Kiwanis Land is nestled right next to the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove, which is next to the Garden Grove Lions Club, and we do mean nestled; it's tucked behind busy Garden Grove Boulevard on quiet Larson Avenue, away from the viewing eye.
Once inside the gates, it's a beautifully serene and peaceful setting, with lovely grass surrounding an English-looking cottage where dinner club meetings are held each Thursday at 7 p.m., with social hour beginning at 6 p.m.
Kiwanis Land is nestled right next to the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove, which is next to the Garden Grove Lions Club, and we do mean nestled; it's tucked behind busy Garden Grove Boulevard on quiet Larson Avenue, away from the viewing eye.
Once inside the gates, it's a beautifully serene and peaceful setting, with lovely grass surrounding an English-looking cottage where dinner club meetings are held each Thursday at 7 p.m., with social hour beginning at 6 p.m.
"Anyone can show up for our club meetings. We'd love to have them," said Kiwanis Land Superintendent Jack Wallin. "Dinner is $10 a person and is catered by Jay's Catering that's close by; they serve a variety of really good food."
"Taking care of the park is a lot of fun and I meet a lot of great people who come here to rent the facility," Wallin said. "We can seat 80 people inside the building and there is seating for 200 people at tables outside. The Kiwanis built everything on the property."
With a club membership of 30, the club's main goal is to connect with the key clubs in local high schools, one of which is Bolsa Grande High School.
"Kiwanis Land is giving back to the community, giving back to the youth and children. That's why we built the facility," Wallin said.
In the winter, Boy and Girl Scouts and the YMCA and YWCA, set up camp at various times in Kiwanis Land for a donation; all other groups are charged a fee according to the size of the group and what type of event they want to hold.
"Most people we have here are really nice and take good care of the facilities," Wallin said. "And just before the kids leave our grounds, they play a game of collecting trash that they may have left around, and are rewarded by receiving a prize."
The Kiwanis Club of Garden Grove, 9860 Larson Ave., was chartered in 1951, originally meeting in restaurants before deciding to construct what is now known as Kiwanis Land, according to Wallin.
"We started talking about getting this property in 1957," said Wallin, who worked for the City of Garden Grove as the park supervisor before retiring. "The property was formerly owned by the Hoag family —Mr. Hoag was a man in town who wanted to build a boy's school —but wasn't able to do that.
"The Hoag Foundation Board now runs the Boys and Girls Club and Kiwanis Land has a 99-year lease."
Wallin said their Kiwanis Club decided to devote its efforts to one major project that would benefit the whole community, but with special emphasis on local youth, which of course includes the key clubs for young people in high school.
Kiwanis Land is a unique park located on approximately 3 acres of land that was developed around a recreational camp theme and includes a water feature that allows youngsters to paddle small rafts around a man-made mountain with a waterfall, with a walkway across a swinging bridge made of boards and rope.
There's a pool table, miniature golf, Foosball, table tennis, scooters for young children and the Gary James Company is onsite at noon on Saturdays and Sundays, so people can visit and see if they'd like to hold their next picnic, family gathering or wedding at Kiwanis Land.
The park also includes a campfire amphitheater with lights and audio equipment that seats 300, a large picnic area with tables and gas ranges and kitchen facilities under a roof that provides plenty of shade and there are separate boys and girls restrooms.
Since 1969, the Kiwanis Club of Garden Grove has maintained the park through its own efforts, along with donations from individuals, businesses and corporations, in addition to holding fundraisers to support Kiwanis Land.
The Kiwanis report an average park attendance each year of 12,000 and hope to increase that number to help the club's main focus of serving the local youth and children.
For information about Kiwanis Land, call 714-892-7267.
