Page 10 - MAY2022

Page 10
Community
KELLEY PARK
continued from page 9
the benefit of more concerts.
A preteen girl named Olivia expressed enthusiasm about the structured activities she had ex- perienced and the friends she made as a participant in the
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Tapply-Thompson Center’s summer programs but sug- gested that better use could be
made of the Park in the win-
ter. She conveyed a thoughtful
choice of words when reflecting
on the importance of commu-
nity gatherings and how they
might be better attended with
a more appealing concession facility.
“More and better social gatherings are important for the people of Bristol. When kids ex- perience that kind of socializing, they feel more at home in Bris- tol. It builds trust among town residents, and kids feel more
comfortable and safe here.” Olivia ended her comments by adding that a working conces- sion “....would help the people who have family get-togethers in the Park”.
Needless to say, I was im- pressed by the comments the youngsters made, especially the mature empathy of Olivia’s in- sights.
And so, it is time to think about a concession for a conces- sion. Contributions of money needed to renovate the pavil- ion and the refreshment stand would be a worthy concession for a benefit returned. That benefit would be an even more useful Kelley Park, a place not only for sports but a home to frequent celebrations of peo- ple experiencing the meaning of community, and that bene- fit would be a fitting return on William Kelley’s concession of 1902.
A Final Reflection: As indicated earlier, I was not convinced that renovating a concession stand was an essential priority for our community when starting this article. I’ve had plenty of time to think about this and have re- alized that at this time, nothing is more important than reviving a “connectedness” among peo- ple. The pandemic has left many of us (especially children and the elderly) with an infrequently diagnosed feeling of grief and a numbing because of lengthy periods of isolation. I believe sincerely that frequent commu- nity gatherings where play and shared meals can be celebrated will help alleviate these often un- spoken and subjacent feelings. Please support your Kelley Park Committee in its effort to create a facility that will help to bring people together again.
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