Greater Metro Parks Foundation

Steve Wolbrecht

I knelt on one knee and said, "I don't have anything to offer you right now other than myself. Will you marry me?"

It was a sunny Saturday morning in July. And we were doing what most people do on days like these: Cleaning out the house gutters.

Jennifer and I were just finishing up the dirty endeavor. My work jeans were stained. She was in a ball cap and a light sweatshirt. I suggested that we go for a quick walk before changing out of our grubby clothes and directed us towards Wright Park.

Wright Park is Jennifer's favorite park. She works for the Tacoma Metro Parks and she is one of the leads for the private capital campaign to renovate the park's play area. And all the way over to the park she kept mentioning this. "Oh, and over here is going to be the play and spray ground. And OH! Have you seen the new statue over the pond? They found her face!" I was excited - she had no idea I planned to propose.

We had been dating a year and a half at this point, and we were talking very seriously about marriage. She was to the point of saying, "Just propose over the darn phone! We're past the moment of surprise anyway." She was sure she'd see the proposal coming. She was wrong on this point.

We walked through the park and over to the footbridge spanning the pond. There was a couple having photos taken for their wedding, the white dress, the black tux, and the myriad of chatty women in matching non-flattering dresses gave it away. Appropriate, I thought. There were a few people on the footbridge as well. I tried to stall as much as I could, but they wouldn't leave. Reluctantly, we continued on (and I'll note that once we were 10 feet off the bridge, everyone else decided to leave as well!).

We made our way around the park on our walk, and I was able to guide us back over the bridge on our return. This time, no one was on the foot bridge. I was a little nervous, but I'd been through worse. Like high school English.

I stopped her suddenly and said "Ok, wait - I just have to do this." Jennifer didn't know what was going on. I grabbed her hands and looked at her seriously but with a loving smile. She shook her head a single abrupt time and blinked with a shocked look on her face. As I started to kneel down, a look of complete shock washed over her. Sweet, she didn't see this coming at all. She was stunned.

I knelt on one knee and said, "I don't have anything to offer you right now other than myself. Will you marry me?"

She shakily took a deep breath, said yes and then as she was hugging me asked, "Did you ask my Dad?"

Frances Lorenz

Last summer Laughter Masters, Metro Parks, Children’s Museum and the Tacoma Arts Commission sponsored Playground Express, Concerts for Children or Tuesday mornings in the park with outstanding family entertainment. One morning 350 families showed up and stretched out on the grass with umbrellas and it looked like a Renoir painting. Balloons were provided by clowns, the Children’s Museum provided hands on crafts and Jim Valley, Buck and Elizabeth, Mario Lorenz and others provided entertainment. Seeing 15 two year olds dancing was a real treat.

Nick Hoyt

Some 40 years ago I went on an elementary school field trip and had a great time. I had no idea where I was until I recently stumbled upon the landmark, still there, Fort Nisqually. Thanks for the memories.

Richard Perkins

While an instructor of biology at TCC, one of my classes did research on China Lake when it was owned by Fircrest Golf Club. The class made a presentation to the Park Board and requested the District purchase the pond and surrounding land to be used at a Nature Center. The rest is history. As far as we knew it was the first Nature Center owned by a Park District.

I was involved for about 5-7 years in the planning and developing of Snake Lake. The first half of the funding for the development came from the City Block Grant, with the promise of the second half the following year. The next year the committee and priorities changed and funds were not available. We had an architect who had drawn plans for a building and landscape architect who had drawn plans for trails, bridges, etc. Without the money to proceed, we applied to the State for matching funds for our first half funding and were told the matching money could not be used for buildings – only the trails and bridges. This was used to start Snake Lake. In addition the State agreed to bridge the end of the Lake rather than filling it in when building Highway 16.

Bonnie Oakley

As a 10 year old child I spent a lot of time between the park and Vashon Island. One day while waiting for my uncle to take us back to Tahlequah in the outboard, the Virginia V, tied up at the dock and passengers started throwing coins into the water for my cousin and me, still in our swimsuits from an earlier dip in the bay. Both expert swimmers, the more we dove, the more they threw and the more coins we caught and the more coins we threw up on the float to retrieve. Later my uncle showed up embarrassed for what we were doing. My aunt wouldn’t let us back in the house because we smelled like bait and boat fuel. I don’t remember how much money we made but it was a memorable day on the bay!

Mario Lorenz

I will never forget all the fun we had at Never Never Land. It was the only park in Tacoma dedicated to small children. Just seeing the excitement in the hearts of little children as they skipped and hopped down the paths to see the Mother Goose Tale exhibits of Peter Pumpkin Eater, Hickory Dickory Dock and the Old Woman in the Shoe. We saw magic shows and heard community leaders read stories to children in the People Read Every Day. It was fun eating a hot dog with Kathleen Merryman and walking through the old growth forest. It would be great to restore the amphitheatre (seats 300) as well as Never Never Land.

Don Clifford

In either the second or third year of “Sound to Narrows” I started to run. I particularly enjoyed training on the 5 mile drive during the early Saturday and Sunday mornings, rain or shine. The actual race days were a riot of fun.

Unknown

Wine & Roses – today will leave a beautiful memory of friends and family enjoying food and fun. Great music and weather – And people who care. Thank you, Mr. Ebersole!

Unknown

My family reunion was highlighted by a picnic on Owens Beach with a BBQ and dipping our toes in the Puget Sound while viewing ferries crossing to Vashon Island. These Midwesterners were very impressed with our natural resources.