New Kaixo Corner park opens in Boise, honoring Basque heritage ahead of Jaialdi

Idaho’s Boise Kaixo Corner is now formally open, just a few months after construction began.

The new public park, which is located next to Boise’s Basque Block, celebrates the city’s Basque heritage as well as the various cultures that influenced the Grove Street area. The area has special value for sisters Diana Sabala and Delphina Arnold because it was originally their home as children.

This is a great moment for me because I had no idea what would happen to this place. “It seems like a continuation of the Basque block, and it’s really lovely,” Sabala remarked.

Watch: As Boise launches a new park, sisters consider the rich history of Kaixo Corner.

“It was an amazing tribute to us,” Arnold added.

Where their ancestors once operated a Basque boarding house, which served as a meeting spot for immigrant families like theirs, is today Kaixo Corner.

Yes, Sabala responded, there should always be at least 13 individuals at the table.

I’d guess it was mostly 20, although we had 120 around Christmas. We would simply keep them coming, tearing one table and setting another. “It was fantastic,” Arnold continued.

Kaixo, which translates to “hello” in Basque, is a metaphorical greeting to Boise’s varied heritage.

The park has a sizable Sky River Shade structure, steel sculptures, and pillars made of hand-carved sandstone. Every component pays tribute to Grove Street’s complex past as a place where immigrants from China, Germany, Japan, and the Basque Country previously called home.

The park’s completion in time for Boise’s once-every-five-year Basque celebration, Jaialdi, was particularly significant, according to Sabala.

“It’s a lot of fun, but the music and dancing are what warm our hearts,” Arnold said. “They’re just happy, loving, and family people.”

The sisters have been upholding Boise’s Basque customs for decades. Following a tour to Spain in 1960, they assisted in founding the Oinkari dancers.

According to Sabala, we are the only two members of the original Oinkari group still alive. In 1960, while we were in Spain with five of our friends, we revived the dances and established the Oinkari Best Dancers. We both take great pride in that.

Longtime Basque community member Jeanne Eiguren views Kaixo Corner as a return to something much older, while many others regard it as a new area.

According to Eiguren, this area has played a significant role in the Basque community for a very long time. This is like nirvana since we went to a parking lot as things changed. It’s amazing.

For many generations to come, the city hopes Kaixo Corner will be a meeting spot.

Our comprehensive guide to Jaialdi is available here.