Pocket Park Begins to Bloom

IRONWOOD, MI - Sunday, May 18, 2008 - Spring appears to have sprung! Ironwood's Pocket Park is already abloom with colorful gifts of spring.

The Pocket Park is maintained by the Range Master Gardeners and is funded by the Downtown Development Authority. The park is located on the corner of Suffolk and Aurora Streets, across from River Valley State Bank, where the former S & L Building was located. The building that housed the S & L was a landmark building faced with sandstone. It was badly deteriorated.

After the building was razed, the late Gerald "Jerry" Kinnunen of the Modern Portrait Studio, down the street from the park, lead the landscaping effort. Kinnunen treated the park as if it were his baby. Rarely would you drive by the park and not see Jerry hard at work tending to the garden.

On May 2, 2004, Gerald Kinnunen passed away. Jerry was a member of the National Guard and was activated during the Detroit riots in 1968.  He was an active member of both the Ironwood Theatre and Theatre North boards. He was involved in the Ironwood Theatre's Barton organ restoration efforts. He was a member of the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority, past president of the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce, Range Master Gardeners, 46th Parallel Planters, Renaissance Festival, Range Art concerts and Kiwanis, where he was chairperson for the Spiritual Aims Committee. Among his accomplishments was successful grant-writing for several organizations.

The Pocket Park remains as a tribute to Kinnunen's community involvement and his contributions to the Ironwood area.

Jim Albert