Hopkins Landing newest jewel for park district / County now has 11 natural areas
By GINGER CHRIST
T-G Staff Writer
JEROMESVILLE -- The opening of Ashland County's newest park, Hopkins Landing, creates a string of parks to rival the "emerald necklace" -- Cleveland's Metroparks.
Ashland County Park District commissioner Sam Weyrick called the four parks stationed on the Jerome Fork of the Mohican River Ashland's "string of pearls."
The parks -- Cool Springs, Hopkins Landing, Audubon Wetlands Park and River Walk Natural Area -- fall along an area identified by the Ashland County comprehensive land use plan as a natural corridor, meaning the area will be left untouched by development.
The four-acre Hopkins Landing park was constructed on land sold to the park district by Jim Hopkins, a neighboring land owner who also provided the land for Cool Springs.
"It was something that we didn't use that much. I thought it'd be appropriate," Hopkins said.
While Hopkins rarely used the property, he said he could see the possibilities for fishing and canoeing.
During the official dedication of the park Saturday, Hopkins offered the crowd some advice: "Use it and enjoy it."
The opening event focused on Hopkins Landing as a natural dock. Nearly 50 people -- and one dog -- took to the water in canoes and kayaks at River Walk Natural Area on Township Road 1500 for an organized flotilla to Hopkins Landing.
Following the 21/2 hour trip to the new park, participants -- and their land-lover counterparts -- had a cookout.
"It makes all of us feel good to have this many people here at our parks," park district commissioner Bob DeSanto said.
The event even attracted former canoer, John Spencer, 80, of Ashland. Spencer, who owned a canoe for about 50 years, sold his last year when he moved into a condominium and was restricted by space.
"Plus my age, it was getting to be more work than fun," Spencer said.
Spencer read about the park opening in the newspaper and hoped to reunite with the people to whom he sold his canoe. Instead, he ended up in the water, sharing a canoe with park district commissioner Tom Kruse.
"He needed another person. I said, 'what the heck? I'll get in,' " Spencer said.
Great-grandmother Betty Wickham of Ashland, however, remained on the shore. Wickham instead came in support of her family, namely her granddaughter, Michelle Howe, who organized the event.
"It's just good to see families out together," said Wickham.
Howe carried part of her family on the canoe trip; she is eight months pregnant with her "future canoer," as park district volunteers called her soon-to-be son. Howe said she was pleased with the turnout.
The completion of Hopkins Landing, like the 10 other parks in the county park district, was the handiwork of a crew of volunteers. The park district solely relies on volunteers and grant money to create and maintain local parks.
"There's no tax funding," Kruse said. "That's a tribute not only to the volunteers but to the spirit of Ashland County."
For more information on local parks, visit the park district website at www.ashlandcountyparksdistrict.com.
n Ginger Christ can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 239, or at gchrist@times-gazette.com.