Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Beautiful, normal

At the intersection of Carlton and Cumberland Avenue at 6:30 this evening, I looked into Central Park and saw a well-maintained little skating rink in the centre of the green. A trio of skaters were shooting a puck around under a new set of bright lights. In the background stood Knox United--the greatest of the city's Presbyterian kirk buildings; an imposing example of Gothic revival--was also lit up. Never have I felt such an urge to find a pair of skates for myself.

And while this blog remains firmly pessimistic in its focus (it's so much easier), this scene made me excited about the redevelopment plans for Central Park. Putting a hockey rink in winter will prove to be a great idea, along with a soccer pitch for warm months.

When I came back past the park at 8:30 p.m., there was another small group playing hockey. Let's hope they keep on playing, and that beautiful, civil, quintessentially Canadians scenes like this become more common in Central Park.

Knox Church, corner of Qu'appelle and Edmonton St. WBI

2 Comments:

Blogger Scott MacNeil said...

Good post. And yes, while it is always easier to take the cynical approach (I too suffer this affliction) it is important that we acknowledge "the lights of progress" wherever they may shine. Haven't passed by Central Park in months, but its good to know progress is being made!

11:34 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

there was a nice moment today - another good antidote for cynicism. CentreVenture and TrueNorth have donated over 100 skates to Knox for the kids in Central Park - there was a logistical problem getting them delivered today [and so available over Christmas]. A short time later Ross McGowan [CEO of CentreVenture] showed up at Knox with the boxes of skates... no media around, no trick, just a good spirit...

11:15 PM  

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