If the shoe fits, change the park’s name
By TIM WEST twest@stmedianetwork.com September 4, 2012 11:12PM
Updated: October 6, 2012 1:40PM
When the Naperville Park District first suggested that it would change the name of Nike Park to something else so that people wouldn’t keep confusing that little park with the much larger Nike Sports Complex just to the north, I thought that sounded like a good idea.
And I still do.
Of course that raises the question of what to change it to.
The first thing that came to my convoluted mind was Adidas Park, though in the same vein ASICS Park, New Balance Park or KSwiss Park would work well.
The only problem is that those of you who have lived here for a while know neither the park nor the sports complex is named after a shoe.
Rather, from 1956 to 1963 the area in question was home to a Nike air defense system base, complete with underground missile silos, barracks for the 125 members of the military who lived at the base, and other buildings.
So in September, the Park Board is anticipating changing the name of the park to Apache Park to reflect that the park is next to Apache Drive.
That sounds reasonable, as well as shorter and more understandable than This Is Not Nike Park or No More Missiles Here Park.
No, Apache Park named after Apache Drive is a pretty good choice.
There are other Park District parks with similar names, and if the district started to change more than Nike it would have its hands full.
For instance listed on the official city map are Knoch Knolls, Knoch Knolls Commons, Knoch Knolls Greenway and Knoch Park-North.
Then we have Pembroke Commons and Pembroke Park.
And Walnut Ridge Park and Walnut Ridge Woods.
Leave us not forget DuPage River Park and DuPage River Sports Complex.
There are a number of others as well including a whole bunch of olds — Old Farm Greenway, Old Farm Park, Old Plank Park, Old Sawmill Park, and Old Sawmill Parkway.
Changing the name of Nike Park to Apache Park might have been a good place to start, and an even better place to stop.
