Whether for a fall picnic or a crisp walk, Hillsdale city parks offer a beautiful space to get away from fluorescent-lighted study rooms on campus.
The Fields of Dreams is the hub for the sports enthusiast. It boasts several large, grass fields equipped with soccer goals and a baseball diamond. From pee-wee football to high school soccer games, the Fields of Dreams is a great place to catch a local game or even hold your own.
The Fields of Dreams has undergone renovation in recent years. “We spent a lot of community effort to build it to the point it is now,” Hillsdale’s Director of Recreation, Michelle Loren said. What used to be aluminum benches and a grassy field has been renovated with stands, a concessions building, and dugouts. With plenty of parking and open space, Fields of Dreams is the ideal location for community sporting events.
Waterworks Avenue on the north side of Baw Beese lake runs past three parks: Waterworks Park, Owen’s Park and Sandy Beach Park.
“It’s beautiful through there,” Loren said. “Each park has something different that it offers.”
The playground in Waterwork’s Park, the gazebo and the picnic tables of Owen’s Park and the sandy beach of Sandy Beach Park give a range of options for anyone wanting to enjoy the outdoors.
With a view overlooking Baw Beese, each park is ideal for tranquil studying, too. “You can put your feet in the water and just relax, read and study,” junior Doug Phillips said. He also said that the parks are a great place to go fishing and enjoy nature.
Mrs. Stock’s Park on Bacon Street will appeal to the seeker of the beauty of nature.
It is decorated with shrubs, flowers, and trees accompanying a large pavilion which has been the location of numerous weddings, Dianne Miller, an advanced master gardener and member of the Hillsdale Garden Club said. The Garden Club has been in charge of beautifying Mrs. Stock’s park for years, and their hard work shows.
Mrs. Stock’s Park and Hillsdale’s Garden Club have been the recipients of several awards from the national Garden Clubs office for restoring a historic sight and excellent garden design.
Miller, who is in charge of garden design, says the community has enjoyed and benefitted from the using the park in a variety of ways from walking dogs to taking prom pictures.
Miller has “made it a practice to be at the park on Thursday’s for anybody that wants to work in the park.” She has seen involvement from many groups such as the Boy Scouts and A Few Good Men.