WEST MONROE – Kiroli Park, one of northeast Louisiana's largest parks, has a very special anniversary in 2025!
The park, owned and operated by the City of West Monroe, is turning 100 this year. To celebrate this historic occasion, a special birthday party for the general public will be held on Saturday, October 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will include entertainment, games, activities, demonstrations and birthday cake.
A special thank you to the event's title sponsor Graphic Packaging of West Monroe for providing free admission into the park on October 18.
With its 150 acres of nature’s beauty, Kiroli Park offers something for everyone – scenic trails, tranquil ponds, vibrant gardens as well as a dog park, tennis and pickleball courts, picnic areas, an amphitheater and mountain bike trails. Established in 1925 as a recreational site for the Boy Scouts, the site grew into a treasured community landmark.
The current Kiroli Park started as the Ouachita Valley Boy Scout Camp. The present-day location of the park was the beginning of scouting in Ouachita Parish. Camp Kiroli was purchased by 40 early scout pioneers on October 14, 1925. Led by TO Brown, CC Bell and Robert M. Breard Jr. of Monroe, 40 members of the Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions Club put up $100 each for the purchase price of the roughly 130 acres of land that would eventually become Kiroli Park. The name “Kiroli” came from the first two letters of each group’s name that secured the $4,000 needed to purchase the property.
The park’s unique history will be shared with the public during oral history sessions during the Kiroli Park birthday. A full schedule of events and presentations on that day will be made available on the West Monroe Parks and Recreation Facebook page.
Event organizers are watching Saturday’s weather closely for the chance of rain. Please monitor the City of West Monroe and West Monroe Parks and Recreation Facebook pages for updates.
For more information about the celebration or Kiroli Park, please contact the park at (318) 396-4016