Party in the Park a Success

On June 2nd, Holland Neighborhood invited our neighbors to our 2nd Annual Party in the park. Volunteers planted even more lilys and hostas around the park this year! Judy Johnson, Craig Kruse, Kristina Johnson, Lisa, Mike, Judy Arnold, Zach Arnold, John Koski, Nat Case and many others helped prune, trim and weed around the Train Park. The flowers look great!

We estimate around 75 people attended. There was a large line for the party food. Sean ran out and went to the Coop and purchased more food. Mary Murphy, Geri Posner, Lily Vaughn, Judy Johnson served the hot dogs, hambergers, chips, hotdishes, salads, beans, fruit along with other volunteers. People drank 7 twenty-four pack cases of bottled water and enjoyed hot dishes and salads donated by so many people, who I don’t have names for! Mary Murphy and Zach Arnold were two of the chief grill cooks. Mary and Judy Arnold brought grills – Mary brought her grill stapped to her car, on a bike rack. It made a great picture.

Joanne Peters helped the kids paint their hands on the tables, despite one of those horrible summer colds. Thanks for your special efforts. The tables look really great. People were sitting at them before the paint even seemed dry.

Well before the Party in the Park, other people had been helping to make the landscaping, Brad Scherff, Jason Smith were the primary landscaping designers and builders. Sean McLaughlin, Jason Smith, Nate Case and Don Baumann helped spread the concrete. Jason Arnold (no relation to the Fishing Arnolds – Judy and Zach) moves a mean bull-float, leveling the concrete pads for the tables. Sean gathered the team for the pouring. Mary Murphy helped build the new picnic tables. Mary and Jason, hopefully your backs are better by now – those picnic tables were heavy.

Duane Posner, our retired cabinet maker is completing our “Little Free Library” that will be next to the sign. This is a place to drop off or exchange books. There will always be books for the kids to read at the Train Park. We plan to put that in after the party. Linda Scoggins gave away dozens of books to the kids who came to the Party.

Lastly, we gave Marty a Certificate of Acheivement and a Gold Shovel. Marty is our best helper for 2012. He was at the park each time we did any work. Marty watches the park and uses it more than anyone else.