Summer opening ad. The Bakersfield Californian, Aug. 30, 1981. There was once a time when thousands of people escaped to the cool water of Hart Park’s swimming pool.

It won’t be ready until next summer, but Hart Memorial Park is set to get a new adventure playground complete with a Kern River-themed water feature. “It’s a good place for kids to come out ...

Smack dab in the middle of Hart Park, the 370-acre jewel a short distance northeast of the Bakersfield, the Hart Park Adventure Play Area, a $4.6-million project scheduled for completion in December.

A teenage boy was saved by the Kern County Sheriff's Office, Bakersfield Search and Rescue, and other first responders after being swept away in the Kern River at Hart Park on Thurs, Aug 31.

It won’t be ready until next summer, but Hart Memorial Park is set to get a new adventure playground complete with a Kern River-themed water feature. “It’s a good place for kids to come out ...