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from my perspective . . . What a great day today! Sunday, but no day of rest for 'Brenda Starr, reporter' as one reader named me!!!!!! I remember reading her comic strip in the Columbus Dispatch and wishing I could have a head of red hair like that!
I had arranged to meet Laurie Sweezey and her mother Jerry Facey at 2:00 to see the notebook Laurie compiled in 1973 for the May Denny Memorial Park, a 4-H Community Pride Project. I had just talked with Betty Jenner who told me that May Denny was the special teacher who taught her to sew. The first thing Jerry said when we opened the notebook was, "Oh, May Denny brought in old clothes and showed us how to make new ones out of them! I made a little shirt from a man's shirt and she taught me so much. She was a wonderful teacher and person." Here is the first page in the folder:
Laurie had typed up a 'History of the May Denny Memorial Park': "In October, 1966, Don Avery, then County Supervisor of the Fifth District in Siskiyou County, asked the help of the Scott Valley Garden Club in restoring and planting a rest area located on west side county road one mile south of Etna. This rest area is on County owned land. The County had never made a great deal of progress in developing this area. The flood of 1964 deposited a large amount of sand, gravel and rocks on the area. The Scott Valley Garden Club agreed to help if they would be given permission to dedicate the rest area to May L. Denny, an educator in our valley for many years, an ardent botanist and a member of the Garden Club until her death in 1966. To this the Board of Supervisors agreed and allowed $1,450.00 for restoration. This entire amount was used for building rest rooms, installing a water system, sewer, cattle guard and fences. The fence was built by men from the Deadwood Conservation Camp. It was necessary to pay only the guard. Paint for the interior and exterior of the rest rooms was donated and the painting done by the Scott Valley Garden Club. The city of Etna donated machinery and labor (2 men) to help garden club clear rocks, level part of the area and haul in some good topsoil. County equipment transported a large rock of native marble to the location. The Scott Valley Garden Club paid $100 to have this marble inscribed. The Scott Valley Garden Club asked for more money from the Board of Supervisors to buy materials for a table shelter. They were allowed $300 for materials. The shop class at Etna High School agreed to build the shelter over the picnic tables. The Etna 4-H Club agreed to furnish two trash cans for the area. A marble drinking fountain has been donated by the Etna Lions Club. An area southeast of the tables and rest rooms has been surrounded by a low rail fence and planted with native trees and shrubs and evergreen trees purchased by the garden club. (Remember seeing the photos of these in the September 6th post???) An area 10 feet wide along the County road was enclosed by a low rail fence and planted to flowering shrubs, iris and pyracantha. African copper roses and early settler roses have been planted along the back fence. The memorial marker and plantings and the picnic area are surrounded by a circular drive. The County donated one load of red cinders for a ground cover around the marble marker, rest rooms and shelter. In 1968 the Scott Valley Club won the Richfield Civic Beautification Award and a Sears Award. This park since 1970 has been left without any one to work on it. Therefore the County had to close it." In 1972, as a Sophomore in High School, Laurie wrote this letter:
What
a gal . . . Her notes continue . . . "On October 10, 1972 I wrote a letter to the Board of Supervisors requesting permission to maintain the May Denny Memorial Park. On December 1, 1972 I was very pleased when I received a letter granting this permission and they sent me four copies of an agreement for our 4-H Club to sign. After receiving this letter I reported to our 4-H Club and we decided to have our very first work day on March 24. It lasted from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00. At the first work day we had, we raked, burned, cleaned and weeded. Also at this first work day a very kind lady came to our park and donated $10 towards the park. This money at first was going to be used for a new toilet, but an Etna citizen donated a toilet so we used this money for a new sprinkler and some toilet paper for the bathrooms. My Grandfather did all the plumbing so it did not cost us anything. After reporting back to our club, April 7, 1973 was set aside for another work day at the May Denny Memorial Park. Working from 9:00 - 12:00 we did the following things: picked up rocks, burned pine cones and trash which we had gathered. The 4-H had to obtain a fire permit from the Forest Service to burn. We painted the tables 4-H green, pruned the dead wood off of the shrubs and dug up the dead bushes and trees. My brother put in the time and effort to make our very large 4-H clover for over the shelter and the two signs for the rest rooms. Flowers and shrubs were donated and planted in the flower beds. We planted a lawn in the huge circular bed which is located in the middle of the park. With a little tender loving care our flowers are coming up and blooming, also the grass is really looking good. A big box was donated to the park. In the box we keep our hoses and sprinklers under lock and key. A watering schedule was printed out and placed on the top inside the box. This schedule shows how to water the park. Thanks to our members helping me on my project, we have the trash dumped once a week and the rest rooms are kept very clean. Before the summer is over we plan on painting the rest rooms with a spray outfit. The paint will be bought by the club. After the building is prepared for painting, my father will paint it.* In receiving many compliments on this park, I have found that this really truly is a community pride project." This
is my favorite photo . . .
I remember growing up in 4-H and Campfire Girls and the projects we worked on. Oh that 'Community Pride' could once again have a resurgence throughout the world. And for her project, Laurie and the Etna 4-H Club were awarded this plaque, which she has kept all these years. Her notebook and the plaque will be donated to the Etna Museum along with the Richfield Award the Garden Club was awarded in 1968. Great pieces of Etna history.
*I got to laughing so hard as I was typing about the painting of the restrooms as Jerry told this story today: It seems that Jerry was the one who painted the restrooms white. Upon returning home she saw how much paint she got on her blouse, so she soaked it in gasoline to get the paint out. Then she put it in the washing machine on the back porch. They had just finished eating dinner and were cleaning up and putting away the leftovers when the washing machine went from one cycle to another and blew off the back porch!!!!!! Evidently because the doors and windows were closed on the porch, the fumes of the gasoline built up and the cycle change somehow caused an explosion. The refrigerator door was sucked open and all the gallon glass bottles of milk broke, then the door slammed shut again! One of the kids exclaimed, "We don't have to eat leftovers tomorrow night"! Vernon Branson (Rosie's husband) would phone Jerry every time there was a sonic boom and ask, "Did you blow up the house again"??????????? In joy! Che'usa Thanks
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