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October 13, 1995: Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden Dedicated at Grant Park

October 13, 2011 by Dave Leave a Comment

Statues at Grant ParkThe Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Northeast Portland’s Grant Park was dedicated on October 13, 1995.

Ramona Quimby is the beloved young heroine of Beverly Cleary’s whimsical books about growing up in Northeast Portland. She has been immortalized in the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children in Portland’s Grant Park (which is four blocks from the real Klickitat Street).

Portland artist Lee Hunt sculpted the statues of the three Cleary characters in clay, and then had them cast in bronze. Fountains are under Ramona’s and Ribsy’s feet, perfect for kids to splash in during warm weather. Around the concrete fountain slab are granite plaques engraved with the titles of the Cleary books that take place in Portland. These include all the Henry Huggins books, Ribsy, Otis Spofford and all the books involving Ramona and her older sister Beezus.

Over 1000 people were in attendance at the dedication, where Beverly Cleary shared stories about growing up in the neighborhood and playing as a child at Grant Park in 1930s.

Filed Under: Art, Books, History, Portland, This Day in History

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