flagwaving

Chatter From the Park--Open for Veterans Day!

November 23, 2005

Happy Veterans Day!!

Last Friday, Veterans Day, after the parade in the morning, we had open house at the park. Many people dropped byu. They were all impressed by the park and enjoyed cider and donuts courtesy of Dan DeRoch. The weather was cold and it took days for Dan to thaw out, but he was a happy, gracious host. Check the Photos page for some new photographs of your park.





September 22, 2005

Yesterday at 15:05 hrs. we laid to rest our last brick paver on our pathway from the parkking lot to enter our southern section. We let out a few whoops and congratulated each other. On the 21st, Reginald Lessard, Leon Audet and I, Dan DeRoch, all volunteers from the Veteran Brigade along with Joe LaChance, who was out of town that famous day and hour, but will join in with us when we realize that no more brick pavers will be needed. We stopped for a minute and calculated that when we started the Park on June 22nd 2005 and this date makes it exactly 90 days total, with about 640 man hours. Now, I mention this detail to let you know that these four veterans gave of their work hours at no charge to the park. Now we must add two more names, who are also veterans for their daily visits to the park to keep our photographs up to date with our construction. It was surprising to me to also watch Warren Poulin operate our huge compactor to form the actual surface slope of the Park. Larry Mitchell was there every day making photos of everything we were doing and then adding all this data to our web site so the entire world can get a look at what a few veterans were doing in a small town named Winslow, Maine.

Now it is my pleasure to add the name of one non-veteran, and that is Donald Poulin of the Emile Poulin Construction Co. He was there digging, he was there laying underdrain, he was there making the bricks fit on the top of our flowerpots, he was there building the forms which support the Main Dedication Stone, which, by the way, weighs in at 6000 pounds (also known as 3 tons). Now as if this isn't enough, he has also been there mowing the lawns and he also cut every foot of our brick lock which figured about 5000 feet. And then there were my two daughters in the office at Winslow Supply who assisted everyone that wanted to donate for a stone in our Park, and part of my crew at Winslow Supply that forever were bringing material and equipment to the Park. .

In closing this verse of chatter, I want everyone to know that I couldn't build this beautiful Park had it not been for the help from these guys and gals. I have already thanked our main contractors for the great work they did. I guess I'm just lucky, but I do know that our LORD was with us each step of the way. Now, I leave you with this one thought--No! I don't plan to build another park. We aren't done yet, but I just had to say THANK YOU to all.

Daniel J. DeRoch, Trustee. USNR V-6