‘Central’ Parks
This is the second in a six-part series showcasing ways to have summer fun in Mount Pleasant.
Rex and Frank went to Island Park Sunday to get some shade.
The dogs were panting in the 90-degree heat as their owners, Mount Pleasant residents Bill Lyons and Melissa Pekee, enjoyed the cooler temperatures given off by the Chippewa River.
And they all enjoyed some barbecue, too.
“We are very lucky to have this river,” Lyons said. “All these parks have this river.”
The Chippewa River runs through Mission Creek Park, Pickens Field, Island Park, Mill Pond Park, Nelson Park and Chipp-a-Waters Park, all in Mount Pleasant.
The two have canoed down the Chippewa River before and usually see the same river while sitting across from it, enjoying a nice dinner at the Mountain Town Station Brewing Company and Steakhouse, 506 W. Broadway St.
Pekee said they usually go to Chipp-a-Waters Park, but went to Island Park Sunday for the shade of the large trees.
Across the river, in the connected Island Park, Wells Warren was driving down the freeway when he saw the sign for the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Memorial and decided to stop to observe Memorial weekend and honor his fallen friends.
Park locations on the Chip River
- Mission Creek Woodland Park, 1458 N. Harris St.
- Pickens Field, 309 W. Pickard Ave.
- Island Park, 331 N. Main St.
- Mill Pond Park, 607 N. Adams St.
- Nelson Park, 714 W. Broadway St.
- Chipp-A-Waters Park, 1403 W. High St.
“(The memorial is for) the guys that didn’t get the respect they deserved,” Warren said.
After stopping, it was back on the road for Warren.
For others, it was time to move onto another of Mount Pleasant’s scenic public parks.
Island Park is home to the memorial, a skatepark, three softball fields, four volleyball courts, four tennis courts and Timber Town Playscape.
“It’s too hot to do anything,” a skateboarder, who goes by the name Primo, said Monday.
He was planning to swim in the Chippewa later to get cooled off.
Tyler Mills and Jason Assmann from Mount Pleasant High School and Tyler Stegman, from Shepherd High School, said they play basketball at Island Park often.
“I’d say (we play) 5-to-10 times a week,” Mills said.
Barbecuing is a popular Memorial Day pastime and another opportunity supplied by the parks.
“We live downtown and don’t have a backyard, so we come here,” said David Mascho, about himself and Hanna Demerath, both downtown Mount Pleasant residents.
He worked to light charcoal for the upcoming barbecue.
“We got here early to get a spot,” Mascho said.
The area parks are keen to bike riders as well.
Pickens Field, Chipp-A-Waters, Mill Pond, Nelson and Island Parks all are connected by a bike trail.
“We’re working on expanding that concept with logical trail links,” said Gregory Baderschneider, director of Parks, Building and Grounds for Mount Pleasant. “The riverwalk trail is used by all walks of life,” he said.
Baderschneider said the parks budget was just submitted and he expects cuts to be made when the budget is looked at, starting today.
He said the parks cost $425,000 a year to operate and his department would request $375,000 for capital projects that would include wetland acquisition, building playground equipment and work on Island Park’s south drive.
In the next few years, Baderschneider plans to have a path connecting Chipp-A-Waters Park to the west side of CMU’s campus.
The parks are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., with alcohol not permitted at Mill Pond Park. Being under the influence of alcohol is prohibited in all parks, as are the use of firecrackers, rockets and fireworks.
