Super-soaked satisfaction as park opens

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Wilson’s new All Children’s Splash Pad opened with screams of joy from hundreds of wonderfully wet children Thursday.

Mayor Carlton Stevens pushed the button to start the water flowing in the new 3,000-square-foot water feature recently completed at J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex.

“Children, are you ready?” Stevens called out to a bunch of swimsuit-wearing children eager to get super soaked.

“I wish we would have done it 15 or 20 years ago,” Stevens said. “I really want to go out there and get wet myself. Children are my heart, and to see all these kids getting wet and loving life is the best thing ever.”

Wilson City Councilman James Johnson looked on as children frolicked.

“It was placed perfect between the All Children’s Playground and the Miracle Field, so it is going to be a blessing for everybody to use,” Johnson said. “I am excited about it. I am excited for the tourists that come to town to play ball. They have somewhere to come and bring their kids to cool off. It is bonus for the locals and a bonus for the visitors. I wish it could have been bigger, but you have got a lot of stuff out here, so it is a good size.”

Wilson Parks and Recreation Director David Lee said he was happy to see all of the smiling faces.

“This is more kids than we thought we were going to have here, which is awesome,” Lee said. “Today is another great day for the Wilson community and our parks and recreation department and our parks system. Our vision has always been to serve all children no matter their challenges and make them feel welcome and included.”

Lee said when Stevens pushed the button to get the water flowing, it was “just another example of that vision.”

“Man this is just awesome,” Lee said as dozens of children gathered under an elevated bucket to count down the moment when the big vessel would pour out its contents onto the crowd below.

“Just seeing them all fired up about something new that we have added to our parks system and the smiles on their faces,” Lee said. “you can’t beat that. To have something like this in Wilson is just a great thing. It is going to get a lot of use this summer.”

Stephanie Allen of Wilson took her two children and a nephew to the opening of the facility.

“I think it is great for the kids. It gives them something to do,” Allen said. “They can come play on the playground and then come cool down as well.”

Allen stood along the fence marking the perimeter of the park.

The spot is within splash range when the big bucket turns over.

Allen said she would like to get in there with the children.

“It definitely feels great, and we need it to break the heat,” Allen said. “The heat wave has been crazy. This is definitely a way to cool down. I think this is a great thing for the kids. They are so excited.”

Her daughter, Willow Allen, 10, took a brief break from the splashing water to comment.

“My eyes are burning. It is just a whole bunch of water going everywhere and da, da, da, da, da,” Willow said.

Asked what was the most popular feature of the park, Willow said definitely the big orange bucket.

“The bucket, cause it dumps on everybody and the little kids count down from like five to one and the water starts splashing,” Willow said.

The park is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. There is no cost or age limit to play.

Gillette Athletic Complex is located at 3238 Corbett Ave.

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