A house on Route 46 in Canfield is up for sale for $2 million. That money is more than just the price of the home. It amounts to a major donation towards a Children’s Garden inside Mill Creek Park.
The garden is located at Fellows Riverside Garden. It was originally built in the 1980’s. Now, the Mill Creek Metroparks Foundation is working on redeveloping it.
The hope is to make the children’s garden a more interactive experience.
“The design encompasses several different garden areas. With a really heavy focus on vegetation, getting kids out there to use their senses to touch, smell, feel, learn about vegetation,” said Justin Rogers, Planning and Operations Director for Mill Creek Metroparks.
The children’s garden will be made up of 5 smaller gardens: a stream garden, a forest garden, a wonder rooms garden, a sensory garden and a harvest garden.
The Fox family donated the $2 million dollar home to the Mill Creek Park Foundation. Rogers said the donation is helping the park move forward with the project.
“The timeline would certainly be extended longer than it is now. So that’s $2 million. We’re up to about $2.5 million for this $3 million project. So it really gets the green light going,” said Rogers.
The Fox family donated the home in memory of a family member, AJ Fox, who died in 2016.
Because of the family’s donation, the Board of Mill Creek MetroParks Commissioners approved an agreement that allowed the garden to be renamed to Anthony J. Fox Family Foundation Children’s Garden.
The family shared the following statement:
“AJ Fox was a father, son, brother, and husband. To those of us who knew him, he was more than that. He was a giver and an optimist. It has been said that people die twice. Once when you take your last breath, and the second when someone says your name for the last time. In the spirit of who AJ was, we wish to make this donation to the Mill Creek MetroParks Children’s Garden. Our hope is that while its beauty spreads joy to the families of our community, they will forever think of AJ.”
“They wanted to have something that remembered AJ Fox, his family and his contributions to the community,” said Rogers.
Other donations were given towards the project, but the names of the donors have not been announced yet.
The redevelopment project has been in the works for years.
Construction for the children’s garden is already underway. It’s expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
https://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mcmp-header.png00Mill Creek MetroParks Staffhttps://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mcmp-header.pngMill Creek MetroParks Staff2024-10-24 09:15:302024-10-24 09:15:30$2 million home donated to Mill Creek MetroParks project
They say a cat has nine lives, though it took less than nine minutes for a smile to cross then cover 11-year-old Lillian Schindler’s face.
“It’s one of her favorite days,” Lillian’s mother, Barbara Bratton of Girard, said.
Bratton was referring to Halloween, and her daughter’s facial expression and body language told the story of someone who was quite pleased with the creativity evidenced on her pumpkin as she knelt next to it.
On Saturday, Lillian carved the pumpkin, with heart-shaped eyes and a cat-like appearance, at a gathering in a tent next to Mill Creek MetroParks’ Fellows Riverside Gardens.
The popular botanical gardens also was the site for the annual Pumpkin Walk at Twilight event Sunday, which drew thousands of people of all ages to see numerous rows of pumpkins of varying sizes on display. Ideal weather likely contributed to the steady flow of attendees.
An estimated 500 carved jack-o-lanterns, which were lit close to dusk, lined several paths through the gardens, Lynn Zocolo, a Mill Creek MetroParks educator, said.
When it came to Halloween preparations, Lillian had shown no hint of procrastination. About nine months ago, the girl had her costume, which depicted Nezuko Kamado, a popular fictional character in the “Demon Slayer” series, said Bratton, who also came with her son, Andrew, 5, and daughter Stella, 7.
Curiosity may not have killed the cat, but it did seem to be the dominant expression Achilles Bennett, 1, of Youngstown, displayed at one point as he stood and looked at a row of brightly lit pumpkins along a paved path.
“I have four kids and I like to bring them every year,” Achilles’ father, Jacob Bennett, said.
For this family, Halloween likely will consist of traditional fare, with the kids engaging in a bit of trick-or-treating, Bennett added.
Zocolo said that Cardinal Mooney and Poland Seminary high school art students, along with some at Lordstown Elementary School, painted and carved the pumpkins ahead of Sunday’s family-friendly walk.
Nearly 300 carvers, a figure on par with last year, spent part of Saturday engaged in that activity, Zocolo added.
“The weather definitely helps (the attendance). It rained last year, but thousands of people still came,” Jaime Yohman, the park’s community engagement director, said.
The pumpkins, which arrived at the park last week, likely will be displayed for a few more days, she added.
Sunday’s festivities also included a professional carver, arts and crafts for children in the nearby Cushwa Education building, a photo booth and treats, courtesy of Kravitz Deli in the D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center.
Providing the entertainment in the gazebo was the Shoe Shine Band, which offered its version of oldies tunes.
In addition, a Scarecrow Row was set up along one of the paths with 33 scarecrows, all of which local organizations and agencies decorated. Plans are to add more of them next year, Yohman said, adding that they will be up until Oct. 31.
The pumpkins for Sunday’s funfest were courtesy of a lease agreement the park has with Less & Less Farm in Canfield, she said.
https://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mcmp-header.png00Mill Creek MetroParks Staffhttps://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mcmp-header.pngMill Creek MetroParks Staff2024-10-21 07:26:222024-10-21 07:26:22Thousands of people enjoy 500 pumpkins on Mill Creek Park nighttime walk
The next Regular Meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners, of Mill Creek MetroParks is scheduled for Monday, October 21, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., in the Education Building – McMahon Hall, at the MetroParks Farm, on Rt. 46, in Canfield. The agenda will be available on the website after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
As a reminder, all weapons are prohibited inside Mill Creek MetroParks facilities. All members of the public attending the meetings will be required to pass through a metal detection device as part of MetroParks safety procedures.
https://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mcmp-header.png00Mill Creek MetroParks Staffhttps://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mcmp-header.pngMill Creek MetroParks Staff2024-10-18 09:38:332024-10-18 09:38:33Notice of October Board Meeting
$2 million home donated to Mill Creek MetroParks project
/in Press Releases/by Mill Creek MetroParks StaffA house on Route 46 in Canfield is up for sale for $2 million. That money is more than just the price of the home. It amounts to a major donation towards a Children’s Garden inside Mill Creek Park.
The garden is located at Fellows Riverside Garden. It was originally built in the 1980’s. Now, the Mill Creek Metroparks Foundation is working on redeveloping it.
The hope is to make the children’s garden a more interactive experience.
“The design encompasses several different garden areas. With a really heavy focus on vegetation, getting kids out there to use their senses to touch, smell, feel, learn about vegetation,” said Justin Rogers, Planning and Operations Director for Mill Creek Metroparks.
The children’s garden will be made up of 5 smaller gardens: a stream garden, a forest garden, a wonder rooms garden, a sensory garden and a harvest garden.
The Fox family donated the $2 million dollar home to the Mill Creek Park Foundation. Rogers said the donation is helping the park move forward with the project.
“The timeline would certainly be extended longer than it is now. So that’s $2 million. We’re up to about $2.5 million for this $3 million project. So it really gets the green light going,” said Rogers.
The Fox family donated the home in memory of a family member, AJ Fox, who died in 2016.
Because of the family’s donation, the Board of Mill Creek MetroParks Commissioners approved an agreement that allowed the garden to be renamed to Anthony J. Fox Family Foundation Children’s Garden.
The family shared the following statement:
“They wanted to have something that remembered AJ Fox, his family and his contributions to the community,” said Rogers.
Other donations were given towards the project, but the names of the donors have not been announced yet.
The redevelopment project has been in the works for years.
Construction for the children’s garden is already underway. It’s expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
You can donate here.
Read the original article at WFMJ.
Thousands of people enjoy 500 pumpkins on Mill Creek Park nighttime walk
/in Media Coverage/by Mill Creek MetroParks StaffThey say a cat has nine lives, though it took less than nine minutes for a smile to cross then cover 11-year-old Lillian Schindler’s face.
“It’s one of her favorite days,” Lillian’s mother, Barbara Bratton of Girard, said.
Bratton was referring to Halloween, and her daughter’s facial expression and body language told the story of someone who was quite pleased with the creativity evidenced on her pumpkin as she knelt next to it.
On Saturday, Lillian carved the pumpkin, with heart-shaped eyes and a cat-like appearance, at a gathering in a tent next to Mill Creek MetroParks’ Fellows Riverside Gardens.
The popular botanical gardens also was the site for the annual Pumpkin Walk at Twilight event Sunday, which drew thousands of people of all ages to see numerous rows of pumpkins of varying sizes on display. Ideal weather likely contributed to the steady flow of attendees.
An estimated 500 carved jack-o-lanterns, which were lit close to dusk, lined several paths through the gardens, Lynn Zocolo, a Mill Creek MetroParks educator, said.
When it came to Halloween preparations, Lillian had shown no hint of procrastination. About nine months ago, the girl had her costume, which depicted Nezuko Kamado, a popular fictional character in the “Demon Slayer” series, said Bratton, who also came with her son, Andrew, 5, and daughter Stella, 7.
Curiosity may not have killed the cat, but it did seem to be the dominant expression Achilles Bennett, 1, of Youngstown, displayed at one point as he stood and looked at a row of brightly lit pumpkins along a paved path.
“I have four kids and I like to bring them every year,” Achilles’ father, Jacob Bennett, said.
For this family, Halloween likely will consist of traditional fare, with the kids engaging in a bit of trick-or-treating, Bennett added.
Zocolo said that Cardinal Mooney and Poland Seminary high school art students, along with some at Lordstown Elementary School, painted and carved the pumpkins ahead of Sunday’s family-friendly walk.
Nearly 300 carvers, a figure on par with last year, spent part of Saturday engaged in that activity, Zocolo added.
“The weather definitely helps (the attendance). It rained last year, but thousands of people still came,” Jaime Yohman, the park’s community engagement director, said.
The pumpkins, which arrived at the park last week, likely will be displayed for a few more days, she added.
Sunday’s festivities also included a professional carver, arts and crafts for children in the nearby Cushwa Education building, a photo booth and treats, courtesy of Kravitz Deli in the D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center.
Providing the entertainment in the gazebo was the Shoe Shine Band, which offered its version of oldies tunes.
In addition, a Scarecrow Row was set up along one of the paths with 33 scarecrows, all of which local organizations and agencies decorated. Plans are to add more of them next year, Yohman said, adding that they will be up until Oct. 31.
The pumpkins for Sunday’s funfest were courtesy of a lease agreement the park has with Less & Less Farm in Canfield, she said.
Read the original article at The Vindicator.
Notice of October Board Meeting
/in Press Releases/by Mill Creek MetroParks StaffThe next Regular Meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners, of Mill Creek MetroParks is scheduled for Monday, October 21, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., in the Education Building – McMahon Hall, at the MetroParks Farm, on Rt. 46, in Canfield. The agenda will be available on the website after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
As a reminder, all weapons are prohibited inside Mill Creek MetroParks facilities. All members of the public attending the meetings will be required to pass through a metal detection device as part of MetroParks safety procedures.