By By Kerry Whipple Bean
publisher
The new clock was chiming and a choir was singing Thursday evening as downtown’s City Park hosted its first event since renovations began there earlier this year.
The Christ Kingdom Ministry choir sang in the new gazebo as part of the Holiday Kickoff hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and area merchants, and a small crowd gathered in the cold amid new landscaping and the new fountain.
Joe Gordy, chairman of Brewton’s Tree and Beautification Committee and a major force behind the work to renovate the park, said he is pleased to see it back open to the public.
The park work was paid for by an anonymous donor; the city did not contribute any of the funding. Originally, Gordy and others had hoped to start with the corner of the park on Belleville and Henderson Street where the clock now sits, but a larger donation allowed the entire park to be renovated.
Mayor Ted Jennings said the donation for the park renovation was a “generous gift.”
Many city employees also gave their time and hard work to the park, Jennings said.
Both Jennings and Gordy said they hope to see more events in the park — from bridal photos and weddings to concerts and picnics.
Some benches have been donated to the park, and anyone interested in purchasing a memorial bench can still do so. A Liberty tree has been donated by First Progressive Bank, BankTrust and Ed Leigh McMillan, Gordy said. It will be dedicated in the spring. A dedication for the entire park will also be held in the spring.
The park was founded in 1908, and Gordy said documents have stated that the site of the park was once a pond.
Because the landscaping is so new in the park, there will be fewer Christmas decorations there this year.
More landscaping work remains to be finished, Gordy said. Workers laid sod earlier and planted flowers this week, but some of the work will have to wait until the winter.