Group hopes to hit high note with Maple Leaf Park fundraiser

The Scott Joplin Foundation just kicked off its “Pave the Park” campaign in effort to raise $40,000 to pave and repair Maple Leaf Park.

Foundation Director Stacy Purvis said the foundation’s board of directors in the past year identified the need for repairs at the park as an objective for the foundation. The plans for the project include paving over the graveled area, resealing the decorative concrete, making minor wall repairs, replacing benches and updating the stage.

Purvis said the bulk of the funds raised would go toward the installation of pavers to replace the gravel-covered area, where weeds are starting to accumulate.

“Because there is not a good base of gravel, there’s more weeds and it needs more maintenance,” Purvis said. “Paving it over would cut down on the need to replenish gravel or pulls weeds from it.”

Maple Leaf Park was dedicated in 1994 as a monument to commemorate the location of the Maple Leaf Club, where Scott Joplin helped launch the ragtime musical genre. Joplin’s time at the club also is believed to be the inspiration for “The Maple Leaf Rag,” which was the first piece of sheet music to sell more than a million copies.

“The park has been here about 16 years, and we haven’t really done any repairs on it, so it’s kind of the natural time for these improvements,” Purvis said.

In addition making the park more user-friendly and functional for visitors and performers at the annual Scott Joplin Festival, the foundation is hopeful the changes will make it a more appealing location for other organizations and residents to host events there.

“Hopefully with that it would be a little more usable, not just for us but for the community,” Purvis said.

She said the foundation plans to offer different levels of sponsorships, and hopes to install another plaque to honor people who make significant contributions to the campaign. All donations to the non-profit organization are tax deductible.

“I would love to get it done by the next festival. If we raise all the money this winter, that would be fabulous,” Purvis said.

Anyone interested in supporting the campaign can call 826-2271 for more information.