Fairmont Park - At long last!

I said I would tell you all about Fairmont Park, and so here is my take on the place. I pretty much love it there. At first glance it’s a smallish park with nothing much to write home about. Closer inspection, however, reveals a number of charming features that have won my heart.

First, it has a dynamite set of swings, which I think we can all agree are essential for any park. I like to swing while watching the neighbourhood families play tennis together after dinner. It’s wholesome fun, and the tennis courts there are free and open, which is great, though unfortunately, I don’t own a tennis racquet. There is also a bit of an open grassy area, which looks like a really great place to have a pick up game of football with your friends.

There are a number of sweet little houses bordering the park, and some of the families have planted flowers and such on the park side of their fences, which is very nice and homey also. On a couple of occasions, I’ve seen people hosting social events in the park. They bring their patio furniture out and set it up in the park. I see them serving lemonade and nacho chips to their friends on breezy summer evenings. It looks like a lot of fun.

A couple of months ago, a really cute little house went on the market overlooking the park. It was listed at 350K and basically needed about 100K worth of renos. It sold within 4 days! I loved the idea of buying this house and moving into it, so I was a little sad. The fact is, I don’t have a pot to piss in, much less money to buy a house. My friend Daniel said that it was a romantic notion anyway, and that whoever ended up buying the house probably would not be able to move into it for about 6 months until all of the asbestos and toxic mould had been removed. He may have been right, but sometimes I think I would’ve risked the possibility of contracting Asbestosis for the chance to live across the street from FP!

Often on my way home from a run along the canal, I cut through the park to see what’s shakin.’ There are several day care groups that go there to play, as well as, upper middle class moms who hang out there with their kids during the day. On one particular day, it had been getting progressively overcast, and was starting to drizzle as I ran through. The park was vacant and I noticed a bunch of toys in the park and wondered who had left their stuff behind. Imagine my delight when I spotted the faded permanent marker on these plastic trucks and wheelbarrows indicating that they were the property of Fairmont Park. I died inside. This park has its own toys!

Two final observations: I love adventure and discovering new places. I’ve discovered that if you are on Beech street (say maybe picking up a sandwich at Dirienzo’s), you can grab this well-hidden, wooded short cut down the embankment and directly into the park. The path has a makeshift stone staircase. Nipping through there is like adding 15seconds of wilderness adventure to your day in the city.

The keen eye will also notice the numerous statuettes staggered throughout the park. I think they are mostly of dogs. Admittedly, I don’t really know what to make of these, but I say roll with it. Maybe they are the park mascots, or ghosts of dogs who once called Fairmont Park home. I would not put anything past this wonderful little oasis.

T