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  2020-03-27

  Our Forgotten Parks

  May 5th, 2020 COVID-19 has a larger impact than just our economy and the shut in of our population. With schools being closed and classes being moved to online, it is also our public education that is being afflicted by this virus. While economic recessions come and go, missed opportunities for education are sometimes looked over and forgotten, missing their mark on improving someone’s life. Many parks, historical sites, and zoos are currently closed and unable to provide the people an opportunity to explore the world around them. The photo above is the Salem Pioneer Village in Forest River Park and offers a genuine educational look at the puritan ways of life in early Salem. The park offers tours and select hours of operation, meaning it isn’t always open for the public. So a forced closure of this public park has a significant impact, very similar to many other locations that are not privately owned. While this park is small, there are many very large parks that are completely closed and inaccessible to the public. Some of these places being of significance, Acadia National Park, the only national park in New England is currently closed. Another is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, better known as the AT, is currently closed off to hikers during the best time of the year to accomplish this great feat. COVID-19 will present a significant obstacle in the recovering phase of many of the parks and educational sites throughout the U.S.; however, it does provide an opportunity for nature to relax and not deal with human interaction.
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  2020-04-23

  Empty Streets

  Today is April 23rd 2020 My name is Dylan and I live in the small New England town of Marblehead, just 15 miles north of Boston. Marblehead is one of those small boutique towns that pride themselves on its rich history and position right on the ocean. However, due to COVID-19, Marblehead has effectively become barren and small businesses along our main road are closed until the foreseeable future. This road is usually busy and crowded with traffic, runners, dog walkers, street side parkers, and tourists. This has been the state of the town for weeks now and has been the cause of some small-town discussions online. The closing of businesses in town will be hard felt compared to many other towns and cities because Marblehead is against the establishment of chain stores (besides Dunks and Starbucks of course) and relies heavily on local businesses created by local Marbleheaders. This pandemic will be the cause of many financial issues in our town and as the U.S. remains closed, our town’s income from lobstering and tourism will likely be very limited. The town has also passed rules for those willing to shop, that we must wear face coverings to get our shopping done. And for walkers, walking around town has also been hampered by the closing of certain public locations, parks, and access to walkways connecting different parts of town. As for myself, I prefer to stay indoors for the time being due to our rather poor weather lately.