The following was written by Jimmy Dunne, Palisades “Co-Citizen of the Year” who is spearheading the Veterans Gardens Initiative at Palisades Recreation Center. Dunne wrote this piece following the groundbreaking in December 2019. Veterans’ Gardens is slated to open in mid-April.
‘Twas the Morn of the Groundbreaking
‘Twas the morn of the Groundbreaking, when all through the park
Not a creature was stirring, the clouds were quite dark
The chairs were all set—next to shovels with care
In hopes Palisadians soon would be there
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I put down a donut to see what was the matter
When what to my wondering eyes did appear
Palisades families started showing up here!
There were seniors, and parents, and public officials
They hugged and they chatted—hoping it wouldn’t drizzle
More rapid than eagles, Palisadians came,
And I whistled and cheered—here’s a few of their names
The team that spearheaded the project from start
Bob Harter, Bill McGregor—what talent and smart!
Rob Jernigan, too—and the gem Jay McCann
They’ve been working four years—shaping this plan
And Bob Benton was there, and his fantastic wife, Sue
And a whole bunch of people I wish that I knew
And the Volpicellis, Mark Tabit, the Carusos showed up
The Laganas were there with their cute little pup
And Collier, and Haldis—to lend a good cheer
Kevin Niles, so supportive—our new “Citizen of the Year”
Bill Bagnard, the best guy—and I love Frances Sharpe
I saw Wally and McGeah chatting under the tarp
Jim Cragg and Kurt Heit—cheering on the endeavor
Connie Murphy, Mike Tomas—I could go on forever
We heard some dear speeches from great folks in town
Ted McGinley gave cool hats to all folks around
Billy Crystal and Janice—both truly stars
They emotionally spoke to how blessed we all are
Then Councilman Bonin—what a big heart
He’s supported this project right from the start
Jere Romano—he reminded us all
Of so many veterans that answered the call
Because of the gift of Post 283
Forever we’ll celebrate what it means to be free
Mike Skinner, Joe Halper—two Palisades ‘greats’
Bocce for seniors—they just can’t wait!
But then something happened—this magic took place
You could feel it and see on everyone’s face
Maybe the thing that all of us learned
Something money can’t buy—and what you must earn
We can buy bocce courts, picnic tables and things
But the heart of the park is the people it brings
The heart of our park—just look in the mirror
You are the thing in the town that’s so dear
We all grabbed the shovels and then gathered ‘round
We took a group picture—as we dug up the ground
As the photos were snapping, I looked up above
I thought of the things—that I truly love
It’s right in this town—this is my life
My kids, and my friends, and my beautiful wife
All sounds went away—as I stood in our park
It struck me how life—is a wondrous arc
I know that our park will always be here
To remind all of us—what we all hold so dear
I thought in my car, as I drove away
Home … sweet, sweet home—in our Palisades
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for consideration in future editions of the paper,
send it in to mypost@palipost.com.
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