04/17/2026
Cunningham Park Joplin, Missouri.
Jack wanted to stop here for two reasons, I was not aware of the severity of the first one and I knew about the other reason.
This park was flattened by an enormous tornado 15 years ago. 161 lives were lost when it was over.
I started at the 3 framed structures. The feel went from little anxious to whoa there was real sadness here. By the time I had walked the path laid out, I was feeling for those lost I remember seeing on my tv 1000 miles away and all those years ago. It had no effect back then.
Standing where 4 wheeled vehicle land speed record winds whipped in a ¾ mile wide path at points, had a much different feel. As I moved on to the 2nd part of the tornado memorial I saw there were 161 trees planted in the recovery part of the park. The third and final part included a fountain destroyed in the tornado but was remade with the names of those who didn't make it through. This was a tough post, park, time. What was transformed here is beautiful. Heavy, but fun was being had by the kids of the neighborhood. This was an anomaly of a storm. It was strong and it hit a populated area. It's easy to forget a report on tv. But when it's in front of you in 3D, it hangs on a lot longer.
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