Luckily Monday, May 20, 2013 was a nice day as 30+ volunteers created a little magic as they prepared the lovely Murchison Place park for summer fun. It’s amazing how quickly this can happen now that the park has some years of maturity and volunteers know how to approach the task. The trees were trimmed beforehand and that was a big help to the day.
This event was well organized by the park committee and Lisa Ross had a list for volunteers to refer to if they found themselves without a job. JoAnn MacPhail can always be counted on for protecting trees and shrubs. New volunteers provide a morale boost and this clean-up day was a first for the Sider family and Maggie Cameron and they added skill and enthusiasm. Regular volunteers like Shirley Farrar, Audrey MacPhee and Christine Young just arrive and start to rake leaves. Hon. Valerie Doherty has been present to rake every spring since the park opened in 2007. Donna Woodside’s finishing rake was perfect as she added a finishing touch to the perennial bed. Thanks to Alex Dixon and Alan MacQuarrie for the use of their vehicles to haul away leaves and debris from fallen trees. The MacQuarrie family, the Wood family and the Ross family work hard and know exactly what needs to be done. Vans and Emily Bryant came from Stratford to help but Erica Ross came all the way from Toronto and used her last precious hours on PEI to help out at the Park. Thank you to all volunteers, whether you could work for an hour or several hours, every bit helps.
Of course, food always is popular and that allows for time to connect with neighbours. There were lunch contributions from Carol Murray and Betty Watts as well as food brought by many of the volunteers who were there for the clean-up. Sandra Cameron made sure the tea was perfect to go with the muffins and cinnamon rolls. Jim Colodey cooked the hotdogs to perfection.
The nicest part of all is seeing the park when it is all clean. This year, four toddlers/preschoolers arrived just in time to try out the swings and the tree house. Seeing their joy makes the work all the more worthwhile. Happy summer, park users. May lots of children enjoy the park in the next few months, may walkers appreciate the walkways and may the special planned events be well attended and enjoyed.
Clyde River 
My family and I really enjoy this park. We visit it each Summer – it is the perfect park to play in on a hot, humid day, as the trees provide such wonderful shade.
Many thanks to the volunteers for all that you do in creating and maintaining the park!