Exhibit Dates: January 20 - March 7
Perkins Woods, a city park now largely compromised of the Akron Zoo, was a place where African-Americans in Akron made local history through the changes and challengers of the 20th century.
Discover how Black residents in Akron built up 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.
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.: Custard Stand Family
-3:00-4:30 p.m.: Engaging Youth
Free Day | President's Day
Monday, February 17, 2024
Panel Discussion
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 Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Sully's Tool & Party Rental