Woodward Park (Fresno) facts for kids
Woodward Park is a very large public park located in Fresno, California. It sits right next to the San Joaquin River. This park is the biggest of the three main public parks in the Fresno area. Most of the land for the park was given by Ralph Woodward in 1968.
Woodward Park is a very important place for cross country running. Every November, it hosts the big California State Championships. These championships are for high school teams (CIF) and college teams (CCCAA). It is also the home course for the Fresno State Bulldogs cross country teams. Both the men's and women's teams practice and compete here.
The park also hosts the Woodward Shakespeare Festival. This festival puts on "Shakespeare in the Park" performances. The shows happen on the WSF Stage, which is near the Friant/Fort Washington Entrance. They perform many famous plays by William Shakespeare. The festival company has put on over 311 shows in the park. They are currently in their 11th season of performances.
Shinzen Friendship Garden: A Japanese Oasis
The park has a special place called the Shinzen Friendship Garden. It is also known as the Shinzen Japanese Garden. This garden is 5 acres big and is a type of Japanese garden called a "stroll garden." It opened in 1981 and was designed by Paul Saito.
The garden has a beautiful teahouse that was built in Japan. Japanese carpenters then took it apart and put it back together again by the pond in the garden. The Shinzen Friendship Garden was built to honor Kochi, Japan. Kochi is Fresno’s sister city, which means they have a special friendship connection.
In 2015, the garden received more than 100 bonsai trees. These tiny, carefully shaped trees came from a special collection. They were from the Golden State Bonsai Federation, which used to be at the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California.
