Ribbon cutting for Roachdale park

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

ROACHDALE --After a summer of hard work and tireless effort by volunteers the Roachdale community park will be having a ribbon-cutting celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m.

The community park became the pet project of Roachdale resident Tammy Folck this past winter when she came to a town council meeting with an idea of upgrading the park.

Folck became concerned about the park's state when she took her grandchildren there one day and was startled by the condition of the equipment.

"I asked, 'Who takes care of the park?'" Folck said in an earlier interview with the Banner Graphic.

Now, Folck has been calling the shots and has had several helping hands, some not even from the community, during the last few months of painting and revitalizing the park.

"It's great being able to help out and coming here," Abbi Branson, a member of the youth group from the Roachdale Baptist Church, said. "Being able to do this with these people ... (I) couldn't be more blessed."

Along with Branson several other members of Roachdale Baptist Church have spent their Saturdays and free time helping Folck get the park up and running.

A service fraternity, Lambda Sigma Epsilon, also heard about Folck's endeavors from a professor and decided to lend a helping hand.

Fraternity members John Yates, Jonathan Reyes and Ricardo Flores were excited to lend a hand and said that finding a project like this was a "stroke of luck" and "awesome" to be part of.

Folck and her volunteers are excited about Saturday's ribbon cutting and invite all to attend.

The celebration begins at 3:30 p.m. and will go until about 10 p.m. The first 100 children will receive a free hot dog meal. The Roachdale in Action group will also be on hand with a pulled pork dinner for $7.

The celebration will also include several life-size games, pumpkin carving, the band Cowboy Casanova, hayrides and other events planned for the evening.

Even with the ribbon-cutting celebration on Saturday Folck is still looking for ways to keep improving the park. During the winter months she will be looking at grants to help fund new park equipment.

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