It looked and sounded like a hive of loud, giant bees on Saturday, May 1, as dozens of Kenmore citizens descended on the west end of the new unnamed park next to Trail Walk condominiums in downtown.

Celebrating Earth Day together by cleaning and primping our new park was an excellent opportunity to see old friends and make new ones amidst the roar of chain saws. It looked like a crazy Easter egg hunt as everyone dashed through the forest in search of our prize: garbage. Everything from beer cans to vacuum cleaners were hauled out for removal!

After the friendly, yet diverse people in Kenmore, my favorite thing about it is the parks.

From hiking the old growth forest at Saint Edward to following the meandering trails around Wallace Park, it just keeps getting better and better. Our brand-new park will be the crowning jewel of downtown when it is done. The perfect trail to walk and jog at our fingertips without worrying about getting hit by a bicycle on the bike trail.

I love living downtown, and it is an environmentally concerned citizen’s heaven. Two weeks ago, I did my shopping on foot from Grocery Outlet to Rite Aid on the brand-new sidewalks. When I got tired, I noticed that my arms fit perfectly over the new fun swirly fence and I could hang myself there in the sun until re-energized for the walk home.

Now all we need is a world-class sand beach and we’ll never have to leave Kenmore for anything. (Except sun.)

Gretchen L. Nixon