Exposition Park in Fort Dodge has been a lot of different things over its many years of existence.

Its newest version, to be unveiled Thursday, is an innovative one that shows how a rather plain patch of ground can become something attractive. And as is often the case in Fort Dodge and Webster County recently, it is a product of collaboration. In this case, that collaboration involved a couple of different city agencies and the Public Art Commission.

But first a recap. The roughly three acres of ground along North Seventh Street near 14th Avenue North was a county fairgrounds a century or so ago.

Then it became an amusement park. It can be hard to look at the place now and imagine a carousel and a rollercoaster there, but there are old photos that show exactly that.

In 1928, the first pool, an above-ground type, opened there.

The spot became a city park in 1936.

The in-ground pool that so many Fort Dodge residents remember was built in 1982 and remained in use until 2009, when the Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center opened at 10th Avenue North and 32nd Street.

The old pool was ripped out in 2013. That left a big vacant patch right in the middle of a neighborhood. What to do with it became a conundrum.

The idea that eventually emerged was creating an area where people could walk and admire art at the same time.

Bringing that concept to reality involved the city planning staff, the Public Art Commission, the Recreation Department and the Public Areas Department.

A lot of different skill sets and viewpoints were needed to make this project happen. Creative folks had to visualize just how the thing should look and how people would make their way through the park. Others had to take all the measurements and make a plan that could actually be constructed. Still others had to pour cement. And local artists had to contribute their works for display.

We thank all those folks for contributing their time working hard to give their community something nice.

We ask residents to keep it nice by treating this new version of Exposition Park like their own backyard.

The formal debut for the site is 4 p.m. Thursday, with a ribbon cutting conducted by the Ambassadors of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.

We hope the park becomes a cherished attraction for years to come.