The new Blockhouse Community Park sits on one of the corners of the Blockhouse four way stop, and features sitting areas, a green space, a wishing well and a performance area for live acts.
The four way stop in Blockhouse may look a little different thanks to the development of a new community park.
The new Blockhouse Community Park, situated on one of the four corners of Blockhouse’s four way stop, was a community effort brought forth by the Blockhouse Area Ratepayers Kinship to give both visitors and locals a place to enjoy, relax and entertain.
“The project started three years ago, and it’s aim was just to beautify the corner at the four way stop,” said Robert Hyson, chairperson for BARK.
“Both sides of the road were in bad shape, so we decided to turn one side into a park. Now, three years later, the park is in its finished stage. When you drive into Blockhouse and come to the four way stop, we want you to say’Wow, what a nice little park that is.'”
Robert Hyson, chair of the Blockhouse Area Ratepayers Kinship, spoke about how the Blockhouse Community Park came to be.
The park was unveiled Saturday with a grand opening ceremony complete with live music, a free BBQ and refreshments. It features a large green space, seating areas, a wishing well and a performance area for live entertainment, something Hyson hopes will take off at the park.
“We hope to host some musical events throughout the summer, and maybe get something set up in the evenings throughout the week,” he said.
“We’ve been doing a Christmas tree lighting event there for the last three years as well, and will continue with that. Really, we hope its becomes a place for locals and visitors to sit, relax and chat away.”
To help promote that communication, a special bench was installed in the park as well in an effort to strike up the conversation around mental health.
Unveiled at Saturday’s grand opening, the Sit and Chat Bench is an area for people not only to rest, but to chat with both friends and strangers alike.
The idea is to get people outside and to create communication between people to help them better their mental health.
“Some people don’t realize that taking care of your mental health isn’t just going to see a psychologist, although that’s important, but it is also doing things to make sure their physical health is in good shape too, because they are related,” said Susan Marsh, executive director of the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia.
“I hope when people see the bench, they begin to think about their mental health and realize that its not that scary to talk about any issues they may have.”
Members of APNS spoke to the importance of chatting and communication to mental health during their speech to dedicate the bench to the park.
The Sit and Chat bench sits below the new Blockhouse Community Park sign after its reveal.
This is the third Sit and Chat bench installed in Nova Scotia, with the first two located in Yarmouth and Stewiacke. Marsh said BARK had approached them about putting one in the Blockhouse Community Park after hearing about the others.
“We really like the idea of them being in a small community,” said Marsh, “It doesn’t have to be a town, it can just be a community of people, or even a rural area.”
Marsh said they have installed three benches in the last three years, and hopes to set up a new bench in a community each year moving forward.
Reported by: Cody McEachern
Twitter: @CodyInHiFi
E-mail: mceachern.cody@radioabl.ca
