The City of Fayetteville’s Parks and Recreation Department hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening for Doc Mashburn Park on Wednesday, June 16. The park is located at 1582 Fairlane Street and features a play area for ages 5-12, a pavilion with picnic tables, and an open play area.
This park was acquired through the city’s Park Land Dedication Ordinance, which requires residential developments to contribute either land and/or money to the park system. The project was partially funded with a grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Outdoor Recreation Grant Program.
Grand Opening ceremony
The park was named for Dr. James “Doc” Mashburn, a lifelong Fayetteville resident who delivered well over 10,000 babies from 1950 to 1988. “Dr. Mashburn was the epitome of charitable service, gaining the trust and admiration of all those around him for his reliable, tireless, and unending contributions to the Fayetteville community,” reads a city release. Dr. Mashburn served on the Board of Directors of McIlroy Bank, the Washington County 4-H Board, the Fayetteville Planning Commission, the Arkansas State Police Commission, and the Fayetteville Police Pension and Retirement Board. He also co-founded the Mashburn Scholarship Foundation, which provides vocal music scholarships to musically-talented students.
Approximately 50 people attended the ceremony including family, friends, residents from the surrounding neighborhoods, representatives from the Arkansas State Police and representatives from the 142nd Fires Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard. The ceremony began with students from the Barbara Mashburn Scholarship Foundation singing “America the Beautiful”. Alderman Bobby Ferrell then read a Mayoral Proclamation signed by Mayor Lioneld Jordan and City Clerk Sondra Smith, which proclaimed June 16, 2010, as “Doc Mashburn Day” and led the ribbon cutting along with members of the Mashburn family and local residents.
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