Link Red-StaterWisdoms

Red-StaterWisdoms explores the differences between the Red and Blue states on social, personal and political issues.

My Photo
Name:
Location: New York

Monday, July 04, 2005

Helen Mosher Winner of Fourth of July Contest

Around 1 p.m. Dee Hill called and asked if I wanted to go with her to what used to be the Colonial Coach Trailer Park, now called Bending River Estates, and judge a Fourth of July contest. The fact that today is the 4th and there was a contest for anything in the trailer park piqued my interest, so I said yes.

Dee informed me that Tammyjo and Tiger/Eldon Smith were the new Park Managers for owner Bonnie Brutsman and had been working to improve the park. The Fourth of July contest was part of their improvement program. The Smiths asked each of the 26 occupants to spruce up their lots and display Fourth of July decorations. They then asked Dee, an objective person, to judge the displays. The winner would be rewarded a “lot rent incentive” as a prize for best display. Tammyjo and Tiger did not participate in the contest, although they had Fourth of July decorations displayed on their lot.

As Dee, Tammyjo and I walked around the park, Tammyjo was filling us in on all the cleanup work she and Tiger had completed since being made Park Managers. Dee, who was more familiar with what the park looked like before kept commenting on how good it looked. Tammyjo talked about changing some of the park rules, like the number of sheds people could place on their lots for storage. Tammyjo said one 8x8 shed isn’t large enough to store stuff for most people in the park. She said she’d rather allow them to have two sheds for more adequate storage space. Dee and I agreed because we could see that many homes in the park had a “spillover” problem; bikes, toys etc.

Out of the 26 homes in the park more than half displayed Fourth of July decorations, but nearly all of them had spruced up for the holiday. It was inspiring to walk through the park and see touches of the Fourth of July spirit, but it was just as inspiring to see what the Smiths had done, crisp mowed lawns and flower beds with flags placed to catch and please the eye. There was no doubt an effort by the Smiths was being made to improve the overall look of the park.

After the walk through, Dee judged that Helen Mosher of Lot 10 had the best display. Helen displayed holiday decorations in her flower bed at the front of the home. Helen will receive a $50 reduced from her lot fee for next month.

Tammyjo is hoping to create more incentives for the people who live in Bending River Estates. Kudos for Tammyjo and Tiger for helping their town and mobile home community.

On a Fourth of July side note: Tammyjo served 12 years in the United States Navy in the Medical Division. Tammyjo was called to service during Desert Storm and received a National Defense Award for helping out during the aftermath of the attack on 9/11. She spent two months at “ground zero”, mobilizing medical efforts for any military that were called to support in New York City. Tammyjo received an honorable discharge in March of 2003. Tammyjo you’re a great American and Lindley is fortunate to be on the receiving end of your military experience and dedication to your country.

Click on the photo and go to Sallyann’s photostream for more pictures of the park.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sally thank you for such a wonderful article on our park. We really do want to spruce it up and make everyone in our town proud to have a trailer park in the area. It may take some time to do some of our plans such as the play ground area to keep our kids off the streets and safe and a new paved road way. We also would like to bring in some campers and we will continue to have contests and activities such as Halloween parties and costume contests for the kids in our park.We are proud to be doing this job and look forward to the rewards when we can complete the hardest part of the journey in cleaning it up and upscaling the park to a better community. Thanks so much again.

7:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please keep us posted as to your efforts in the park. I especially like your focus on the kids. They need to be raised in a healthy, caring environment.We all win when kids are taught to value and respect their community. Keep up the good work and know you're setting a great example for the town.

8:59 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home