Washington Park is a public park filled with activities, trails, pavilions, baseball fields, softball fields, and more. Pony League baseball actually originated in Washington, PA and is one of the many baseball fields in the park. There are pavilions that can be rented out for parties or just used for a short time to have a picnic or hangout. There are also picnic tables free for anyone to use. For kids, there are several playgrounds scattered around the park, all near the pavilions. The trails in the forest are open to anyone who is going to protect and respect the wildlife and nature.
I am Sophia Volper, a senior at Washington High School. Ever since I was little, even just a few years old, I have been hiking with my family. I used to live near the Adirondack mountains and that was where my mom took my brother and me to hike every year. I had a favorite mountain, Crane Mountain, and although I haven't been there in years I still remember it to this day. As I got older, my love for hiking and nature turned into a desire for the world to be better. It's sad to live on this Earth when everyday it becomes more unhealthy and tainted by humans. When I became more aware of what was happening and started thinking more about what I want to do with my life, I decided I'll go to college for environmental science. I don't know exactly what job I will pursue, but I know I want to help our environment no matter how long it takes.
One of the main buildings in the park is the historical log cabin which is used for park activities and historical entertainment. There is also an informational board right next to the cabin that has information about wildlife like birds and plants along with information about activities available around the park. Further into the park is a fort that was used during the Whiskey Rebellion and is now used for historical reenactments and entertainment, just like the log cabin.
Washington park contains fields for baseball and softball and courts for tennis. Baseball games are very common in the park and it is actually the origins of Pony League Baseball. The tennis courts are open to everyone and are used by the Wash High tennis team to practice and to host home matches. The tennis courts are also accompanied by pickleball courts which took up 2 past tennis courts.
Washington Park's forest contains a variety of plants and trails. If you keep an eye out in the open fields or venture into the forest using the trails, you can find beautiful flowers, vibrant mushrooms, fascinating trees, and hundreds of other plants. Sometimes you can veer off the trails a bit and explore, but always be careful not to disturb the plants and habitats in the forest because they need to be protected and preserved.
Although only deer are pictured here, the park is home to many other animals. There are rodents like squirrels, mice, groundhogs, and muskrats. Insects like butterflies and moths, beetles, ants, crickets, spiders and more. Birds like herons, mallards, chickadees, sparrows, cardinals, and owls, if you're lucky, can be spotted flying around day or night. Other various animals like snakes, crayfish, toads, etc. can be found in or near water mostly and make a home in the park.
The Washington Junior and Senior high school use the park as their practice grounds and host home meets there. During the season you can often find spray painted trees, rocks and roots to help with directions and to avoid tripping.