I’ve lived in Hopkinsville for 59 years (which sounds impossible) but in all that time, I believe I have been to an event in Virginia Park all of two times. The second time was Saturday for the Hello Spring Festival that Hopkinsville food truck owners Desaepa and Zirconia Vansauwa organized.
Virginia Park sits on a couple of acres that Hopkinsville benefactor John C. Latham bequeathed to the community. It had been his family’s homeplace. After Latham died in 1909, the park was developed with its distinctive bandstand. The park sits diagonally opposite another property included in Latham’s will, Peace Park adjacent to the railroad tracks.
For Saturday’s festival, there were food trucks, live music, bouncers for kids and several activities, including a yoga session. Or a person could just take a seat on a bench to enjoy the surroundings — and perhaps wonder why this doesn’t happen more often. I’m not saying Virginia Park is never used. Occasionally people and organizations do host events there.
But Virginia Park does seem to be seriously underused given its size, location and aesthetic. I understand that it seems more challenging to find a parking spot close to the park — but as downtown revitalization authority Jeff Siegler stressed during a consulting visit to Hopkinsville in September 2023, we often overthink parking. If a downtown place or event is attractive, people will find a way to get there.
Desaepa Vansauwa estimated 800 people came through the park on Saturday. The park ought to get that kind of use more often. With planning and more recognition of the park’s assets, it could.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
