Dude Chilling Park now officially cool
The community gets its sign back
It has become a sign of the times, almost too cool for words.
That’s why Dave Delo could be found standing in front of the Dude Chilling Park sign in Vancouver’s Guelph Park on Thursday afternoon taking pictures of the now official fixture in the city park.
After a long, hard social media campaign to keep the sign that mysteriously appeared in the park two years ago, the Vancouver Parks Board on Thursday said the sign will be permanent.
“I think it is really good for Vancouver,” Delo said of the new sign in the park located at Brunswick Street and East 8th Avenue.
“It shows how progressive we are and how we have a sense of humour,” he added.
Delo also likes the fact people who live in the area were able to convince the Parks Board that the clandestine sign was worth preserving.
“It has become a novelty no doubt,” he said. “That is the nice thing with social media here, the locals seem to have got their say.”
Grace Baiano, 31, who lives across the street from the Dude Chilling sign said locals fought to keep the sign.
She too likes the fact the Parks Board listened to area residents who use the bustling park each day.
“The people won, that’s cool,” she said.
Yvonne Van Dort, 41, was walking her dog in the park, and said it just adds more character to the green space. “I like the diversity of this park,” she said.
“It is a great name for this park. It is a real sociological study at this park.”
Park user Gio Smaldino said people need more levity in life. “What is wrong with a bit of comedy? ”he asked. “It cheers people up. This has got international attention.”
After the Dude Chilling Park sign was first erected two years ago, it was subsequently removed by the Parks Board. But a groundswell of support for the sign convinced the powers that be to give the sign a permanent home at Guelph Park.
The sign was designed and donated by artist Victor Briestensky. He said at the time the sign was a lighthearted reference to the wooden sculpture Reclining Figure by Michael Dennis that was installed in Guelph Park in 1991.
About 1,500 local residents signed a petition in support keeping the unofficial sign.