Members of the Marble Parks and Recreation Department happily accepted the Locals Love Us award for favorite park for Johnson Park. They include parks and public works administrative assistant Monique Breaux (front row, left), parks and recreation chairwoman Kendra Lewis, Commissioners Anitra Torns, Ann Berg, and Dedrick Thompson, Director Robert Moss (back row, left) and Commissioners Charles Watkins and Steve Hurst. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
MARBLE FALLS — If Marble Falls’s heart can be found in its parks and recreation system then the heartbeat is Johnson Park.
That’s obvious, since The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners have voted it their favorite park in the Marble Falls area every year of the Locals Love Us competition.
That wasn’t lost on Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Director Robert Moss, who had a giant grin when presented with the 2018 Locals Love Us sticker.
After all, to know Johnson Park is to know the community. It is the home of Johnson Ball Park, which serves as a baseball, softball, and soccer field for youth and adults, annual chili and barbecue cook-offs, free concerts and dances, and the MayFest carnival.
It is the only city park with an amphitheater, a sand volleyball court, and a boat dock.
“Everyone in town has some sort of memories (about time spent at Johnson Park),” Moss said with a smile. “Our experience is they have that personal attachment.”
From parties to running across the grass and skinning a knee, climbing a tree, or sitting on the amphitheater stage, anyone who has enjoyed Johnson Park knows its value to the community. Parkgoers have helped neighbors during fundraisers, competed in washers tournaments during get-togethers, or won stuffed animals for their dates during MayFest.
They remember a past Valentine’s Day picnic or grilling steaks on a barbecue pit for family and friends and watching their children have fun on the playscapes or feed the ducks on Backbone Creek.
Moss knows that with plans to improve the downtown district, his challenge is to make sure Johnson Park simply gets better and continues to be what residents want it to be, even those who haven’t moved here yet.
“We should pay attention to the wants and desires of those moving in as well,” he said. “You look at your demands and what people want to see in the parks. You give consideration to what part of your community is asking for.”
Moss also knows residents will let him know if the park changes too much to where they don’t recognize what they’ve come to love because, for many, Johnson Park is home.
“People love a place because of memories and experiences they shared,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
