Zumwalt Park Wins Prestigious Statewide Award for Excellence in Planning

Tulare, CA - The City of Tulare is proud to announce that the California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS) has selected Zumwalt Park featuring the Adventist Health Amphitheater for the prestigious 2025 Award of Excellence in Park Planning.

The City completed the renovation of Zumwalt Park in May 2025, transforming it into a premier regional destination for recreation and entertainment. The park features the Adventist Health Amphitheater, which includes a main stage, tiered seating, enhanced lighting and landscaped grounds, along with a playground and splash pad for families to enjoy.

Founded in 1946, CPRS is the largest professional parks organization in California, with over 4,000 members. Their Awards of Excellence program honors innovation, impact, and leadership, noting that Tulare's submission rose to the top of a highly competitive field. According to CPRS, the project demonstrated "a level of excellence that helps move our profession forward and strengthen California communities."

In a double victory for the City, Tulare also received the CPRS "Outstanding Program" award for its creative "Letters to Jack Skellington" initiative, which garnered over 4,000 letters from all 50 states and various countries around the world.

"This recognition from CPRS is a testament to the vision and dedication of our team," said City Manager Marc Mondell. "These awards aren't just for the shelf; they are a validation that our investments in public spaces and community engagement are yielding impressive results. I am incredibly proud of our staff's ability to innovate and deliver projects that put Tulare on the map."

During the CPRS Conference General Session on Thursday, March 12, in Long Beach, the City was honored to have been announced as an award recipient.

In addition to the ceremony in Long Beach, the City will receive a handcrafted mosaic award, a professionally produced video tribute, and a feature in the California Parks and Recreation magazine. CPRS representatives formally presented the award to the community on April 7 during the Tulare City Council meeting.

"Zumwalt Park and the Adventist Health Amphitheater have become the heartbeat of our downtown, and this award confirms what our residents already know: Tulare is a leader in creating vibrant, high-quality spaces," said Mayor Patrick Isherwood. "We are committed to continuing this momentum and ensuring Tulare remains a premier place to 'live, learn, play, work, worship, and prosper.'"

To learn more about Zumwalt Park and the Adventist Health Amphitheater, please visit the Zumwalt Park page.

Per CPRS: This award recognizes excellence in design of completed park facilities intended for public use. The project may be either new construction or a rehabilitation project that demonstrates high standards of planning, design, community involvement, operation and maintenance, quality of aesthetics, usability, accessibility and versatility. This award further recognizes planning and development or significant rehabilitation of outdoor park and recreation spaces where the majority of the site does not contain buildings, structures or facilities and that result in higher levels of community use.