WAY back in my childhood days, aside from being excited every weekend to hang out with my friends and play all day, I was also excited every Sunday since our family routine was to go to church every afternoon at St. Augustine Cathedral. At that moment, I feel like I am around a very big castle every time we go to church with a very wide playground which is the “Gaston Park”.
The park was named after Cagayan de Oro’s pre-war Municipal Mayor Segundo Gaston. The popular park is located beside the St. Augustine Cathedral and serves as the main plaza at the time of Spanish colonial period. It is also the site of the battle of Cagayan de Misamis way back April 7, 1900. A national historical institute marker was placed in the park in year 2000.
Who among us can’t forget its main highlight which is the fountain at the centre that serves as its main attraction.
Its various playing equipment’s for the kids like the “siso” who always make us smile and laugh way back our childhood days.
The foods at the side of the park also serve as its main attraction, If I can still recall, it was my first time to taste the famous cotton candy and cheese popcorn at Gaston Park.
There was an on-call photographer who had his film camera ready when people would look for him.
The film was the only source at that time to produce pictures in order to capture memories with our loved ones.
I think most of us have kept pictures in our old photo albums at the popular park and stay as a memory of our childhood days.
When big malls are continuously sprouting in our city, most of the Kagayan-anos forget about the old park. We can’t blame them, because for how many years the park was not renovated and stayed the same.
But today with the cooperation of our city officials, it was already renovated and has evolved as the new and alive Gaston Park.
As I roam around and observe the place, the ground is already concrete; the trees remain the same as where they stand in order to maintain the green and environmental theme of the area.
The fountain is already upgraded into a musical dancing fountain with different lights which showcases every late afternoon until the evening as the main highlight of the park.
People are starting again to consider the place as their hangout place with friends and family members.
For me, an open space with fresh air and trees is still one best place to relax and think of the best decision we will partake that we don’t need to go far.
Our parks and plaza can already provide. We must give value to these places, as it is given to us for free as a resident in our city.
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