Playground Dedication Tonight In Elizabeth Park

The dedication of the playground erected in Elizabeth Park last month to honor Sandy Hook shooting victim Ana Grace Marquez-Greene will take place tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Oxford Street.

Mayor Pedro E. Segarra will participate in the event, his office said in a press release. Ana Grace's parents, Nelba Marquez-Greene and Jimmy Greene, will also be present at the ribbon cutting of the Ana Grace Marquez-Greene Playground on what would have been their daughter's eight birthday.

The playground was constructed by the Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play. The nonprofit organization, founded by a group of New Jersey firefighters, involves the construction of 26 playgrounds across the tri-state area. Each one commemorates the life of a child or educator killed in Newtown in December of 2012. The Hartford playground is bright purple, Ana Grace Marquez-Greene's favorite color, and tonight's grand opening event will incorporate a salsa lesson in recognition of her love of dance.

The West End Civic Association also noted in an email update about the event that on Saturday, April 5, the old playground on the East Lawn of Elizabeth Park will be dismantled. Volunteers are requested to help out between 10:00 a.m. and afternoon, and asked to bring a rake or shovel if possible. The removal of the old playscape, and its rebuilding elsewhere, will be overseen by Christian evangelical group Kids Around the World.