The story behind the creation of Elings Park — when the Santa Barbara community came together starting in the 1960s to turn the former city dump into a community park — has been reimagined especially for children in “A Bobcat’s Tail,” a picture book published by and benefiting Elings Park.
“A Bobcat’s Tail” is written by Bruce Giffin, park supporter and local businessman; and Dean Noble, the park’s executive director; and illustrated by Laura-Susan Thomas, a former Disney Imagineer, now a professor of fine arts at Allan Hancock College.
The story is based on the local community leader Jerry Harwin, who led multi-decade efforts to establish and build Elings Park…