Polo dedicates additions, renovations at two city parks

POLO — Polo officials gathered with representatives of the William & Beverly Burkardt Family Foundation at two city parks Monday afternoon to hold dedications for some new additions.

At Millard Deuth Westside Park, members of the Polo Lions Club joined in to dedicate a renovated concession stand and new storage shed. Lions Club members helped fund and construct the buildings.

At Louise A. Quick Park, artist Nick Gjonola joined in the dedication of the new 1,200-square-foot mural that contains portraits of President Abraham Lincoln and Zenas Aplington, the founder of Polo, on a background of a map of Buffalo Township; a steam locomotive and train station; and rural farmland.

The William & Beverly Burkardt Family Foundation helped fund both projects, Mayor Doug Knapp said.

“I’d like to thank the Burkardt family for all your generosity through the years,” he said to Burkardt family members at Millard Deuth Westside Park. “It’s very heartwarming, the things that you have done for the city, and you just don’t know how appreciative we are.”

Millard Deuth Westside Park is located at 700 W. North St., on the northwest side of Polo. It has a baseball diamond, soccer field, playground and full parking lot.

Louise A. Quick Park is located at 102 W. Mason St., in downtown Polo. It is the location of some of the Movies in the Park and Polo Area Community Theatre events.

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Mural artist Nick Gjonola (third from left) shakes hands with Patti Burkardt-Brewer while meeting her and other members of the Burkardt family on July 29, 2024. The William and Beverly Burkardt Family Foundation funded the mural Gjonola painted at Louise A. Quick Park in Polo. (Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media)