Gage Park, Brampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gage Park |
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Gage Park in October 2009
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Brampton, Ontario |
| Created | 1903 |
| Operated by | City of Brampton |
| Open | Open all year |
| Parking | Nearby street parking, and parking garage beneath City Hall |
Gage Park is a cool urban park in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It's Brampton's oldest park, first opened way back in 1903!
The park has lots of fun stuff, like pretty flower gardens, a gazebo, and big old trees. You can also find a fountain, trails for rollerblading and jogging, a play area for kids, and a wading pool. In the summer, there are even evening concerts! When winter comes, the temperature-controlled skating trail is a super popular spot for ice skating.
Park History
For a long time, Brampton didn't have a public park. Big events happened at places like the Fair Grounds, but these spots were far from the town center and didn't have many trees for shade.
In 1902, a kind man named Sir William J. Gage bought some land. He owned a company that made school textbooks. He bought part of a big garden called the Alder Lea estate. Sir William then gave 1.7 acres (about 0.7 hectares) of this land to the town. He had one special rule: it had to be turned into a park!
Citizens of Brampton also helped by donating money. With their donations and some extra money from the town, more land was bought to make the park even bigger.
A special committee was set up to plan the park. They removed some trees, made gravel paths, and leveled the ground. Sir William J. Gage officially opened the park on July 1, 1903, which is now Canada Day. It was Brampton's very first municipal park!
Over the years, more things were added. A bandstand was built for music, and a group called the Horticultural Society helped label all the trees.
In 1955, the Kinsmen’s Club of Brampton added a wading pool, which is great for cooling off on hot days. Later, in 1971, the park received the Flower Fountain. The Rotary Club of Brampton has also helped a lot, adding swings in 1946 and the popular skating trail in the 1990s.
The City of Brampton later bought the Alderlea mansion. They started big renovations in 2010. There are now stairs connecting Alderlea to Gage Park.
Park Location
Gage Park is located just south-west of where Main Street South and Wellington Street West meet. This is in the old downtown area of Brampton, south of Brampton's City Hall. You can find street parking nearby, and there's often free underground parking beneath City Hall.
Things to Do
Skating Trail
Ice skating on the temperature-controlled skating trail is a super popular activity in the winter. The skating trail is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, it stays open until 11 p.m. If you need to rent skates or get yours sharpened, there's a place called Shoe Clinic nearby.
Veterans Monument
The Veteran monument is a special statue carved in 2005. It was made from the trunk of a very old red oak tree that was dying. This statue was created to honor the "Year of the Veteran" in Canada.
The artist, Jim Menken, carved the statue to look like Bill Bettridge. Bill Bettridge was a brave veteran of the Second World War. He survived Operation Overlord, which were the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, that helped end the war. The statue stands quietly to remember all the men and women from Brampton who have served, and continue to serve, Canada in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions around the world.
Images for kids
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Gage Park Entrance in Summer, 2021
