Oregon’s most “artistic” park has some brand-new works to show off.

Sixteen new art pieces, created by Oregon School District students and Village of Progress members, were unveiled Tuesday, June 9, at Mix Park, the home to two well-established sculptures, Lorado Taft’s “Fish Boys” and Jeff Adams’s “Path of Conviction, Footsteps of Fate.”

The Oregon Park District introduced the new works during its revamped “Art in the Park at Mix Park” – a free family event centered in the 2.5-acre picturesque park at 701 S. Fourth St.

“There are 12 works by Oregon students in grades K-12 and four by the Village of Progress,” said Oregon Park District Superintendent of Recreation Tina Ketter. “The art will be on display through Autumn on Parade. We want everyone to be sure to stop by and see these unique creations.”

The young artists were given a theme to showcase through art what the park district means to them, Ketter said, with license to follow their own creative paths.

“We plan to do this every year,” Ketter said.

The artists gathered in the center of the park as their works were unveiled at the start of the evening event. Family-fun activities followed on the warm, humid night, with sidewalk chalk art, a variety of games for kids, food booths, and live music by Burn N Bush, sponsored by Circle G Farms of Oregon.

This year’s artists were Dakota Shuman (kindergarten); Mason Toth (second grade); Hudson Albrecht (third grade); Annabelle Drozd (third grade); Maddie Stumpenhorst (third grade); Isabella Hernandez (sixth grade); Nathaniel Kennedy (seventh grade); Owen Mann (seventh grade); Taylor Judkins (eighth grade); Delaney Wilson (eighth grade); Brittany Plescia (eighth grade); Lilyan Grosby (10th grade) and John Roe, Elizabeth Bastuk, Deanna Gregory, and Ashley Powell of the Village of Progress.

Park district officials created “Art in the Park” as a celebration to showcase the talents of local youths and Village of Progress artists and bring families together through art and games, Ketter said.

Village of Progress has been serving adults with developmental disabilities in Ogle County at its Oregon location since 1969.

The new artworks are displayed on wooden posts alongside the winding sidewalks that lead to Taft’s “Fish Boys” sculpture and fountain in the center of the city’s oldest park, which is leased to the park district.

The park was donated to the city of Oregon in March 1920 by Mrs. Howard Slagle (Miss Lida B. Mix).

The “Fish Boys” represent Taft’s original bronze sculptures that are part of his 1913 “Fountain of the Great Lakes” at the Chicago Art Institute of Chicago, South Garden. The Oregon sculptures were constructed with a special blend of concrete and crushed quartz, incorporating pebbles from the Potomac River in honor of Taft’s original bronze sculptures.

“Fish Boys” includes a water feature, but is not meant to be used as a play feature. Children should not climb or play in the fountain.

In the 1970s, Taft’s sculpture was preserved by Donald L. Reed, and again restored in 2017 in partnership with Reed’s daughter in a $12,000 restoration effort that took more than 30 days.

Adams, an Oregon sculptor, created the Footsteps of Fate in 2002 as a reflection on the crossing of the paths of President Abraham Lincoln and Sac warrior Black Hawk during the Black Hawk War in the Oregon area in 1832. That sculpture is located on the southwest corner of the park and features Lincoln on one side and Black Hawk on the other.

Tuesday’s “Art in the Park” is one of several events scheduled this year to mark the Oregon Park District’s 60th anniversary. Upcoming events include Concerts in the Park at Park West, Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and the Color Run at Park West at 6 p.m. July 21.

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This artwork, created by Delaney Wilson, an Oregon eighth grader, is one of 16 new pieces of art that will be displayed at Mix Park through October. The new artworks were unveiled Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Oregon Park District's "Art in the Park" family fun event. (Earleen Hinton)