Firemen’s Park. August 24, 2021. Paul Goldfinger © Ocean Grove, NJ   Click to enlarge.

Paul Goldfinger,  Editor Blogfinger.net

Some years ago, every Choir Festival Day, the vocalists arrived early  for rehearsals.  Many had a ritual of setting up picnics in Firemen’s Park.  It was a sort of tradition, and we, across the street, enjoyed it too.  Sometimes they did a bit of rehearsing or reviewing the music.

Then, it abruptly it stopped. We guessed that the CMA decided to feed them.

This park has wonderful trees, many of which were donated by the neighbors. We also donated the boards for the benches.

The picnic above was set beneath a stately Shademaster locust tree which we planted about ten years ago with the help of the Neptune DPW.  It grows 2-feet each year.    It reaches 50- 75 feet tall.   It’s too bad that they don’t prune those trees.

This park attracts so many dog walkers–it is a subculture in the Grove, and many of them are newcomers who have bought homes or are renting to escape the troubles in the Big Apple.  Someday there will be a dog park in town.

This image looks like a family affair, and in recent years there has been an influx of young families, and that is terrific.  The park is used for Wiffle ball games, catch with Dad, kids, 2 mitts, and a hardball, little kids learning how to skateboard along the cement paths, tree climbers, strollers, beach goers,  bench sitters, and bikers taking the shortest distance between 2 points, and, yes picnics.  Moms with toddlers love to enter the park.

I wish more musicians would come to the park as well as some cultural events such as story telling, poetry reading, and art shows.

And maybe some firemen might take down that disgraceful, ugly,  locked iron fence with  dangerous shrubs  surrounding the bell.

The movie Picnic starred William Holden and Kim Novak.  It is from 1955 and is set in a little Kansas town over the Labor Day holiday.

THE McGUIRE SISTERS:  “Theme from Picnic.”