Frisco celebrated the opening of its long-awaited Kaleidoscope Park this weekend. It's the result of a public-private partnership the city hopes will become a major attraction.
"This is going to be a regional draw," said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney. "We expect people from all over DFW to come here to enjoy the park."
Opening weekend offered a chance to showcase the six-acre green space for people to relax, work, and play nestled off the Dallas North Tollway and Warren Parkway just south of The Star in Frisco.
"This park is so beautiful. As you can see, we have two little ones so we're always looking for events that we can take them to and let them run around," said Frisco resident Brittany Roland visiting with her son Courtland.
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The $40 million park is a public-private project. The city of Frisco owns the land and contributed $15 million. The rest of the money is from donations and the construction funds were from Kathryn and Craig Hall.
"Petting zoos, yoga, face painting, things that we'll continue to do on an ongoing basis in the park," said Kaleidoscope Park executive director Shawn Jackson.
One of the main attractions focused on art. Butterfly Rest Stop is a 65-foot-tall art installation from world-renowned fabric artist Janet Elchelman. The sculpture pays homage to butterflies that frequent the area and is built to withstand Texas weather.
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"It has 44-foot deep foundations but it's soft," said Elchelman. "I think that's the kind of strength that we have here in Texas. It's resilience, this ability to adapt and change and be strong."
The visually appealing sculpture will be lit at night but changes colors during the day depending on the sun.
About 3,000 people turned out Saturday morning, but organizers hope millions will visit in the months ahead.
