St Marys Landmarks

This is Pastor Tim’s newspaper article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Tuesday, June 21, 2022

There are three things that St Marys has got to have more of per capita than any place else on earth: churches, parks and parades.  With the weather getting nicer, I loaded Pokémon Go on my phone and for any of you familiar with that game, you know that locating landmarks is a big part of the experience.  I had no idea there were so many parks and other landmarks until I started playing that game.  I was a big Pokémon Go player when it first came out, but I have been away from the game for about 5 years.  I decided to load it up to play because it got me out to go for walks and see parts of St Marys I had not paid attention to before.

If you play Pokémon Go and happen to see a red gym, you just might happen to see RevTim70 on it.  That is me.  If you would like to add me, here is my friend code: 9946 6935 4732.  I check in everyday, and I am good about returning gifts.  I’d love to have you add me!

To those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, let me get to the point.  In playing this game and searching out landmarks around the area, I have developed a new appreciation of the park system in this town.  St Marys has an amazing number of local attractions around that you can quickly pass by if you don’t take time to notice them.  An incredible amount of work has gone into KC Geiger and Memorial Park as well as the several smaller parks around town.  It seems as though you are never far from a swing, slide or baseball diamond.

These are details about living in St Marys that are easy to miss if you don’t make an effort to pay attention.  And I am afraid that in the crazy pace world in which we live, we don’t have time to notice a memorial, a plaque, or a special bench that was provided to honor or memorialize someone.  Don’t forget about the absolutely beautiful tow path, one of my favorite places on earth.  You can hit a tennis or pickle ball, eat lunch under a pavilion, or go for a walk down a trail.  All of this without having to drive outside of town.  For most of you who live inside the city, you may not even have to drive at all.  Most points inside of St Marys are accessible with a bike, which you will often see me riding down Wayne Street on my way to the church.

A lot of money and effort has gone into making St Marys a great place.  Even the churches here have contributed to the community.  Living Hope built a new community space.  The former Grace UMC has purchased Hillsdale church and has great plans for ministry here in St Marys.  We at Wayne Street are making plans to replace a large section of our roof and some old windows that no longer stay closed.  Churches are making these improvements so that we can also be a part of making the community of St Marys a better place.

I know that times are tough.  Politics are completely ugly, the economy is being devastated by inflation, and the cost to drive somewhere has never been more expensive.  This is why it is important to remember that there are plenty of places to go where you might not need to drive.  I know it is great to be able to get out of town every so often, but let us not forget that there are options here in our backyard.

Looking to the future, the options are going to continue to grow as we invest in our future.  The theater project is going incredibly well.  I was inside the theater at the last First Friday and it looks amazing.  I can’t wait for it to be open to the public.  (I am holding out hope that a local theater group may start doing plays on the stage.)  There are also plans for some new equipment to go in near the splash pad for kids with disabilities.  I am also looking forward to the grand opening of the Old Mill.  Lots of exciting stuff going on around your community.

So no matter if you need to go on a power walk, blow off some steam, or catch a Pikachu in the wild (that’s a Pokémon Go joke), there is plenty to do and see within the corporation limits of St Marys!