Clay County proclaims Parks and Recreation Month; Freedom's Frontier grant funds Joseph McGill visit

The Clay County Commission on the evening's agenda declared July 2026 Parks and Recreation Month and highlighted the county's parks, lakes and historic sites.

Dave Mecklenburg, chairman of the Parks Advisory Board, told commissioners the board's priorities include upkeep of trees and visitor-focused improvements at sites such as Smithville Lake and local historical facilities. "It's an honor to serve the county and the citizens of Clay County," Mecklenburg said.

John Davis, Clay County parks director, said the parks system relies on a small permanent staff plus seasonal employees to run facilities including Smithville Lake and the Jesse James birthplace. Davis noted Corps of Engineers visitation records showing Smithville Lake receives about 1,500,000 visitors annually and that the Jesse James birthplace draws roughly 10,000 to 12,000 visitors a year.

In a related ceremonial presentation, representatives of Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area described a newly awarded grant to Clay County to fund the Slave Dwelling Project by Joseph McGill at the Jesse James birthplace. Lucinda Adams, director of Freedom's Frontier, said the national heritage area provides federal-affiliated grant funds to partners across 41 counties in Kansas and Missouri and praised Clay County's cooperative application.

"We are really excited to see how you all cooperate together," Adams said, and noted Clay County was among about a dozen recipients. Administrator provided the grant amount to the commission, saying the county received $9,050 from Freedom's Frontier.

Beth Beckett, the county's historic sites manager, described the planned October program with McGill: an evening "Campfire Conversations" plus a Saturday public program featuring historians and descendants connected to regional histories, partnered with Garrison School in Liberty. Beckett said the event will combine overnight stays, living-history interpretation and educational outreach "to engage audiences in meaningful dialogue surrounding the lives of enslaved African Americans and their descendants."

The recognition and the grant presentation concluded with commissioners thanking parks staff and the advisory board; no formal vote on the ceremonial resolution was recorded in the meeting minutes beyond the presentation and public acknowledgment.

The commission encouraged residents to visit county parks and historic sites and noted staff and board leaders would follow up on programming details ahead of the October events.