Sonny Bono admirers gathered around the plaque with park in background.

Sonny Bono Memorial Park is a park in Northwest Washington, D.C., at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue, 20th Street, and O Street near Dupont Circle. Northwest (also written as NW or NW) is the northwestern quadrant of Washington D Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Dupont Circle is a Traffic circle, Neighborhood, and historic district in Northwest Washington D It is named for Sonny Bono. Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono ( February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American Record producer, The park was established in 1998 after Sonny Bono's death by Bono family friend Geary Simon, a local real estate developer. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) He approached the D. C. Department of Parks and Recreation's Park Partners program and paid $25,000 of his own money to revitalize an unused 800-square foot triangle of grass. His improvements included installing an underground sprinkler system, planting new Kentucky bluegrass and a Japanese maple, as well as benches and a wrought-iron fence. Poa pratensis, known as Smooth Meadow-grass or Kentucky Bluegrass, is a species of grass native to Europe, Asia, northern The park also features a vault of Sonny Bono memorabilia, such as the sheet music for "The Beat Goes On," his official Congressional cufflinks, and a mug from his string of Bono's Restaurants. " The Beat Goes On " is a song recorded by Sonny and Cher.

At the entrance, on the ground, is a plaque that reads as follows:

"IN MEMORY OF MY FRIEND SONNY BONO 1935-1998; ENTERTAINER - ENTREPRENEUR - STATESMAN - FRIEND. "

External links

• Article at The Washington Post
• 2005 article from Washington Monthly
• Article on DCist.com