers over 50 years ago. And, although the motel has been closed for more than 30 years, the Loveless Neon still proclaims, "No Vacancy."

Suburban Nashville

When we moved to Nashville from Las Vegas in the mid-90s, we bought a house in a new subdivision located off of a rural route. In the 11 years that we've lived here, a lot of subdivisions have popped up along that rural road, although there are still a few farms with cow pastures on both sides. (Most of these subdivisions now occupy what was once cow pasture.) If you continue on the road past all of the subdivisions, you very quickly come to more farm land.

That's where I took today's photo just after sunset last night. . .just beyond the subdivisions of suburban America and a mere 15 miles from downtown. I think the fact that we still have such pastoral settings so close to the "big" city is one thing that makes Nashville such a wonderful place to live!

There are two things that I want to point out, although they're quite obvious. As I mentioned yesterday, we're experiencing quite a drought in the south this summer. These rolling hills are normally a vibrant green, but the lack of water has turned them into nothing more but organic kindling. In addition, if you look closely at the banks of the pond, you can see how much the pond has dried up as the edge of the vegetation is the normal water level.

Feeling the Heat

Nashville is HOT! The south is suffering through a heatwave (and drought) this summer, and temperatures have hit the triple digits a few times over the past few days. We are under a heat advisory again today with the temperature expected to hit 102. I happened to drive by the Red Caboose Park in the Bellevue area of Nashville around 11 a.m. yesterday and noticed that not one child was on the playset there. Actually, I was the only person in the entire park, and even I didn't last too long as the heat just pounded down on me as I took this photo. You can see the effects of the drought and heat on the grass which is now nothing more than dry, crunchy blades. And, the weather will not get much better over the next week or so. As a side note, over 1800 Bellevue-area residents helped build the playground in Red Caboose Park in 1996. It includes swings, slides, mazes, climbing stations, and more. In addition to the playground, the park also has picnic tables, a small amphitheater where they hold concerts weekends during the summer, the red caboose (of course) and the old Bellevue cabin (I'll show that sometime.). Stay cool!

Speaking of Rivers

Since I showed you the "geysers" representing the rivers of Tennessee yesterday, I thought I would show you a real river today, as well as a bridge that spans her. I was lucky enough to take a boat ride down the Cumberland River a few weeks ago, and we passed under the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (Try saying that without taking a breath!), formerly called the Gateway Bridge. Completed in 2004, this bridge replaced the historic Shelby Street Bridge and is the link between East Nashville and the downtown area (which sits on the west bank of the river). The Shelby Street Bridge closed to vehicle traffic after officials found it unsafe for the amount of traffic it was getting, and they turned it into a pedestrian bridge (more on that another day). The KWVMB was the first through-arch bridge built in Tennessee, and it has received a number of awards for design and for being one of the top 10 best bridges in the country. In 2006, city council changed the name from Gateway to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge to honor Tennesseans who fought in that war.

"Roll out those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer. . ."

To celebrate Tennessee's 200th birthday in 1996, the state opened the Bicentennial Mall State Park. The 19-acre site includes an amphitheater, a carillon, granite maps and walls, a WWII memorial, and more, including the River Wall, shown above.

Carved into the granite River Wall are facts about Tennessee waterways. In front of the wall is a stream representing the Mississippi River, and the 31 "geysers" represent the state's 31 rivers. During the hot, humid, hazy Nashville summers, these fountains are popular with children of all ages. With temperatures nearing 100 degrees this weekend, there were a lot of kids running through the river fountains.

More Market Bounty

Besides tomatoes, watermelons abound at the Farmers' Market in July and August. And, just like the tomatoes, there are a number of different varieties available. There are the small Sugar Babies and the huge Jubilees. Some have red pulp, and others have yellow pulp. Some have a dark, green rind, while others have white stripes. And, there are those with seeds and those without seeds.

I've had watermelon gazpacho, watermelon ice, and a weird watermelon drink. In searching the internet, I see that there are recipes for watermelon pies, cakes, muffins and puddings. You can pair it with onions and make a salad. Use it to make watermelon barbecue sauce, watermelon vinaigrette or watermelon honey. And, I kid you not, there is a recipe for deep-fried watermelon.

NO THANK YOU! I'll take mine cold and plain!

Farmers' Market

Don't you just love tomatoes? During July and August, the Farmers' Market overflows with wonderful tomatoes of all kinds. On my most recent visit, I found bushels of green, orange, yellow and black tomatoes, as well as all kinds of red ones. Shown above are Bradley tomatoes (grown in Ridgetop, Tennessee!). Because my mom was Italian, we ate tomatoes in a lot of different ways. My grandmother used to make Panzanella, a wonderful Italian salad made with day-old bread, tomatoes, and cucumbers. After she passed away, neither my mom nor my aunts made it again, so I forgot about it until I had it at a special luncheon recently. What a great thing to remember just in time for the tomato harvest!

If you want to try it, all you have to do is cube day-old Italian bread (Crusty breads work great!), a couple of tomatoes and a cucumber. If you want, you can add a sliced onion and some black olives. Toss all of them in olive oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and you're ready to go.

Signs of the Times

August 2 was Election Day in Metro Nashville. On the ballot were several district and at-large council races as well as those for mayor and vice mayor. Because there were so many people running for mayor and the at-large council races, yesterday was more of a primary election day since we'll have run-offs in those races next month. One thing that I appreciate is that we have early voting in Tennessee, meaning we can vote before the actual "Election Day" by going to one of the early voting sites. I took this photo outside of the Howard School Building (which houses some metro government offices now) last week during early voting. There were hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of campaign signs in the parking lot, and this photo shows just a small percentage of them. Part of me wonders why candidates spend all that money to put signs in polling place parking lots because don't people know for whom they'll vote before they even get to the polling place? However, I know the answer to that question, unfortunately.

As a side note, Nashville and Davidson County merged in the 60s to form a metropolitan government. In other words, the mayor, council, police, fire, etc. basically serve the entire county.

Music City Adventure

A few weeks ago, I was searching something on the internet and somehow found Paris Daily Photo. I don't remember what I was searching or why, and I can't tell you how or why PDP popped up, but it did. From that, I found the other daily photo blogs, and for that, I am grateful!
Having just closed my rubberstamp/scrapbooking store, I have been looking for a way to get re-inspired, and PDP and the others have inspired me to start a Nashville Daily Photo blog.

So, with my two cameras in hand, I want to take you on a journey throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee. I hope that, in introducing you to the people, places and things that breathe life into our gentle, southern city, I can show you that Nashville is more than country music.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure!

August 2, 2007

What better way to introduce you to our city than with a photo of the Nashville skyline that I took from the east bank of the Cumberland River. According to Nashville history, on Christmas Eve, 1779, James Robertson and 200 other settlers established Ft. Nashborough on the west bank that you see in this photo. Their log stockade still exists, although the city leaders moved it to a site west of downtown a few years ago. Today, the west bank houses concerts, picnics, festivals and other community events (including our spectacular 4th of July fireworks show).

By the way, the tall building on the left is the Bell South Tower, aka the "Batman Building" because it resembles the caped crusader's cowl.