About Girsh Park
The Lester A. & Viola S. Girsh Park is a 25-acre outdoor park and recreation facility location in the heart of Goleta. In this spacious green park, families picnic, seniors stroll and children and adults play sports. This year Girsh Park will welcomeover 350,000 visitors.

Girsh Park and Elings Fields at Girsh Park beckon visitors with open meadows, walking paths, athletic fields, basketball courts, a children’s play area, a community meeting room and group and family barbecue-picnic areas. The Park is also home to an environmentally sensitive wetlands area that harbors wildlife. Open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset, Girsh Park is the area’s only active recreational parkland.

Girsh Park is a wholesome, warm and nurturing environment where young and old from all facets of the community come together in a healthy, outdoor setting. Community concerts are staged under the Music in the Park program, and Girsh Park also provides space for events that benefit local women’s shelters, animal rescue efforts and many other programs. Over 100 community organizations and teams call Girsh Park their home, and the Park is host to important annual events, such as the July 4 th Fireworks Celebration, the AYSO Splash Tournament, and the lemon festival.

Girsh Park, named to honor its generous lead benefactors, was opened in 1999. Then, in 2001, the community pulled together for the Fields Forever Campaign to double the size of the Park by adding the 13 acres now known as Elings Fields at Girsh Park. The Park and Elings Fields have become an irreplaceable part of our community—open and available to all free of charge. The Park is owned and operated by The Foundation for Girsh Park, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation directed by volunteers. Girsh Park is a private park but operated for the public. We must rely on the generous support of members of the community and the Friends of Girsh Park.

Our community values open space and recreational parkland is critically needed. Girsh Park is essential to our quality of life. As one of the first privately owned, charitably funded public parks in the nation, it is an inspiring example of community cooperation

What is Girsh Park
The 25-acre active recreational park features baseball, softball, soccer and basketball facilities, lots of open space, a community meeting room, a children's play area, a group barbecue-picnic area, and several individual family barbecue-picnic areas. A wetlands/natural area at the park provides a nature habitat for birds, mammals and indigenous plants and trees, as well as serving as an innovative pollution mitigation mechanism that removes pollution from runoff before it reaches the ocean.

Who Uses Girsh Park
Anyone. And everyone. Soccer organizations such as  AYSO, Central Coast Soccer League, Santa Barbara Women's Soccer League, California Legends, the Football Club of Santa Barbara host soccer games on the park's soccer fields. Groups such as The Goleta Valley Girls Softball Association host tournaments on the softball field. Youth baseball organizations such as the Dos Pueblos Little League play baseball on the little league fields. Dog Agility Classes such as Goleta Valley Dog Club are held in the Girsh Park meadow area. On most Sundays the Santa Barbara Men's Baseball League, play ball at the park, and on any afternoon (and most mornings) the basketball courts are packed with pickup basketball games.

Many senior citizens wander the park daily, and are enthusiastic about the Park's Music in the Park program, which provides free concerts for the community. Many local charitable organizations use the park for fundraising events. But perhaps most gratifying are the smiles on the faces of the many Central Coast families who show up at the park to enjoy another beautiful California day, whether by playing sports, having a picnic, flying a kite or just lolling on the grass.

Please check the News & Events page for more information about upcoming events at the park.

Who Built Girsh Park
Wynmark Company and its partners constructed the park and donated it to the nonprofit foundation that operates the park. The park is named to honor the late Dr. Lester A. Girsh and his loving widow, Viola S. Girsh, both longtime county residents and benefactors.

The nonprofit foundation that runs the park funds the operating expenses of the park through charitable contributions from the community. The park is free to use and is open to all, though user fees are charged to groups that wish to reserve portions of the park for their exclusive use.

Who Runs Girsh Park
The Foundation for Girsh Park runs the park. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation composed of public-spirited community members dedicated to providing our community's kids (of all ages) with more public open space and recreational facilities. The Foundation believes that the ability of all community members to enjoy and interact in a venue conducive to healthy and cooperative activities directly impacts the quality of life in our community. It envisions Girsh Park playing an integral role in promoting tolerance, mutual understanding, health and well being in our community.

The Foundation for Girsh Park

2008 Board of Directors

Brooke Armstrong
Community Volunteer

Rick Bordallo
Attorney
Reicker, Pfau, Pyle
& McRoy, LLP

Jack Heybl
Community Volunteer

Daniel E. Hochman, President           
Manager, El Prado Inn

Mark Ingalls
Property Manager
Camino Real Marketplace

Everett Kirkelie
Administrator, UCSB

Robert Kooyman
President, BDC Management

Diana Jessup Lee
Attorney
Reicker, Pfau, Pyle
& McRoy, LLP

Leslie Lund, Vice President
Specialist, City of Santa Barbara
Parks & Recreation Department

Bill Millar
City of Goleta
Parks & Open Spaces, Manager

Patrick O’Malley
Retired, Soccer Advocate

Harriet Phillips
Community Activist

Del Rudeen
Vice President &
Senior Trust Officer
Santa Barbara Bank & Trust

Jane Russell
CPA, Partner
MacFarlane Faletti & Co

Kimberly Schizas
Vice-President
Wynmark Company

Derek Westen
Attorney

Dale Wilson
Principal, Wilson Printing

Guy Wood
Retired, Community Volunteer

Staff
Ryan L. Harrington
Executive Director

Advisory Board
David Borgatello
Tom Caesar

Honorary Board
Viola S. Girsh
Congresswoman Lois Capps
Marcia Constance
Jamie Constance
Larry Crandell
Virgil Elings
Hannah Beth Jackson