Sometimes it seems that the smaller suburban towns around Atlanta have trouble creating that quintessential southern town square. If you've ever seen episodes of In the Heat of the Night, you know the kind of town square that I'm talking about. It has to have a gazebo, a statue, some fountains, some sidewalks to stroll and some park benches. It also needs have beautiful azaleas, possibly some magnolias, and a variety of flowers. The perfect town square needs to be surrounded by shops and restaurants that are good, but not pretentious. On a summer evening, you need to be able to hear a distant train whistle. Unfortunately, for many of the towns surrounding Atlanta, they were the wrong size at the wrong time and their founding fathers never had all the elements required for a great town square. But, today, more and more towns are taking a shot at creating a nice town square as a focal point for their communities. Once such town is Woodstock, Georgia.
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| Woodstock City Park - Complete with Fountain & Gazebo! |
As Memorial Day weekend approaches, it's entirely fitting that we post some photos of Woodstock City Park. It serves as a town square for Woodstock. It has a Gazebo and a fountain. It even has an amphitheater just down the hill. But, it also had something more important. It has a place for the town to remember it's veterans and it also has a spot for remembering the victims of 9/11. We'll post those pictures on another important day.
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| Woodstock Memorial |
As a modern town square, it doesn't have anything to commemorate the soldiers of the Confederacy. Perhaps in these days of decaying race relations, that's a good thing. There is no need for controversy. But, if it did memorialize Confederate dead, it would not be a bad thing. They were soldiers who fought to defend their states (which had been thought to be sovereign members of a union), they served their communities well, they were not the aggressors in the conflict, they were Americans, and they are dead. But, this modern memorial is about America, veterans, and freedom. It's a positive thing in negative times.
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| Woodstock, Georgia, Memorial |
Today's modern memorial in Woodstock remembers soldiers who fought for America's freedom. It shows that the citizens appreciate their veterans and their fallen soldiers. The memorial is a beautiful little place in the center of a bustling community. While the park isn't quite ringed by shops and restaurants they are all within walking distance. The railroad tracks pass right through this town and are just feet away. The train depot is a restaurant now. The mill is an apartment complex. Time moves on. But, sometimes, it can pause for just a little while.
All in all,
Woodstock City Park is a beautiful place. The town has done itself proud and it has done right by its veterans.
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