“We come to the park and…
By Alex Davidson
Jansiel Bolanco stood huddled with his cousins and other children around a water fountain in Forest Park on Fourth of July, hoping to fill up his spray water gun before anyone else so he could be the first to go on the attack.
“We come to the park and play,” the 11-year-old said, while taking aim at his younger cousin. “We do it ’cause it’s fun.”
Bolanco, at the park with his extended family, was one of several thousand people celebrating America’s 227th birthday. He said he and his family, who live in Woodhaven, have been coming to the park for several years.
“Everything is beautiful. There is fresh air, clean air,” said his uncle, Pedro Bolanco. “This is my neighborhood, my country.”
The Bolanco family had its barbecue going, a set of family chairs set up and games ready to entertain the group’s four nieces and nephews. But the family was far from alone.
From golfers teeing up on the Forest Park golf course to children lining up to ride the Forest Park Carousel, everyone was trying to just have a good time on a day when the mercury soared to at least 90 degrees.
“We’re here to stay outside and be in the sun,” Simone Ioannov of Ridgewood said. “We also came here to see the kids.”
Ioannov, sipping on an iced coffee and donning a blue hat and thongs to keep cool, came to the park with her friend Stan Aurel, who chose the traditional Italian ice to keep the heat at bay. The duo planned to enjoy their day in the sun, then go out later to a club in the city to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Hundreds of families came to the park to barbecue, play frisbee, sing or just relax in the triangle area of Forest Park between the golf course, behind the band shell and behind the carousel.
People brought out bikes, baseball equipment and even a drum set to enjoy their day. There were also roaming packs of children, parents screaming at their offspring to behave and fathers closely tending to their barbecues, making sure the midday meal was perfect.
Some people, however, decided to spend their Fourth of July moments away from all the excitement and enjoy some peace and quiet.
Betty McDonnell, a resident of Woodhaven for more than 35 years, was reading a book on the shaded benches in the band shell. She said she only recently re-evaluated how she spends the holiday.
“I used to celebrate heartily,” she sighed. “I’m enjoying the day. I decided to just appreciate nature today.”
And for McDonnell, that was the perfect way to spend the day.
“I needed some piece of mind and I’m sitting here finding it.”
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
