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Readers’ Views

Thank you, council

To The Editor:

On Aug. 14, the Fairmont City Council allowed the Adventure Playground Task Force the time to tell our story of why an inclusive playground is needed here in Fairmont and to request help in funding. We want to thank the council for taking the time to meet with us individually and also for allowing us the time during its meeting to really share how incredibly important this outdoor park is. We are thankful for your support on this project.

An inclusive playground provides the opportunity for children and adults of all capabilities to play together in one park, to be able to go down slides together, to swing together and to race each other on zip lines. There are so many families that have been deprived of this opportunity their whole lives and cannot wait for the chance to see their child laughing while swinging and playing with their siblings and friends.

We feel Gomsrud Park is the perfect location for this park because it is already a popular park with many amenities already there that will help cut our costs down.

To anyone looking for more information on this park please visit “Exploreadventureplayground.com” to read more about our “why,” pictures of the park itself and to donate to our project. Please reach out to your city council representative and let them know you support this park also.

Our task force is committed to matching the funding provided by the city and we are determined to keep this promise.

Thank you, Fairmont City Council members, Troy Nemmers and the Park Board for your time and support with this project.

Sara Pierce

Task Force chairwoman

Fairmont

Class of ’57 returns

To the Editor:

If you’re reading this, you probably come from around here so listen up. There may be onesies on North Avenue, a run on ice cream sodas at the Sweet Shop, drag racing on Blue Earth Avenue. Keep your pets inside and bar the doors. The class of ’57 is back.

Those wild people who had “duck-tail” haircuts and rolled up the sleeves on white shirts will be in town. They parked in the dark at the slough that is now Gomsrud Park, wore pink dresses and played rock’n’roll at 45 RPMs. They customized cars and stood around the Youth Center. The guys watched the girls dance and the girls kept notes on who was taking who to the prom. They de-tassled corn and walked beans, dated at the Strand for 50 cents and a dime for popcorn. None of them knew squat and you knew they would not amount to anything. Well, you were wrong.

We were the first to graduate from the new high school and to set all kinds of records on the playing fields and the world of academia. We were the brightest and the most desirable class ever to graduate from Fairmont. We were all above average; still are. Our teachers were the most patient and most benevolent creatures to walk the halls and restrain themselves from bopping us a couple of times.

There were lots of other things that I can’t remember because I’m pushing 78 just like the rest of them. I’m making this up because Bruce Burton said it would keep our classmates awake long enough to eat dessert at the Ranch. I hope so, because I’m tired already.

I’m surprised that you are still reading this. The fact is we need you to be extra careful. We can’t run as fast and we don’t remember much, so don’t run us over on the street and if you find anybody wondering around in a daze; just send us to Berchy’s.

Bill Wohlford

Bettendorf, Iowa

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