The Town of Highland Park’s centennial year culminated with a neighborhood block party Sunday afternoon, thrown to celebrate its past, present and future.
With 100 years as an officially incorporated municipality under its belt, Highland Park had a birthday blowout for dignitaries and residents to attend Oct. 27.
Lakeside Park and the streets surrounding it had all the trappings of a good party – lots of people, debonair decorations (of the blue and gold variety, of course), a fantastic backdrop and food from local vendors and food trucks.
The official party kicked off at 2 p.m., and the “HP 100” festivity’s main program began about thirty minutes later, with the national anthem and an invocation by former Highland Park United Methodist Church pastor Rev. Mark Craig.
First, Centennial Chairman and longtime HP resident Pierce Allman welcomed the crowd.
“What’s the greatest residential community in the history of the United States? Are you glad you live here?” Allman asked the crowd (they responded, respectively—with vigor—Highland Park, and, yes!)
“Founding families, you are the reason we are here, and we salute you,” he said, motioning toward the Prathers and others at the celebration.
A video with several town representatives including the HP Librarian Bonnie Case told the story of Highland Park’s birthday, which starts with John S. Armstrong and his son-in-law’s trip to California. While on the West Coast, Armstrong met the now-famous landscape developer Wilbur David Cook, who was designing Beverly Hills at the time. Armstrong hired Cook to travel to Dallas and draw up a plan for the town you see today.
Even then, 20 percent of the town’s area was dedicated to parks, including Turtle Creek and Hackberry Creek, and all of the green space has remained since.
“So it became the first totally planned town in Texas, the first totally planned park city in Texas – and then, that plan, was incorporated in the name. The high land—for the fact that the land was higher than Downtown Dallas—and park, for the green space and the park system. And it was an instant success,” Allman said Sunday.
Mayor Joel Williams was all smiles at the birthday party.
“You know, it’s an unbelievable feeling to be here celebrating our town’s 100th birthday. Our town, our community of homes, has absorbed a century of change with stability, never losing our founder’s original vision of neighborhood. And that’s what we celebrate today—that special spirit of community,” Williams said.
University Park Mayor Pro Tem Bob Clark spoke about the working partnership between Highland Park and its sister city over the years (which wasn’t established until 1924).
“You’ve never looked more beautiful. We just want to know who your plastic surgeon is,” University Park Mayor Pro Tem Bob Clark said jokingly.
Brad Cheves, SMU’s vice president for development and external affairs, also spoke and presented a resolution to the mayor promising that the university would continue to partner with the Town in the future.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and HP resident also spoke about his love for the town.
“We really love living here, we love Highland Park United Methodist Church, we saw our principal at Armstrong, and we love our neighbors,” Jenkins said.
The judge went on to discuss how the leadership of Highland Park has kept its residents healthier and happier, referring specifically to last year’s West Nile outbreak – the worst of any county nationwide. Jenkins noted that the Town’s leaders voted to enact aerial spraying almost immediately, helping to alleviate the overall impact of the virus in the area.
Also making an appearance was Texas attorney general candidate and current State Rep. Dan Branch, who congratulated the town and presented the mayor with a flag flown over the Capitol in Austin in honor of the centennial.
Throughout the afternoon, families enjoyed bounce houses, a zip line, and of course, the 4,000 cupcakes provided at the event, and took time to mark their names into Highland Park’s legacy by either placing their hands in wet cement to be displayed on a town wall or weaving ribbon into a centennial-themed quilt.
The birthday party, planned to a tee, left only question open—what will the town’s 200th birthday look like?