Jordan Jacupke
Ross Fuglsang
Comm 208
14 September 2012
Article #1: Description
Heartwell Park
If you’re looking for a place to relax, look no further. In the small town of Hastings, Nebraska there is a place that is worth visiting. This place is known as Heartwell Park. Founded by James B. Heartwell in 1886, the park has been a landmark of Hastings since its beginning.
Pulling up, you wouldn’t recognize it as a park. It runs East and West for a block each way, and is bordered on the South side by Forest Blvd, and the North by Lakeside Blvd. They’re both curvilinear streets that run from end to end, with the former having a median of trees separating the two lanes. Elm Ave cuts the two streets off on the east and Eastside Blvd on the west. There is a pond on the west side that drains on its east bank, down a spillway into a creek that streams from the midpoint of the block farther to the east.
If you follow the stream east you will pass a children’s jungle gym on the south side, which features a 10-foot spiral slide and matching swings. There are usually children swinging there, challenging each other to who can swing the highest. Farther down from the jungle gym is a fenced-in wading pool that is filled from May to August. During the summer months there are usually a couple of small children with their mothers splashing and playing in the 2-foot deep water.
Across the street from the wading pool, on the south side, are a few rustic-looking houses with old picket fences, many of which having a majority of the paint chipped off. In fact, the entire park is lined with old houses that were constructed between 1919 and 1960. Green front yards, open garages, and the occasional old retired man doing yard work to stay busy are a common sight. Another thing you’ll notice are the towering trees and their magnificent size; most of which having trunks that not even a large man could wrap his arms around.
On a typical fall day I’ll sit on the wooden park benches near the pond, many of which are decades old—watching the geese and ducks gracefully cruising in the water like ice skaters. On either side of me there are more geese patiently sitting, almost like a mother watching her child playing in the sand on a beach, enjoying the cool air and soft grass under their feathers. Sometimes I’ll take along some bread to feed the ducks with. In addition to the ducks, there are also many breeds of geese and if you’re lucky, you can spot a pelican occasionally. Sitting and observing the park’s beauty is a wonderful way to kickback and relax.
While being noisy from the quacks and honks, it is also peaceful and serene. The noise is mostly static— being undistinguishable from one thing to another. I usually hear children playing across the way, or little boys casting their poles with hopes of catching whatever the pond has to offer. I hear people walking past me on the street behind me, I wouldn’t know they were there if it weren’t for their voices. Two women, talking about soccer practice ending pretty soon—and shortly the voices fade back into the static. I also hear a little girl talking to her grandpa out on the dock in front of me. “How come the fishies don’t eat the bread, grandpa?” she said. “They must be full from all the fishy food they’ve been eating.” He replied.
There are always people walking around the borders of the park, much like what would be seen on an 8-lane track, except these people are in no hurry. Things move slower within the confines of the park. There aren’t any hurries, worries, or matters that are so important they can’t wait. It is a sanctuary of sorts, between the sky-scraping Oak trees and pretty orange-brown color of the leaves, and the peaceful static noise of its daily guests. It’s a desirable place to take pictures, if for no other reason, just to remember its mesmerizing features. If you ever get the chance, mosey on out to one of the wooden bridges that cross the pond and lay down. At night, if you look up between the breaks in the canopy of trees you can see the stars—it truly is an amazing experience.
