Mary Brammer: Recognition is not why you do what you do
By Anelia K. Dimitrova
The “grand old man of Iowa education,” Homer Horatio Seerley, would have been proud of Cedar Falls on Sunday, when the fully renovated park named after him reopened for residents with two festive occasions – a ribbon cutting and jazz fest.
It is fitting that Seerley Park is now a space for educating and connecting the community through the shared joy of playing, recreating and entertaining under the sky.
As the official ceremony for the reopening of the park was about to get under way Sunday afternoon, kids ran about and chased each other in the fenced inclusive playground.
Neighbors, families and guests milled around the newly installed walkways, admiring the state-of-the-art facility, and along the southern edge of the park, vendors set up their booths for customers.
While all of this was happening, Seerley’s portrait, placed in a visual timeline on the playground’s fence, connected the celebratory mood that reigned over the park that afternoon to its beginnings in 1893.
A lot has changed since 1886, when President Seerley took the leadership post at Iowa State Normal School, now UNI, creating a substantive legacy beyond the campus he served with his dedication to education until his retirement in 1928.
This fall, UNI is kicking off a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary, and the renovated Seerley Park, which is part of the College Hill Neighborhood, is likely to be a spot where returning alumni and other visitors may wish to revisit with nostalgia and appreciation.
Cutting the red ribbon
The ribbon-cutting ceremony paid tribute to the park’s establishment and celebrated the reimagined space, which now features an elegant gazebo with tables and an inclusive playground for children of all abilities.
A clip of the scissors across a red ribbon, usually done by public officials, is part of the ritual of celebrations, marking a new beginning and recognizing publicly a big accomplishment.
This one, however, was different as the scissors were in the hands of the duo who drove the park renovation effort with tireless dedication, Chris Martin and Mary Brammer. They navigated the challenges with help from College Hill Partnership and the city, so they had earned the honor of cutting the ribbon.
Holding the ribbon at the ends were two council women at large, Hannah Crisman and Kelly Dunn, who also shepherded the project forward.
A group of local residents, city officials and many who had dedicated countless hours to the park at the various stages of planning, fundraising and implementation, lined up for the official picture.
That snapshot of smiling faces sealed the history of the renovation in one visual capsule.
As the ceremony got under way, an important scene summed up the motto of the playground – Play Together, Stay Together. While the speakers, including Mayor Danny Laudick, made their brief remarks, the children in the playground kept doing what kids do – kept sliding, kept swinging and kept running around.
Their presence and energy, illustrated, in real time and in the most compelling of ways, the reason for the park upgrade.
In so many ways the renovated park is like a classroom without walls.
It can be a case study of how connecting public and private resources and good will may serve to beautify the public space of a park.
The playground itself is now an educational space for inclusivity.
Inside the fence which surrounds it is a communication board, designed to help kids communicate by pointing to images of the elements of the park. Donated by Talk to Me Technologies, the communication board honors the memory of Lincoln Gabel, who had a rare congenital diagnosis.
“He is no longer with us, but his parents appreciate that they live in a community that provides these kinds of opportunities for other families, and know that Lincoln, with his bubbly personality, would have been a frequent visitor to the playground,” Brammer said in her remarks.
Echoing the theme of connecting the past and the present on Sunday was also a display of images pasted in front of the playground. Bettina Fabos and her helpers from Fortepan Iowa, an interactive photoarchive, had placed the pictures from the online database onto the sidewalk where kids added colorful and creative frames around them in chalk.
Another notable asset in the park is a beloved purple dinosaur, which has been repaired and returned to its original location for “a whole new generation of kids” to play on, Martin told those gathered.
The visual timeline along the fence of the playground also honored another Cedar Falls resident whose contributions to the park are material and literary at once. Novelist Nancy Price, who lived in the neighborhood when she wrote her bestseller, “Sleeping with the Enemy,” subsequently a Hollywood hit starring Julia Roberts, also helped with the project. She sparked the park renovation spirit by funding new benches, picnic tables and a Little Free Library, which now stands opposite the playground. A sizeable boulder along the southern edge of the park, which remained in place during the renovation, pays permanent homage to her work.
In his comments, Martin briefly invoked Price’s legacy:
“To use her words, she would be happy to know that today, “children are still playing on park swings and slides until dark, and at night couples still visit, too,” Martin said.
He also thanked city staff and leadership for their dedication to the project. “They literally did the heavy lifting here,” he said.
Jazz in Seerley
Following the ceremony, the first big cultural event in the park took center stage on Sunday evening.
Jazz in Seerley, now in its fourth iteration, packed the park with community members of all ages. Sitting in folding chairs, on blankets or straight on the grass, jazz lovers soaked in the fun, reconnected with friends and some sampled the fare offered by La Calle and Cottonwood Canyon food trucks.
The leisurely audience wrapped itself around the new gazebo where UNI’s David Donald Trio kicked off the fest. The headliner, Blake Shaw’s Big(ish) Band from Iowa City, followed with a memorable performance until the end of the evening.
Adding to the atmosphere, several local artists displayed their work. Among them were Janna Bowman, of Green Earth Glass Gallery, with her jewelry and decorative glass and stone creations; Kendalle Alquwaie and Charlie Grove, with their original work; Kristin Cleveland, with her handmade pottery and Tia Woods, with her paintings. Entrepreneur Austin Wise, owner of Metro Records, at 805 E. 18th St. in Cedar Falls, was in his element that evening. His vinyl records neatly stacked in boxes, showcased his passion for music.
In their booth at Seerley Park on Sunday afternoon. (Anelia K. Dimitrova photo)
Giving thanks to those who helped the park
Now that the park is officially open, the community can take pride in it. The work is not fully done, as a water fountain and bathrooms are expected to be added soon.
Meanwhile, those who are curious about the history of the park can learn a lot from walking through it.
The names of those whose generosity helped make the renovation a reality are etched on a plaque affixed to a boulder in front of the playground.
Here they are for the record: The Cedar Falls Community Foundation; the Cedar Falls Lions Club; the Guernsey Foundation; the McElroy Trust; Bob and Rosemary Beach; Steve Corbin and Doris Kelley; Angeleita Floyd and Scott Cawelti; Dan and Stacy Glascock; the Aaron and Becky Hawbaker family; Chris Martin and Bettina Fabos; Klay and Lauren Kruger; the late C. Hugh Pettersen; the late Loree Rackstraw; the Barry and Jane Wilson family; the Cedar Falls Health Trust; the College Hill Partnership; Impact Outdoors; the Rydell Auto Group; Dick and Mary Brammer; R. B. Campbell; the Dahlstrom family; Tex and Skippy Harden; Sue and Dan Hummel; Keith Jorgensen; the late Lynn Nielsen; the Tom and Jane Ryan family; Marabeth Soneson; the Taiber families and Friends of the College Hill Neighborhood.
In her remarks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Brammer noted by name some of the donors, like the Cedar Falls Lions Club, which gave generously as part of the its 100th anniversary of serving the community.
Then, she added:
“The list is endless of others who’ve given above and beyond for this wonderful project to happen,” Brammer said. “We worry that we’re not remembering all of you but then I’ve come to realize that recognition is not why you do what you do.”
