[so disappointed to discover that the lovely old picnic pavilion in Salem’s Veteran’s park has been taken down by the township. I had not seen anything in the paper leading up to this, but I do miss an issue from time to time when it is too wet to read. Do you have any information on the history of the pavilion? We guessed it might be from the 1950’s or earlier by the construction. Do you have any pictures of it from days gone by or information about why the township took it down? Are they planning to replace it?
Someone suggested to me that perhaps it was no longer safe or sturdy. This did not seem the case when we had our last picnic there in late October. The posts were made of tree logs and were about 25 inches around and well in the ground, as can be seen by what is now left behind. The whole structure seemed well intact then. Do you have any information on this? Or if already printed, could you please direct me to the correct issue?]
To the editor:
For many years, my family has been enjoying picnics at the pavilion at Salem’s Veteran’s park which has recently been taken down. It is a beautiful and rustic setting right near the river. We have celebrated birthdays there and have enjoyed good meals, all the more tasty because of the relaxed setting and idyllic atmosphere. Our last picnic was a delight. With the weather so unseasonably warm we were able to have a picnic late into October. We laid out our table cloths and spread out the meal; the dog wended around the table legs hoping something would drop. After every morsel was taken care of we enjoyed games and music, staying at the pavilion until dusk when we had to leave.
We have always enjoyed this heritage community space, musing about family reunions or church picnics that might have been held there in years gone by. We had no idea that our last picnic in the pavilion was going to be our last picnic in the pavilion. I hope you can give some coverage about the Salem park pavilion in your newspaper. I would hate for this place that represents so much to our family and our little community to fade away without any notice.
Cynthia Noel