Last weekend we participated in the American Society of Landscape Architects’ California Sierra Chapter annual Park(ing) Day event in Downtown Sacramento. Park(ing) Day temporarily transforms on-street parking spaces into creative mini-parks designed to illustrate alternative uses of public space and celebrate what makes Sacramento special. Located right at the front steps of the state capitol, the theme for this year’s event was “Creative Capitol”.
To create a fun and engaging environment for attendees and highlight the changing face of Downtown Sacramento, the Mark Thomas parklet’s centerpiece was a Caplinko game – a take on the classic Plinko game from The Price is Right, but with a special Sacramento twist. To support the game, volunteers constructed a living room area from colorfully painted repurposed wood pallets, placed potted plants and synthetic turf, and conducted an informal opinion survey of the potential redevelopment of the Capitol Mall corridor. The Caplinko board itself featured the Capitol Mall corridor and landmarks in the surrounding area, with players aiming for various prizes at the bottom.
The event was a huge success – we had a blast coming up with the game and chatting with everyone that stopped by to play. It was also a great opportunity to show community members the benefit and ease of adding public gathering spaces in even the most urban environments. We are already planning for next year!
Check out our Caplinko game in action here:
https://www.abc10.com/mobile/video/news/parking-day-takes-over-downtown-sacramento/103-2733066
Special thanks to our sponsors Village Nurseries, ARC Document Solutions, Riot Creative Imaging, and Purchase Green Artificial Grass.
