Contributed by Dana Hills
Fall is in the air! The leaves are changing color and the temperatures are cooler. What a beautiful setting for the grand opening of Newman’s Memorial Park in Willow on Willow Creek Parkway in Willow. September 8, 2018 was a day of fun-filled activities and events. At 10 o’clock, hikers met in the park located on Willow Creek Parkway for a 4-mile hike. The hike took them around the lake, through terrain damaged by the Sockeye Wildfire of 2015 and concluded at the newly-developed dog park within Newman’s Memorial Park.
The pavilion, which overlooks the lake hosted the first “Art in the Park”, which featured 111 local elementary school and homeschool artists. Mayor Vern Halter and District 7 Assemblyman, Randall Kowalke, gave opening remarks. Over 300 visitors toured the park and participated in events. Featured events included Art in the Park, Music in the Park, an obstacle course, a scavenger hunt, and reading and acting out the storybook, “Going on a Bear Hunt”.
Newman’s Memorial Park, named after a long-time Willow family began in 2003 when Lori Wiertsema reserved the 40-acre parcel owned by the borough to establish a community park. It was several years later, in 2008 when WACO (Willow Area Community Organization) purchased the parcel with monies donated by Claire Fitzgaireld, a Willow resident. Willow Youth Forum, a recognized committee of WACO spear-heads the development of the park. In 2014, Elise Huggins of Earthscape developed a Master Plan for park development. The goal of the master plan committee was to develop a park master plan that provides the Willow community with recreational and educational opportunities that promote wellness through physical activity while retaining the parcel’s natural setting.
After several community meetings and discussions with Willow residents, a bucket list of things to be included in the park were identified and prioritized. Funding for the park thus far includes several grants from Matsu Parks and Trails, Matanuska Electric Association Round Up, as well as Revenue Sharing and the Matsu Recreational Bond monies.
At present, the park has a large log-covered pavilion overlooking a small lake which is an ideal setting for weddings, family reunions or just picnics in the park. Approximately two acres is set aside for an off-leash dog park. The fencing is in for the dog park and opening day, 22 dogs were able to investigate the new dog park. The 2-acre enclosure features a smaller enclosure for puppies, senior dogs or off-leash training. A nice feature of the dog park is its wilderness feature. As funds become available, plans include a regulation agility course and dog grooming station.
The master plan for the park includes the addition of softball field, skills bicycle park, skateboard park, interpretive trails, trailheads to other trails, sledding hill and will add to a variety of year-round activities. Newman’s Memorial Park will offer something for everyone and will provide the Willow community with opportunities to experience outdoor recreational activities for many years to come.
