Arkansas State press., 1951-07-27
The Pine Bluff Negro Park Commission re

The Pine Bluff Negro Park Commission re
ceived less than TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS
as its share of the net proceeds of the An
nual Bathing Beauty contest. The attraction
which brought hundreds of out-of-town guests
TO our city is quite popular but the cause for
which il is given is certainly not obtaining
the support which 1t sorey needs. The profit
from such investment as was made by the
commission might be considered fair for the
commission afforded the means by which the
attraction is given; but the net result to the
park In terms Of money is pitiable in the
light of the needs of the commission and the
Negro citizens of this community.
Plans Are Underway To Raise Funds
for a field house at the Townsend park, which
has the first municipality owned swimming
pool in Arkansas. Except for the swimming
pool the park has only a limited number of
facilities to serve the youths of this community.
A field house is needed for indoor recreation
and particularly during the long winter months
is such facility needed in this community
for except for the 'honky-tonks' and the beer
selling joints. Negro youths have no other
comparably adequate facility for indoor pleas
IRE. Out of all of the organizations, church,
civic. fraternal, and political there is com
plete void in housing facilities for Negro youths
TO use up their energies. And at time when
the chairman. M1sin E. Moore, ST. is making
such a splendid effort to rally the airport of
Negro citizens behind the campaign to raise
money for the construction of field house. it
Is serious matter when the biggest attraction
under the sponsorship of the citizens through
the Negro Park Commission can only bring in
less than Two Hundred Dollars with thousands
of ha init 10
aemble at the barren Townsend Park
The Out 0f-Town Guests, il may be ventur-
ed were extended hospitality in such manner as
to entail the expenditure of larger sum than
that reaped by the Negro Park commission.
Those who were participating in the celebration
of the Declaration of Independence on July 18th,
probably spent far more money for those things
which make joyous the moods of celebrants.
The whiskey and poker parties over the town
certainly could have afforded an equal sum as
the commission received without any appreeia-
BILE harm to the financial standing of the in
dividuals or any dullness to the good times In
progress. The need for the park and its pro-
gram of expansion is so dire that the situation
poses q serious question to the mothers and
fathers of this community who seem quite able
to use their time and money in ways certainly
not helpful to the active and vigorous bodies
and souls Of their offspring However, things
are not quite dead for we hear that several of
the ladies of leisure and leaders in their clubs
have taken time out to work with the Girl
Scouts in their encampment at Townsend Park,
but so much of their energies were consumed
with the unusual activities that they have not
gotten around just yet to protesting the uncivil
treatment of their names by Pine Bluffs only
daily newspaper which according to the report
of its policy refuses to call Negro women
MRS" A lot Of money was spent in Pine Bluff