What the Airplane Park means to me

When my family moved up to Monroe from Queens in the mid-1970’s, I hadn’t even been born yet. When I was born on April 21, 1975, at Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen, I was the fourth of five children, and the first to be born in Orange County, N.Y. My father was a Korean War Veteran who served in the Navy. He lived through the war, but passed away in his sleep in August 1991. He was only 56 years of age.

Rewind back to when I was a young child. I recall going to the Airplane Park, which was located near the Mill Pond, more often called the Goose Pond, due to its prevalence of geese. In the park were a few rides that went round and round, along with some swings and slides.

But the centerpiece of the playground was an old Korean War Air Force plane, donated to the village in 1963 as a memorial to the vets who died in that war. Connected to it was a slide, and I used to climb onto it and go down the slide. I would climb onto the wing and even into the back.

That park was the greatest place to go until I got older, and then Smith’s Clove Park (or Smith Clove, as most would call it) was the place to be, as football and basketball and other activities became more interesting to me than playing on a playground.

Slow decline
My memories of the playground wouldn’t end there, as I would visit the park after dark with my friends after a few bites to eat at the Monroe Diner. The playground equipment was showing signs of its age, along with the plane.

I would leave Monroe less than a year after meeting Regina, my wife of over 13 years, in the spring of 1996. That plane would continue to exist in its deteriorating form, but I had moved on.

After a few moves around Orange County in 1997, in the fall of that year, I moved to Walden, where I have been ever since. I would still make trips to Monroe to visit family, and then driving back home one day, I noticed the plane was no longer in the center of the playground.

I was bothered by this, because it seemed like the village was just putting it off to the side as if it were giving up on it.

For years, the deteriorating plane has sat all alone, isolated because of safety issues, and after I had kids, I took them to the playground to show them where their daddy once played. I even took a picture of them in front of the plane (located at the very bottom of this blog entry), just in case its days were numbered.

More than a play thing
Recently, I read a Photo News article someone posted on Facebook, confirming my worst fears. I shared the article, and my friend of over 20 years (and long time town of Monroe resident) responded to the post. I didn’t think enough would ever be done to save the plane ... that is, until she started a Facebook group the next day, which would be dedicated to the saving of the plane.

Progress has been made, over 1,600 members are in the group, and thousands of dollars have been raised.

At this point, if it is never used as playground equipment again, but can be saved by the people, I will be more than happy.

It is much more than a plane to me. It is the symbol of my childhood, as well as a memorial to those who fought in the same war as my dad, who often took me there when I was very young.

At what cost
To know that my kids and I can still visit that park and still see the airplane would be wonderful, but I know there is a possibility that may not happen, depending on the ultimate decision by the board, as well as the Air Force, who had been contacted about taking the plane back.

Should the plane be saved, it is understood that the fight doesn’t end there. Keeping up the plane costs money, and one idea I have is to have an annual fund-raising concert to help pay for maintenance, as well as the plane’s safety from vandalism.

To me, Monroe just wouldn’t have the same appeal without the plane, and should the day come my family is no longer there, I may not have any reason outside of The Captain’s Table or Mr. Cone to go to my native village anymore if the plane no longer exists.

Mike Drossos is a 1993 graduate of Monroe-Woodbury High School, works at Nexan Energy USA in Chester and lives in Walden. His blog can be found at http://mdrossos.blogspot.com.