Indian Fun at Willow Park – June 1968

Summertime triggers feelings of nostalgia for many adults, conjuring up memories of three months off with nothing to do but have fun (except for occasional yard work of course).

Like many kids who grew up on Lorain’s west side, my siblings and I played outside all day and found ways to amuse ourselves. We poked around in the former farmlands adjacent to our house on East Skyline Drive; we put on waterproof boots and explored what we knew as Willow Creek (much later we learned it was really called Martin’s Run); we played so much kickball in our backyard that we wore out the grass between the bases.

The City of Lorain did its best to help keep kids off the street by providing a summer recreation program that included some special events. One of the most memorable was an Indian-themed day of fun at nearby Willow Park.

Read all about it in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on June 21, 1968.

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‘Hostile Indians’ Invade Lorain Park
By JERRY WALKER
Staff Writer

More than 400 young Lorain cowboys and Indians from 18 summer recreation parks around the city took a hike along the “Western Trails” yesterday at Willow Creek Park during the first of the parks special program days.

Yesterday’s event began at 10:30 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m. with all 18 parks sending a group. Each group was taken through the trail at 30-minute intervals.

THE HIKE STARTED at the cardboard Fort Willow. Trailmasters Donna Bialik and Pat Lenard (Willow Creek Park advisors) said “On your right is Fort Willow, it will probably be the last friendly place you will see for quite a while.”

From there the trail wound around with Indian drums beating in the distance through the woods and high grass along the creek bank past cardboard animals and rubber spiders and snakes. The next stop was the gold rush area where the “prospectors” searched for gold nuggets (repainted rocks) in the grass. The gold could be traded to a good looking Indian squaw (Barb Toth) and her Indian brave sidekick (Tim Breeden) for grits (bags of candy).

After passing out the bags of candy (everyone got one with or without gold) the war-painted squaw warned, “You may continue but beware of Indians ahead. They might attack you in an ambush. Go now but beware.”

THE HIKE STARTED again and the group was promptly attacked.

At the trail’s end was the “Tradin’ Post,” run by Nance Braun and Barb Paskavan, where candy and punch could be purchased. “You can tell the kids are ‘diggen’ this event because the Tradin’ Post needs to resupply for the afternoon group” said one of the “wild” Indian braves.

Mrs. Miriam Snyder, superintendent of recreation, also was pleased with the turnout and the reaction of the kids. "Things went smoothly mainly because of our good crew of workers,” she said.

JUDY EISENHARDT, a member of the committee for playground advisors, said “the kids are real happy and we had a big turnout today. Our next event is next Thursday at Central Park. It will be a tea party for girls starting about 1:30 p.m.”

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I remember that day at Willow Park, mainly because of the Indians theme and the terrific park staff. The workers did a great job of bringing the fantasy to life in a fun and non-threatening way.

My most vivid memory was of the hike through the woods and the Indian attack. That’s because one of the marauding Indian braves scooped up a kid in our group, and ran off with him for a short distance.

It was all a lot of innocent fun on a summer day in Lorain in the 1960s.