DECATUR — Decatur residents Heppie Whiteside and Sharon Wagner were among the estimated 200 community members on hand Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of the new Senior Activity Center at Scovill Park West.
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Heppie Whiteside, 73, and Sharon Wagner, 82, attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Clubhouse at Scovill Acres, the Decatur Park District’s new senior activity center, on Tuesday, May 5. The women, who take advantage of activities at the current senior center, are looking forward to the larger facility.
A large crowd gathers for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Clubhouse at Scovill Acres, the Decatur Park District’s new senior activity center, with the current Scovill Park West Activity Center in the background, on Tuesday, May 5.
Executive Director Clay Gerhard hands a shovel to Micky McNaughton for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Clubhouse at Scovill Acres, the Decatur Park District’s new senior activity center, on Tuesday, May 5.
19 memories of Decatur parks
Cooling off
1988: Four-year-old Lauren Bradley found a cool spot Tuesday. She visited the Nelson Park swimming pool and appeared to be refreshed after her dip.
Dangling Good Time
1966: Some feet dangled in the swimming pool at Nelson Park for the first time today as the Red Cross "Learn to Swim" program got under way. A few, at the far end of the pool, have ventured in to the pool while others seem to prefer the sidelines at present.
Fariview Park bears
1916: Teddy and Smithy roam their cage and greet visitors at Fairview Park. The bears were bought this year with $100 donated by the public and apparently didn’t like each other too much at first. The fate of those first two bears isn’t clear. A 1925 clipping reported that ‘the Fairview bears are dead.’ They were shot by a taxidermist.
Figure Skating
1966: Jeanette Petrie, one of two instructors provided by the Decatur Park District at Fairview Rink, helps the teenage group begin.
Fun Fair
1983: Joe Farflinger and sons, MIchael, 6, and Robbie, 5, brave the Fun Fair's giant slide.
Fun Fair
1970
Fun Fair slide
1980: The giant slide offered the daring a bird's-eye view of th eFun Fair Saturday in Fairview Park.
Hockey classes given at ice rink
1963
Immersed in Studies
1966: Red Cross volunteers today began twice-a-week swimming lessons for students enrolled in the city schools' compensatory education program.
Joyland
1963: Youngsters ride, impervious of controversy surround Joyland.
Joyland
Me and my penguin
1990: Gerome Woodland, 8, of Decatur happily naps on his inflatible penguin during a time out on a hot afternoon last week at Fairview Park.
Nelson Park Golf Course
1989: The best golfers start young, as this quintet knows. the boys - from left, Robbie Laegeler, 6, Andy Fischer, 7, Chris Weigel, 6, Justin Morrision, 7, and Jeff Houseman, 6 - also kept in mind the adage "drive for show, putt for dough" as they polished their putting practice on the green at Nelson Park Golf Course Tuesday.
Nelson Park Golf Course
1960: Nelson Park Golf Cours, pictured here, overlooks Lake Decatur.
New Instructor
1962:
Really reeling
1984: Fun and sun combined on the first day of Decatur's 29th Fun Fair Friday. Taking a spin on the Scrambler are, from left: Lindsey Delahunty, 9; Angie Michel, 12, Kim Ehrmantraut, 11, and Christine Houseworth, 12.
Skating
1980: Gliding through a Sunday of fun, skaters took advantage of "Crazy Day on Ice" at Fairview Park Rink.
Summer in the Parks
1981: Although it's not summer yet by the calendar, the season has arrived for these fun-loving youngsters. Aboe, the Nelson Park pool got a good workout Sunday as area youths sought relief from the heat and humidity. Top, new park leaders have been playing a variety of games recently at South Shores School, including this one called "Who's It?" The object of the game is for the audience to guess what animal is being portrayed. Playing wolf is Lance Borske.
Summer officially arrives
1978: Today is the first official day of summer, according to the calendar, and these children from Humpty Dumpty School got into the "swim" of things by visiting and frolicking in and around the wading pool in Fairview Park. The bright, sunny and warm first-day-of-summer weather was a direct contrast to the dark, dreary and extremely rainy day on Tuesday.
Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR
Donnette Beckett
"Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter
