For the first time Thursday, dogs of all sizes frolicked in the new dog park in Chautauqua Park.
A brief ceremony preceded the unveiling of the sign identifying the park as the Ketridge Memorial Dog Park.
The Kewanee Park District paid to build the dog park with funds willed to the park district by Mary Lou Ketridge, a former Kewanee resident.
Mrs. Ketridge was “one of the kindest, most generous people that I know of,” said her great-niece, Alicia Hermann, during the ceremony.
While Mrs. Ketridge had lived several places during her life, “her heart always remained here in Kewanee,” Hermann said.
After the sign was unveiled, dogs were released into the park. There are two sections, one for small dogs under 40 pounds and one for larger dogs over 40 pounds.
The fenced-in dog park includes a parking area along the east side of the park, as well a a water fountain and a bottle-filling station, and benches for folks watching the dogs running loose in the enclosed park areas.
Each section of the dog park includes an old fire hydrant that had been replaced and was donated by the city, as well as a couple of pieces of exercise equipment for the dogs.
