Lucy reading on a park bench in the Twin Citie
Here's a simple formula to make a park exciting. Add a sculpture in front of a park bench and you have essentially transformed a plot of grass into an outdoor museum.
It certainly works for St. Paul, Minn. They added hundreds of statues from the Charlie Brown cartoon series and have turned many of their parks into tourist destinations, creating a sense of civic pride as well with local residents.
There is a connection between the city and the Charlie Brown creator Charles Schultz. He was born there and went on to become one of the most popular cartoonists in history. At his peak, his "Peanuts" comic strip was featured in 2,600 newspapers which spawned several TV specials as well.
When he died in 2000 at the age of 77, the statues were created to honor his legacy.
Now more than 100 statues of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock can be seen interspersed in parks all over the Twin Cities. Created