The City of Lake Charles and the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana co-hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Lock Park, 1535 Ryan St., on December 20, 2016, at 11 a.m.

Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach and other community leaders unveiled improvements to existing playground facilities, including the addition of new toddler slides, climbing walls and spring toys. Inter-generational swings have also been added that will enable parents to enjoy the park with their small children. 

Lock Park was given to the city in 1917 by Ellen Martha Lock in memory of her husband, Capt. George Lock. At that time, Lock setup a fund to provide perpetual care for the park. In 2015 the family established the Lock Family Endowment Fund so that the money dedicated in 1917 will be certain to give back to the Lake Charles community for years to come. George Paret is now chairman of the fund and a descendent of Capt. George and Ellen Martha Lock.  

The playground equipment, which was made possible by a $20,000 donation from the fund through the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana. “We are fortunate to have families like the Locks and Parets as well as a Community Foundation that can work with families to ensure that the causes they care about may be supported long after our lifetimes and be of benefit to future generations,” said Mayor Roach. “I’m sure Mrs. Lock would be proud to know that almost 100 years after her original gift, her family is still supporting its community.”

Lock Park is one of 28 parks overseen by the City of Lake Charles. Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.cityoflakecharles.com. For more information on the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana or to learn more about creating an endowment fund, visit www.foundationswla.org or call 491-6688.