Richmond community is invited to check out improved Lucas Park with Picnic & Play Saturday

Community organizers are expecting hundreds of Richmond residents to gather, play soccer and celebrate at Lucas Park on Saturday, as part of a community-led “Picnic & Play” event. 

Since April, multiple community organizations have held weekly free wellness and sports events  in an effort to revitalize the park in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood. In October, Lucas Park hosted over 30  events.

Bordered by train tracks and a highway overpass, the park has struggled to attract visitors. Saturday’s event will be an opportunity for organizers to showcase the work that has been done to improve the park since April. 

At a recent weekly basketball and cleanup hosted by the group Moving Forward, participants finished an intense basketball game before they rolled up their sleeves and picked up trash along the fence that separates the park from the train tracks. Organizers say they are hoping to use fitness and sports activities. to build a stronger sense of community.

Lucas Park Picnic & Play

When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: 724 10th St.

What: snacks, games, sports, family activities

Cost: Free

Who is invited: Everyone in Richmond

Omar Guerro, a recent high school graduate who attended the basketball and cleanup, said it seems to be working. 

“I feel like it’s a really good opportunity for the community to come together and just get to know people,” Guerro said.

Why here?

Since April, the fields have been maintained, the baseball diamond has been tended to, soccer goals have been added, and the bathrooms have been leaned regularly.

“People did have hesitations about going to the park,” said Stef Solis, Urban Tilth’s Lucas Park community engagement co-manager. “I think one lady even said, ‘This park is bunk, why are you doing this here?’”

When the events started last spring, there was low turnout, said Rashida Foster, another community engagement co-manager at Urban Tilth who grew up in Richmond. But as the events became weekly, more people showed up.

Foster noted that neighbors used to avoid the park in the late 1990s and early 2000s because of gang violence and other crime. Then violent crime declined, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the park still had fewer visitors.

“For the most part, everyone we talk to and invite to the events, they are really excited about the park getting upgraded and events being hosted there and livening up the park,” said Anselmo Ramirez, the founder of Moving Forward. But it’s still a challenge getting people out. 

The Lucas Park revitalization is a part of the Richmond Parks Equity Project, a Black- and brown-led program evaluating park inequities in Richmond and proposing solutions. Within RichPEP, organizations work with the city to reshape how the parks are used. 

At these events, Urban Tilth has surveyed participants about what they enjoy and what they want to see improved at Lucas Park. Residents have said they want more shaded areas, better field conditions and brighter lights. The goal is to create a community-driven master plan for Lucas Park. 

The Lucas Park Picnic & Play is open to everyone and will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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