REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PORTLAND - The British and the Americans are quarreling — albeit with tongues in cheek — over territory again, this time over who has the world's smallest park. One, in Portland, Oregon, is essentially a concrete planter, 2-feet in diameter, with soil and some vegetation, and the Guinness Book of World Records says it's the smallest.
The other is about 5,000 miles away, in England. Those guys don't claim to have a physically smaller park — theirs is 15 feet by 30 feet. But they are disputing whether Portland's is a park at all.
What started as two Brits' stunt to drum up publicity for a charity run at their park sparked some cross-pond banter. One online commenter wrote: "If that's a park then my window box should take the title."
Someone who said they were from Portland replied: "Yes, but our park has leprechauns. Does yours?"
Leprechauns? Yes, that's right. The faux-feud has helped unearth the curious story of a Portland newspaper columnist's quest to get the park declared the smallest and his claim that it was home to leprechauns.
Over the years, Portland has been kind to the tiny park, giving it equal care as that afforded to the 200 or so normal-size parks scattered around the verdant city. St. Patrick's Day ceremonies have been held there. It has plants and other vegetation. Strange objects have appeared mysteriously within it — a miniature swimming pool with a diving board, a tiny Ferris wheel and a UFO.
And now, Portland's littlest park is getting big headlines. It started with a British sports management company called KV Events, based in Lichfield, north of Birmingham. It was promoting the "world's shortest fun run," around Prince's Park in Burntwood.
The park has the Guinness title of the United Kingdom's smallest park. It has a fence, a bench and three trees. It was founded in 1863 to commemorate the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Promoters Paul Griffin and Kevin Wilson decided to have some fun, launching a faux challenge to Portland's claim — figuring that would generate publicity for the race and for the charity the race is intended to benefit. Wilson says he has no intention of actually asking Guinness to take away Portland's title. There is talk, however, of a North Atlantic alliance: A sister-park relationship between the two, whatever that might look like.
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