Previously known as Matheson Playground, the effort to rename the Winnipeg park was led and funded by local resident Max Saper. The city consented to the renaming on 10 February 1997, and it was officially dedicated to local Olympian Clara Hughes on 22 July 1997, becoming Clara Hughes Park and Children’s Playground. A Tyndall-stone monument and plaque honour her double-bronze cycling performance on 21 July 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games. The renaming ceremony was attended by Clara Hughes and some 300 community residents, with donations provided by neighbourhood businesses and the Rotary Club of North Winnipeg.
Clara Hughes Park and Children’s Playground (September 2014)
Source: Nathan KramerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.93204, W97.13252
denoted by symbol on the map above
“It’s a park fit for a hero,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 June 1997, page D3.
“Clara Hughes gets her chance,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 July 1997, page D1.
“Hughes says ‘Thanks, Winnipeg’ as plaque unveiled in ‘her’ park,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 July 1997, page D2.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 28 February 2023
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