By Mary Kay Scharf
About this time each year, parents begin to wonder and sometimes worry about how to keep their children busy and entertained all summer. Our community offers an abundance of programs and activities, with costs ranging from minimal to outrageous! Our community also provides amazing opportunities for children of all ages to experience nature, physical fitness, fun, and even a little bit of history. These opportunities are rich in benefit, yet available at no cost at all. Between Bloomington and Normal, the summer parks magazines list over 50 parks. These include parks of all sizes, as small as an acre and as large as 126 acres.
I became more interested in the parks last summer when very good friends, Elana and her grade school boys, Avery and Blake, completed a personal park challenge. Determined to visit every park over the course of the summer, these adventurers walked, biked using the trail, or drove to every location. The boys assured me that “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all” is NOT true for the parks in our town.
I interviewed the boys a few weeks ago to get a child’s view of what makes a park great and what features were most interesting. Much to my surprise, the attraction garnering the most enthusiasm was on old fashioned merry go round. They described it to me in details to make sure I knew what one was, you know “it’s really old, you have to push it to go around.” The boys told me they believe the only one in town is at Maxwell Park.
Another feature they prioritized, which was a surprise coming from young boys, was the availability of restrooms. Now for moms and grandmoms like me, this is truly a priority.
Both parks departments have created wonderful charts to view park features at a glance. Prior to your visit, you can find out if there are restrooms, picnic tables, drinking fountains, playgrounds, among many other details. This information can be found in the Summer Program Guides or on the websites.
When asked if there were any hidden gems among the parks, the boys were quite impressed by PJ Irving Park. Avery said it’s the most hidden park in town and that it was a gem because it had Frisbee golf and excavating equipment.
Blake talked about the differences between Ewing Parks I, II, and III emphasizing the trails, bridge, creek, nature, and frog-catching opportunities. I wish I had time to include all the park information these little experts shared with me.
The boys ideal park would include shade, working drinking fountains, bathrooms, and new splinter-proof benches. The seven year old added having a “storm evacuation place” would be good for safety.
So the good news is, we have ideal parks all across Bloomington-Normal, minus the storm shelter. They are uniquely designed with varying features and best of all, admission is free.
I challenge your family to unplug and repeat the Park Challenge that Elana and her children completed last summer. The price is right and the memories will last a lifetime.
Mary Kay Scharf is the Director of Principal Leadership in the Bloomington Public Schools. A Clinton native, she was a teacher for 7 years and has been a principal and school administrator for the past 26 years. She is a volunteer for multiple community organizations, most passionately for the Not In Our Town initiative. The proud mother of 3 and grandmother of one, Mary Kay lives in Normal with her husband, Jamie.
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