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32-456: Ralph W. Woodward was a longtime businessman and property owner in the Fresno area. His father, Oscar James (O.J.) Woodward, was an early Fresno civic leader and banker who donated the large Memorial Fountain in Fresno's downtown Courthouse Park in 1921. Ralph Woodward created a will which included the requirement that, upon his death, one-fifth of his estate would go to the purchase of a site for

64-472: A BA and a BMus, specialising in the music of Benjamin Britten . While there he unearthed and published an early Evening Service by Charles Villiers Stanford , and commissioned the cantata Midwinter by Will Todd . Since 1995, Woodward has been a freelance musician. While his work has taken him all over the world, the bulk of it has been in and around Cambridge . Since 1997, he has been Musical Director of

96-547: A delegation from Kochi, Japan present. A Cherry blossom tree was planted at the entry to commemorate this event. In 2015, the garden received over 100 bonsai specimens from the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) Collection of the former Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California . The garden is a popular spot for photography sessions also hosts events. Annually, the garden

128-485: A number of familiar titles. The company held 311 performances in the park over 11 seasons. Woodward Park hosted the Grizzly Fest music festival in 2018 and 2019. The event started in 2012, when local Fresno artist Fashawn organized a hip-hop festival held at the fairgrounds . The original lineup featured performances by himself, Murs, Husalah , Strong Arm Steady and many local talent and skateboarders. The event

160-493: A plan for the project and they sought to raise $ 250,000 in donations for it. The city had formed a sister city relationship with Kochi, Japan a few years earlier, in 1965, and looked to them to donate authentic Japanese buildings. Landscape architect Paul Saito was hired for design services in 1972 and construction began in 1975. Construction involved the addition of 30,000 cubic yards (23,000 m) of earth and 600 tonnes (1,300,000 lb) of granite boulders. On May 18, 1981,

192-522: A public park and bird refuge. The site was to be "selected solely by said trustees and conveyed to the City of Fresno as soon as purchased" and that the site shall be purchased "within a reasonable time." Woodward was an outdoorsman and frequently went trap shooting on the San Joaquin River . Woodward died on March 6, 1961, and his will was filed for probate. One of the executors and trustees of

224-578: A small niche area, BMX exploded at this time into the dominant bicycle for the younger rider, with older teenagers and even adults becoming known names through publications like BMX Bi-Weekly , featuring big names like Tim March and Andy Ruffell. The shift to freestyle from racing came in 1985 with popular styling moving from chrome frames and contrasting components in black blue or red being the norm, to brightly coloured bikes in one colour only, including their magnesium alloy wheels and even matching tyres. Because BMX exploded into Britain's streets so suddenly, it

256-552: Is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes , either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX , or else in general street or off-road recreation. BMX began during the early 1970s in the United States when children began racing their bicycles on dirt tracks in southern California , inspired by the motocross stars of the time. The size and availability of the Schwinn Sting-Ray and other wheelie bikes made them

288-814: Is also active as an editor for Oxford University Press , with particular involvement in the William Walton Edition. He has made many arrangements for choirs: his version of the theme for Upstairs, Downstairs was featured on BBC Radio 4 's PM programme , and he has arranged and conducted the choral music for two albums by Cradle of Filth . He has conducted the premieres of works by many leading composers, including Jonathan Dove , Bob Chilcott , Will Todd, Eriks Esenvalds , Cecilia McDowall and Ola Gjeilo . In January 2022, he became Interim Assistant Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge , conducting King's Voices . BMX BMX , an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross ,

320-516: Is an English classical conductor, arranger and organist. His main focus is on conducting choirs. Ralph Woodward was born in Stockton-on-Tees , England. He attended Durham Chorister School from 1979 to 1985, and then went to Durham School , where he was a King's Scholar and a Music Scholar. He spent 1990–91 as Organ Scholar at Durham Cathedral , before taking up an Organ Scholarship at Queens' College, Cambridge , where he studied for

352-480: Is home to a Spring Blossom Festival, a Toro Nagashi (Floating Lantern) Ceremony in August and a Shinzen Cultural Faire. The park houses a shaded outdoor pavilion, named Rotary Amphitheater, which seats 4,000 people. The amphitheatre was renovated in 2010, and has hosted performances by acts such as Deftones , Tech N9ne , and Sevendust as well as numerous others. BMX riders had used the park for recreation since

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384-460: The COVID-19 pandemic and did not return in 2021 or 2022. The formation of Woodward Park preceded, and in some ways drove, development on Fresno's northeast edges. Ted C. Wills , who was mayor from 1969 to 1977 just following completion of Woodward Park, made northern expansion a focus of his administration. The community bounded on the south by Herndon Avenue, on the west by Blackstone Avenue, on

416-807: The Fairhaven Singers , and has overseen their development into a leading chamber choir. From 2002 to 2010, he was Musical Director of the Britten–Pears Chamber Choir. Until 2016 he was the Musical Director of NORVIS, an early music summer school in Durham, and of Full Score, a semi-professional chamber choir. He has worked with a number of top orchestras, including the London Mozart Players , The Parley of Instruments, Britten Sinfonia and City of London Sinfonia . He

448-530: The City Council in 2018 and responded to those concerns, getting their mitigation plan and $ 100,000 license to use Woodward Park approved. In 2018, Snoop Dogg , Nas and Foster the People were the headliners and the event included two stages, a Ferris wheel, carnival games, vendor booths and food trucks. In 2019, the headliners were Portugal. The Man and G-Eazy . The festival was canceled in 2020 due to

480-573: The East and West coasts of the United States. The popularity of the sport has increased due to its relative ease and availability of places to ride and do tricks. In the UK, BMX was a craze which took off in the early 1980s, specifically 1982 and 1983, when the BMX bike became the must-have bicycle for children and teenagers. The 1983 cult movie BMX Bandits helped establish the sport further worldwide. Previously

512-779: The Hard Pan Classic moved to the course in Kearney Park , just west of Fresno. A 167-acre parcel just north of Woodward Park was acquired by the San Joaquin River Conservancy, named the Jensen River Ranch. The parks are now connected in multiple places. The six-mile, paved Lewis S. Eaton trail originates inside Woodward and continues north, following the curve of the San Joaquin river. State championship Cross Country races for

544-900: The Ipswich BMX Club, which still provides coaching and races on a regular basis. In April 1981, the International BMX Federation was founded, and the first world championships were held in 1982. Since January 1993, BMX has been integrated into the Union Cycliste Internationale . In 2003, the International Olympic Committee made BMX a medal Olympic sport for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing , China , and Māris Štrombergs (male, for Latvia ) and Anne-Caroline Chausson (female, for France ) became

576-475: The city for the development of a park and bird refuge, now named Woodward Park. As Woodward was being planted and constructed, a group of Japanese-Americans, headed by local accountant Ben Nakamura, approached the city to set aside two acres of the park for a Japanese garden. A meeting between the Japanese-American group, Fresno parks department director and the son of the late Ralph Woodward produced

608-499: The construction of a Japanese-themed restaurant incorporated into the garden was much discussed. Proponents of the plan cited the revenue it would generate, allowing for continued improvements to the park while detractors claimed that a restaurant would violate the "quiet oasis" intent of original park benefactor Ralph Woodward. No restaurant was built and the area that it would occupy is a service yard seen from Friant Road. The garden celebrated its 25th anniversary on April 29, 2006, with

640-585: The course was the work of city officials and parks department head at the time, Ron Primavera. In the first year of operation, the course earned a spot as part of the "Central Valley Series," an annual circuit of approximately 10 tournaments throughout the Central Valley . Since 2014, the disc golf tournament in Fresno has branded itself the "Hard Pan Classic," named after the cementitious substratum frequently found in San Joaquin valley soil . In 2019,

672-471: The estate estimated the value at $ 1 million. Various options were considered for the site, but the estate trustees settled on land next to State Highway 41 and Shepherd Avenue with Friant Road skirting the eastern boundary in September 1964. The trustees purchased 185 acres (75 ha) of land for $ 296,000 and the city added 50 acres (20 ha) at a cost of $ 80,000 and the entire site was transferred to

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704-515: The garden was officially dedicated and a large delegation from Kochi attended the opening. The Shinzen Friendship Garden, also known as the Shinzen Japanese Garden is a 5-acre Japanese stroll garden . The Garden was planned around the four seasons, with distinctive plantings in each area. The spring section features Azaleas , Camellias , crabapples , irises , flowering cherries and plums . A paved pathway connects visitors to

736-715: The middle of that decade, the sport achieved critical mass , and manufacturers began creating bicycles designed especially for the sport. In 1974, George E. Esser founded the National Bicycle League as a non-profit bicycle motocross sanctioning organization. Before they set up the NBL, Esser and his wife, Mary, sanctioned motorcycle races with the American Motocross Association (AMA). Their two sons, Greg and Brian, raced motorcycles, but also enjoyed riding and racing BMX with their friends. It

768-523: The natural bike of choice for these races, since they were easily customized for better handling and performance. BMX racing was a phenomenon by the mid-1970s. Children were racing standard road bikes off-road around purpose-built tracks in California. The motorcycle racing documentary On Any Sunday (1971) is generally credited with inspiring the movement nationally in the United States; its opening scene shows kids riding their Sting-Rays off-road. By

800-618: The north by the San Joaquin River and Copper Avenue and on the east by Willow Avenue is called the Woodward Park area . Many structures in this area include the "Woodward" name, including the public library and the 1,100-home Woodward Lake subdivision. Woodward remains the largest public park in Fresno. 36°52′15″N 119°47′04″W  /  36.8708°N 119.7845°W  / 36.8708; -119.7845 Ralph Woodward Ralph Woodward (born 17 November 1971)

832-758: The sport gained popularity. However, in 2007 the city constructed an official course in the Woodward's southwest corner. The 160,000 ft (49,000 m) S-shaped course includes timing equipment, barriers, hills, and a staging area. The first permanent disc golf course in Fresno was installed in Woodward Park, named "Woodward Legacy Disc Golf Course," and it opened in November 2003. The course includes eighteen holes on 57 acres (23 ha) acres of rolling hills, trees and bluffs. The hole distances range from 200 feet to more than 600 feet in length. Installation of

864-591: The summer section, in which a Koi Pond is the centerpiece. Tulip trees, Chinese pistache and tallow trees are planted in the Autumn Section, where they display bright colors in the fall. A large waterfall, pines and evergreens anchor the Winter Section. In 1989, the garden received a thatched-roofed teahouse that was built in Japan and re-assembled by Japanese carpenters on the shore of the pond. Allowing

896-603: The top California high schoolers, organized by the CIF , have been held at Woodward since 1987. The state championship Cross Country races for community college students, organized by the CCCAA are also hosted there, typically in November. At the university level, it is the home course for the Fresno State Bulldogs men's and women's cross country teams. It has also hosted 14 NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships since

928-752: The tournament's inaugural year of 1968. The park most recently hosted the 2004 NCAA Western Region Championship, the 2006 Western Athletic Conference Championships and 2014 Mountain West Championships. Woodward Park also plays host to the Woodward Shakespeare Festival - for Shakespeare in the Park . The performances take place on the WSF Stage near the Friant/Fort Washington Entrance, and showcase

960-492: Was perhaps inevitable that it would implode with similar speed, when the children who rode the bikes left school and went to work. By 1986–1987, sales in the UK had dropped off dramatically, with the new all-terrain bike or mountain bike (another trend from mid-1970s California) taking off, soon to become the most popular adult bicycle. In 1980, the first BMX track in the UK was founded in Landseer Park , Ipswich , by

992-401: Was revived in 2015 at Chukchansi Park , the minor league baseball stadium in downtown Fresno, and became an annual event after that. It moved to Woodward Park in 2018 because the move allowed expansion from one day to two days. There was much discussion about the potential effects of noise and parking congestion on nearby residents east of Woodward Park. The Grizzly Fest promoters appeared before

Woodward Park (Fresno) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-606: Was their sons' interest, and the lack of BMX organizations in the East, which prompted Esser to start the NBL in Florida. By 1977, the American Bicycle Association (ABA) was organized as a national sanctioning body for the growing sport. Freestyle BMX is now one of the staple events at the annual Summer X Games Extreme Sports competition and the Etnies Backyard Jam, held primarily on

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