There’s no question that Polson Park’s grandstand had seen better days. Years of neglect had taken its toll, and some of the after-hours activities led residents to view the area with suspicion. But beyond the faded paint, the 1912 building maintained a sense of character. It reflected back to a time when Vernon was fairly small and community gatherings were monumental events. Just consider that in 1912, hundreds of people jammed into the grandstand in their finest clothes to welcome the Duke of Connaught. There were similar welcomes for the Queen in 1959 and prime ministers John Diefenbaker and Pierre Trudeau. There was a time when the arrival of such dignitaries meant something. Now, I’d be surprised if you could fill a phone booth for most politicians. And for a town as sports crazy as Vernon, the grandstand should have been considered a special place. Soccer, baseball, lacrosse and football have all called it home. And it played a key role in track and field, whether it was local students taking to the track or major competitions. Larry Yakomovich, the Canadian midget 100 and 220-yard record holder in 1951, trained at the grandstand, as did Sally McCallum, who represented the country at the 1959 Pan-Am Games and the 1960 Olympics. And there’s probably countless local residents who volunteered for the 1981 B.C. Summer Games. Activities were centred on the oval and the grandstand. For the Rolke family, we have fond memories of the grandstand during our time here — whether it was for shade during Canada Day celebrations or one of my daughters trying to navigate the stairs on wobbly legs. Within a few years, the legs weren’t so shaky and they were running around the track with their schoolmates. I bring all of this up because the grandstand burned down early Tuesday morning under suspicious circumstances. As heavy equipment ripped through the debris, I thought of Barbara Hartley, Anna Cail, Dave Richards and the late Jan White. They had all fought to preserve the historic site when politicians were leaning towards tearing it down in 2001. At that time, Area C director Stan Field suggested that the City of Vernon remove the structure’s heritage designation. "Parks are supposed to be beautiful but it doesn't do anything for the beauty of the park,” he said. But if the grandstand was unsightly, the problem was with the Greater Vernon Parks and Recreation District, now the Greater Vernon Services Commission. Administrators and politicians never seemed to know what to do with the building, except get a wrecking ball. The fact that it was one of the few remaining examples of community grandstands in the Okanagan, if not B.C., meant nothing. Instead of painting it and doing some minor upgrades to make it more attractive, nothing was done. Politicians were so focused on what they called a passive park, and they didn’t realize how important the grandstand was to sports activities at the oval. There was absolutely no vision. It’s likely that whoever’s responsible for the fire did the politicians a favour. The building is gone without a public uproar, and our elected officials can proceed with their plans for Polson Park. Ultimately, the dirty deed is done and the grandstand is gone forever. But when you consider the generations of residents it served, it deserved a far better end than it got.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
End of an era
By Richard RolkeAug 16 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
There’s no question that Polson Park’s grandstand had seen better days. Years of neglect had taken its toll, and some of the after-hours activities led residents to view the area with suspicion. But beyond the faded paint, the 1912 building maintained a sense of character. It reflected back to a time when Vernon was fairly small and community gatherings were monumental events. Just consider that in 1912, hundreds of people jammed into the grandstand in their finest clothes to welcome the Duke of Connaught. There were similar welcomes for the Queen in 1959 and prime ministers John Diefenbaker and Pierre Trudeau. There was a time when the arrival of such dignitaries meant something. Now, I’d be surprised if you could fill a phone booth for most politicians. And for a town as sports crazy as Vernon, the grandstand should have been considered a special place. Soccer, baseball, lacrosse and football have all called it home. And it played a key role in track and field, whether it was local students taking to the track or major competitions. Larry Yakomovich, the Canadian midget 100 and 220-yard record holder in 1951, trained at the grandstand, as did Sally McCallum, who represented the country at the 1959 Pan-Am Games and the 1960 Olympics. And there’s probably countless local residents who volunteered for the 1981 B.C. Summer Games. Activities were centred on the oval and the grandstand. For the Rolke family, we have fond memories of the grandstand during our time here — whether it was for shade during Canada Day celebrations or one of my daughters trying to navigate the stairs on wobbly legs. Within a few years, the legs weren’t so shaky and they were running around the track with their schoolmates. I bring all of this up because the grandstand burned down early Tuesday morning under suspicious circumstances. As heavy equipment ripped through the debris, I thought of Barbara Hartley, Anna Cail, Dave Richards and the late Jan White. They had all fought to preserve the historic site when politicians were leaning towards tearing it down in 2001. At that time, Area C director Stan Field suggested that the City of Vernon remove the structure’s heritage designation. "Parks are supposed to be beautiful but it doesn't do anything for the beauty of the park,” he said. But if the grandstand was unsightly, the problem was with the Greater Vernon Parks and Recreation District, now the Greater Vernon Services Commission. Administrators and politicians never seemed to know what to do with the building, except get a wrecking ball. The fact that it was one of the few remaining examples of community grandstands in the Okanagan, if not B.C., meant nothing. Instead of painting it and doing some minor upgrades to make it more attractive, nothing was done. Politicians were so focused on what they called a passive park, and they didn’t realize how important the grandstand was to sports activities at the oval. There was absolutely no vision. It’s likely that whoever’s responsible for the fire did the politicians a favour. The building is gone without a public uproar, and our elected officials can proceed with their plans for Polson Park. Ultimately, the dirty deed is done and the grandstand is gone forever. But when you consider the generations of residents it served, it deserved a far better end than it got.
There’s no question that Polson Park’s grandstand had seen better days. Years of neglect had taken its toll, and some of the after-hours activities led residents to view the area with suspicion. But beyond the faded paint, the 1912 building maintained a sense of character. It reflected back to a time when Vernon was fairly small and community gatherings were monumental events. Just consider that in 1912, hundreds of people jammed into the grandstand in their finest clothes to welcome the Duke of Connaught. There were similar welcomes for the Queen in 1959 and prime ministers John Diefenbaker and Pierre Trudeau. There was a time when the arrival of such dignitaries meant something. Now, I’d be surprised if you could fill a phone booth for most politicians. And for a town as sports crazy as Vernon, the grandstand should have been considered a special place. Soccer, baseball, lacrosse and football have all called it home. And it played a key role in track and field, whether it was local students taking to the track or major competitions. Larry Yakomovich, the Canadian midget 100 and 220-yard record holder in 1951, trained at the grandstand, as did Sally McCallum, who represented the country at the 1959 Pan-Am Games and the 1960 Olympics. And there’s probably countless local residents who volunteered for the 1981 B.C. Summer Games. Activities were centred on the oval and the grandstand. For the Rolke family, we have fond memories of the grandstand during our time here — whether it was for shade during Canada Day celebrations or one of my daughters trying to navigate the stairs on wobbly legs. Within a few years, the legs weren’t so shaky and they were running around the track with their schoolmates. I bring all of this up because the grandstand burned down early Tuesday morning under suspicious circumstances. As heavy equipment ripped through the debris, I thought of Barbara Hartley, Anna Cail, Dave Richards and the late Jan White. They had all fought to preserve the historic site when politicians were leaning towards tearing it down in 2001. At that time, Area C director Stan Field suggested that the City of Vernon remove the structure’s heritage designation. "Parks are supposed to be beautiful but it doesn't do anything for the beauty of the park,” he said. But if the grandstand was unsightly, the problem was with the Greater Vernon Parks and Recreation District, now the Greater Vernon Services Commission. Administrators and politicians never seemed to know what to do with the building, except get a wrecking ball. The fact that it was one of the few remaining examples of community grandstands in the Okanagan, if not B.C., meant nothing. Instead of painting it and doing some minor upgrades to make it more attractive, nothing was done. Politicians were so focused on what they called a passive park, and they didn’t realize how important the grandstand was to sports activities at the oval. There was absolutely no vision. It’s likely that whoever’s responsible for the fire did the politicians a favour. The building is gone without a public uproar, and our elected officials can proceed with their plans for Polson Park. Ultimately, the dirty deed is done and the grandstand is gone forever. But when you consider the generations of residents it served, it deserved a far better end than it got.
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