Sacramento Park Renamed After Actor And Sacramento Native LeVar Burton
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – "Star Trek" actor and "Reading Rainbow" host LeVar Burton is back in Sacramento on Tuesday for a park dedication in his name.
Burton was raised in south Sacramento and attended two schools in the Meadowview area, St. Anne's and Charles Borromeo.
Burton went on to become an Emmy and Peabody award-winning actor. He is probably best known for his roles as Kunte Kinte in "Roots" and Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He has also served as host and executive producer the PBS children's educational TV show "Reading Rainbow."
The honor of having a parked renamed after him, literally, hit close to home for Burton.
"This is the neighborhood where I grew up," Burton said. "[I grew up] just down the street and around the corner."
Before making an appearance at the park dedication, Burton paid a stop to a south Sacramento school to talk with students growing up in the same situation he did.
"We just came from John Still [Middle School] and my message to the kids was 'If I can do it, so can you,'" Burton said.
The celebration at the park featured music, food trucks and other activities. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told the crowd that the city was picking up the cost of the food trucks and lunch was on him.
Even with temperatures pushing past 90 degrees before noon, Burton was all smiles at the ceremony.
"This is very Sacramento," Burton said of the heat.
Burton will also be recognized by the Sacramento City Council later in the day.
