Picnicing at the BIrd Park

     I remember the many picnics at the Bird Sanctuary Park. Back in the 50's and

60's there were no reservations required and first come--first served was the rule. I

remember especially one time back when I was 10 or so we had our little league team

(Exchange) hot dog dinner at the Bird Sanctuary shelter. There were only 2 lights in the

park; one near the swings and one near the shelter (I guess this was so the most

mosquitoes could feed at one time, but I don't remember mosquitoes back then). My

brother remembers the foggers going through the street/park on summer evenings to

kill mosquitoes. Wonder if the residents from then have died from carcenogenic fog?

       The park with its tree outcroppings left great hiding places to see what was going

on and not to be seen (in time to help.)  Ricky Maisto and I hid in the bushes and waited for

the picnic to be spread and we could mysteriously show up.  Crawford Jobe and Bill

Griffin were on the American Legion team insterad of our team, but we always invited

them----(who was going to turn away a couple of cute kids?)  This wa a trick I

perfected early by living across the street from the park; if you could wrangle your way

into the softball game, you were guaranteed of a hot dog/hamburger supper.

     Our team, like every other one in town, played all the games at Long Meadow

Park. (The county teams played at Catsburg). Since Long Meadow was all the way over

to Liberty Street, we usually practiced on the Club Boulevard School field. No team

could practice very much except on school fields. Little League was just a way to learn

basics before being promoted to Pony League and play at Erwin Field. At the Bird Park,

however, we had a large clear area where we could chase fly balls and practice throwing

when picnics were not planned there.

       Finally, however, Barfield Youth Center at the Bird Park was getting a field of its

own. It was announced that night at the picnic that the city was putting in the Northgate

Park ball field and horseshoe pits.  We kids decided to request the field be named after our

coach, Tom Yonkers. All the team cheered and chanted for this to happen, but our parents

simply hushed us--we were just kids.

      Soon thereafter the whole naming thing was forgotten so we never got the field properly

named. I learned one valuable lesson that night at the picnic.  Anytime someone really

wants something, he or she must stand up and be ready to face the consequences. One can

never tell what one can achieve if he sets his mind to it and doesn't waver. In the same

way, any Christian can stand up for something and not waver in his convictions.  Who

knows what can be accomplished with one person's drive.