Pride trampled

Posted on: jamacsadmin

Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter

Vandalism hit Kinsmen Park, devastating the parks department. Red and white flowers had been planted to symbolize the Canada flag as part of the Canada day celebrations.

Sometime late June 10, flowers were ripped up, stepped on, and tossed around and the bristle cone pine, which had been planted three-years-ago, was broken in half.

“I was just so ticked off when I saw it,” said Linda, a horticulturalist with the parks department. She had gone to the park to check on another shrub when she noticed the damage. The flowers had been strategically laid out and it took two hours of work, with the help of four people.

“We’re speechless,” said Keara McMurdo, who helped plant the original flowers. 

Because the original batch of flowers were ordered in advance, the new ones won’t be the same, and the colour may be a little off.

“We’ll just have to salvage what we can and repair it the best we can,” said Linda.

“The girls were so proud of it.”

This year’s ceremonies include opening the time capsule, which was part of why the parks department was working extra hard on the presentation of the park. There were 125 flowers, which needed to be replaced, and Linda is not sure if the pine will be replaced.