LEXINGTON, Ky. — People in Lexington’s Green Acres park neighborhood are continuing to recover after facing tragic shooting deaths over the summer.
A native of Green Acres, Paige Commodore is enjoying the picnic day with friends from Kentucky State University. With a large green and gold banner reading the school’s name and logo on their table, the group greeted guests with smiles and conversation.
“As of tomorrow, I will be a native of 48 years, when my parents bought the house a few years before I was born, and I’ve lived here pretty much all my life up until I went to college.”
The celebration featured food on the grill, tents, an inflatable bounce house and Lexington Fire Engine 31 was there for kids to explore.
For over 30 years, leaders, families and others have gathered back to the park for fun, food and fellowship with people some say they have known for a lifetime.
Green Acres resident Christine Clay, whose family is continuing to return, says celebrations that involve the youth help them gain structure and a sense of community. She believes it provides more safety.
“It’s essential to do that because they need to come back to their roots with their friends as you grow up and you go away. You lose your friends. Come back, their kids have kids, we need to know how the foundation, you know everybody looks out for everybody. It’s not about me.”
With the park experiencing a tragedy earlier in the summer of this year involving gun violence, the people of the neighborhood are happy to see one another supporting positive community interactions. That’s especially the sentiment of neighborhood association members like President James Brown Sr. and Commodore.
“It means a great deal to me that we are trying to revive our neighborhood and not let it be turned over to violence and just being an unkempt neighborhood. We the residents of green acres take pride,” said Commodore.
Lexington’s urban county government helped fund the event and recognized the day officially, which also included a stage for performers and a raffle for both kid- and adult-friendly items.
Several Lexingtons community leaders attended the event to support the neighborhood.