New outdoor fitness court opens in Parsons with ribbon cutting ceremony

PARSONS, Kan. — There’s a new way to stay active in the city of Parsons – thanks to a first for the community.

“This is just really coming together for something that’s important to the community. This is outdoor recreation. We are the outdoors here in Labette County,” said Jim Zaleski, the City of Parsons Economic Development Director.

On Tuesday, Parsons Police Department, Parsons Fire Department, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, city officials and the community came to a ribbon cutting for a new outdoor fitness court.

“What you see behind us is a full body workout and we’re hopefully that a lot of people will take advantage of it,” said Zaleski.

The outdoor fitness court sits in between the playground and right beside the walking trail in Forest Park.

For six months, the city has worked to bring the community a way to get active and outdoors.

“Brian Williams mentioned during his comments, we are constantly ranked in southeast Kansas as one of the lowest counties for health. This is an opportunity at no cost to any resident to come out here exercising the equipment,” said Zaleski.

Virginia Barns, Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas Director of Blue Health Initiatives “We can help create access to free physical activity in communities across our service area.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas Director of Blue Health Initiatives Virginia Barns, says it’s also a way to bring healthy ways to the community.

Virginia Barns, Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas Director of Blue Health Initiatives “Who are able to get that physical activity to help them stay healthy and live healthy lives.

Attendees also got the chance to watch how the fitness court works.

Volunteers from the Parsons Fire Department demonstrated each of the seven exercises, from push-ups to body weighted pulls.

With the help of the City of Parsons, local sponsors such as Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas, Labette Health, Parsons Chamber of Commerce, Bowen Pharmacy, and the National Fitness Campaign were all able to make the total cost of this 200 thousand dollar project a reality.

“People really want to be outside. We have seen our numbers on walking trails and Forest Park skyrocket post COVID, so we want to keep that trend going. This is a perfect way to do it,” said Zaleski.