Exhibit Dates: January 20 - March 7
Perkins Woods, a city park now largely comprised of the Akron Zoo, was a place where Black residents in Akron made local history through the changes and challenges of the 20th century.
In this temporary exhibit, you'll discover how Black residents in Akron expanded the John Brown Monument, fought a plan to move the zoo from Perkins Woods and operated a long-lived Custard Stand at the park's edge as ways to affirm community and make a lasting impact on the city.
Share Your Own Memories of the Custard Stand
Open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily (Monday, Jan. 20 - Friday, March 7, 2025)
Located in Nature’s Theater in The Lehner Family Zoo Gardens
*Entry included with your general admission ticket
Grand Opening
Monday, January 20, 2024
Free Day | Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 20, 2024
Panel Discussions | Natures View
-12:30-2:00 p.m.: Remembering the Custard Stand (FULL)
Panelists: Barbara Crooks & Donovan Landry
Moderated by: Allyson Boyd
-3:00-4:30 p.m.: Youth Opportunity in Akron from Ed Davis to Today (FULL)
Panelists: Keith Davis, Robert Davis & Denico Buckley-Knight
Moderated by: Hazim Abdullah-Smith, PH.D.
Free Day | President's Day
Monday, February 17, 2024
Presentation:
-1:00-2:30 p.m.: Emmer Lancaster's Impact on Minority Business Development
Presenters: Hazim Abdullah-Smith, Ph.D., Michelle Camou, Veronica Cook-Euell M.A., M.B.A., M.Ed.
There is limited seating. RSVP coming soon!
Inclusion Days | Wear Orange for Free Admission
March 1 - 3
Thank you to our Community Advisors & Historians:
- Edna Borders, County of Summit
- Malcolm Costa, Community Action
- Judi Hill, NAACP Akron Chapter
- Barbara Crooks, Akron Public Schools (Retired)
- Melissa Haskins, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Donovan Landry, Greener Grounds Landscaping
- Jerome Moss, Guys and Gals Community Partnership
- Thomas Smith, Summit County Juvenile Court
- Joyce Thomas, Retired
- Dennis Tubbs, County of Summit
- Arrye Rosser, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Hazim Abdullah-Smith, Green Book Cleveland
- Dave Lieberth, Bicentennial Commission
- Leianne Neff Heppner, Summit County Historical Society
Thank you to our Supporters:
Anonymous
- Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Pav's Creamery
- Sully's Tool & Party Rental
- WITAN