Rosa Parks Circle

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Rosa Parks Circle (2006) Rosa Parks Ice Rink.jpg
Rosa Parks Circle (2006)

Rosa Parks Circle is a plaza located in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan. [1] During the warmer months it is a multipurpose facility, acting as a venue for events like concerts [2] or dances put on by the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society (GROSS). [3] In the winter the Circle is converted to an ice rink. [4] Below the ice there are 166 fiber optic lights designed to represent the sky of Michigan as it appeared at midnight, January 1, 2000.

Grand Rapids, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in Michigan and the largest city in West Michigan. It is on the Grand River about 30 miles (48 km) east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 1,005,648, and the combined statistical area of Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland had a population of 1,321,557. Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County.

Ice rink frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports

An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, bandy, rink bandy, ringette, broomball, speed skating, figure skating, ice stock sport and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows. There are two types of rinks in prevalent use today: natural, where freezing occurs from cold ambient temperatures, and artificial, where a coolant produces cold temperatures in the surface below the water, causing the water to freeze. There are also synthetic ice rinks where skating surfaces are made out of plastics.

The area was designed by Maya Lin [1] [5] who is famous for her work on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Maya Lin American architect and artist

Maya Ying Lin is an American designer, architect, and artist who works in sculpture and land art. She achieved national recognition at the age of 21 while still an undergraduate at Yale University, when her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. was chosen in a national competition. It is considered one of the most influential memorials of the post-World War II period.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial War memorial in Washington, DC, United States

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 2-acre U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the war.

The original name of the circle was Monroe Mall Amphitheater. It is now named in honor of longtime Michigan resident Rosa Parks, of whom there is a statue in the park. [6]

Rosa Parks African-American civil rights activist

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".

On August 7, 2012 Rosa Parks Circle was the location of a Guinness Book world record for the largest number of people swing dancing in unison (756 individuals) organized by the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society. [7] [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Rosa Parks Sculpture Project". Grand Rapids, MI: City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2008. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Estimated 30,000 fans packed Rosa Parks Circle". Grand Rapids Press. 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Grand Rapids Original Swing Society". Grand Rapids, MI. 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Rosa Parks Circle Welcome Skaters". Grand Rapids, MI: WOOD-TV. January 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  5. ↑ "West Michigan Sculptures". SculptureSiteGR.org. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Photos: Rosa Parks statue dedicated in downtown Grand Rapids". MLive. 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Largest swing dance". Guinness World Records. August 7, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Video of World Record Swing". MLive. August 8, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.

Coordinates: 42°57′56″N85°40′18″W / 42.96562°N 85.67159°W / 42.96562; -85.67159

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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