Rosa Parks Circle Explained

Rosa Parks Circle is a plaza located in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan.^[1] During the warmer months it is a multipurpose facility, acting as a venue for events like concerts^[2] or dances put on by the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society (GROSS).^[3] In the winter the Circle is converted to an ice rink.^[4] Below the ice there are 166 fiber optic lights designed to represent the sky of Michigan as it appeared at midnight, January 1, 2000.

The area was designed by Maya Lin^[5] who is famous for her work on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The original name of the circle was Monroe Mall Amphitheater. It is now named in honor of longtime Michigan resident Rosa Parks, of whom there is a statue in the park.^[6]

On August 7, 2012 Rosa Parks Circle was the location of a Guinness Book world record for the largest number of people swing dancing in unison (756 individuals) organized by the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society.^{[7] [8]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rosa Parks Sculpture Project . 2008 . City of Grand Rapids, Michigan . January 14, 2010 . Grand Rapids, MI . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100207055001/http://www.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?page_id=9742 . February 7, 2010 .
2. Web site: Estimated 30,000 fans packed Rosa Parks Circle . 2009 . Grand Rapids Press . January 14, 2010.
3. Web site: Grand Rapids Original Swing Society . 2008 . January 14, 2010 . Grand Rapids, MI.
4. Web site: Rosa Parks Circle Welcome Skaters . January 7, 2010 . WOOD-TV . January 14, 2010 . Grand Rapids, MI . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724002440/http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/eightwest/Rosa_Parks_Circle_Welcome_Skaters . July 24, 2011 .
5. Web site: West Michigan Sculptures . 2002 . SculptureSiteGR.org . January 14, 2010 . Grand Rapids, MI . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100326031813/http://www.sculpturesitesgr.org/sculpture_detail.php?artwork_id=3&location=2 . March 26, 2010 .
6. Web site: Photos: Rosa Parks statue dedicated in downtown Grand Rapids. 2010. MLive . November 26, 2010.
7. Web site: Largest swing dance. August 7, 2012. Guinness World Records . December 25, 2012.
8. Web site: Video of World Record Swing. August 8, 2012. MLive. November 27, 2012.