Blog Archive - Page 6 of 15 - The Friends of Mary Cummings Park

Ted Elliman, August 10, 2019

We had another wonderful walk with author Ted Elliman.

This walk does not feature a photo gallery, but we did take lots of video which we will eventually get online!

The Fog Was Lifting at Mary Cummings Park

Morning fog required a visit to the park, which is always hurried, because you never know how soon the fog will lift. This morning was slow and patient. After we added The Fog Was Lifting, the line from Woody Guthrie’s song This Land is Your Land, it became clear that after years of successful struggle to save it, Mary Cummings Park really is meant for you and me.

The music is by composer David Hilowitz.

Timelapse August 12, 2019

This was a sunset that didn’t have a great deal of color, but made up for it with great composition. Wonderful music by Sound of Picture.

Trustees Plans for the Park Taking Shape

The Trustees are busy at work developing their new plans for Mary Cummings Park. There is no final version ready to show, but we understand it will include a small parking area, nature trail, and picnic area. This all is likely to be created in the area south of the blue water tower, an area that is now so deeply infested with invasive brush that it is impenetrable, except by animals.

We requested that the brush be cleared at such a rate as to allow those animal residents to find new homes.

We look forward to seeing the final plans and sharing them with you, our park supporters.

In Honor of Grace Cummings

We recently got word that Grace Cummings of Woburn passed away at the age of 98. She was a direct descendent of the Cummings family. Her daughter asked that donations be send to us, The Friends of Mary Cummings Park, in honor of her mother.

We are very grateful for the honor of being recognized by this family and we will use the donations to further the care of the park.

Here is the notice for Grace Cummings.

Vandalism in the Park

There has been regular vandalism in Whispering Hill Woods and Mary Cummings Park over the last years.

But this year it has hit a new level. Signs posts were smashed out of the ground, and thrown into the woods. It appears that they used barbells to break the signs out of the ground and ATVs to move the signs they dislodged around the park.

The Friends of Mary Cummings Park has been taking care of both parks for years, paying for kiosks, signs, and maps from our own pockets and from donations.

If you know who did this, please speak to them or their parents, or identify them to the police.

We will be looking into placing hidden field cameras and working with local police to catch those responsible.

The culprits have a firepit where they go to drink and then vandalize the signs in that area, also filling the area with empty beer and drink containers.

Here is our flyer about this recent round of destruction:

Sunset Timelapse, May 22, 2019

All day the striated clouds had been teasing me, so at sunset I ran up to the park and setup the camera… Thank you to Robert Ståhlbrand for his performance of Bach’s Invention #9 in F minor. Sunset at the park is a quiet, spiritual event. As I was taking down the equipment in the near dark, I saw two deer observing me. They decided I was harmless and continued grazing. Their photo is below the sunset.