The following poem was written by Ann Keeler-Evans, Lewisburg Poet Laureate, to rededicate Hufnagle Park on April 18th, 2024.
We border an ancient river — Waterway for peoples who Traveled, traded, and fished this bounty.
Every trickle moving across this Valley spills out homage In the Susquehanna. Bull Run is one more gift giver, With its own micro story
In the always changing life of this ‘river of many islands’ In tandem with our river, Bull Run fluctuates
As Nature and Seasons play with the waters’ rise and flow.
June 1972 and a hurricane named Agnes raged, shattering A community’s hearts with Bull Run’s furious waters.
The unleashed horror swept Life away —
Friends, homes, and businesses, lost.
Tears mingled with mud dredged from streets and basements. Clean-up and mourning left a borough bewildered.
Loosening grief’s hold required Hope and Healing.
Lewisburg’s story would not end with Agnes’ devastating anger.
New memories must be cultivated to erase the pain
Of walking a street saying I remember that business; I shopped there. I remember my friend, Huffnagle, standing on this corner,
Protecting his community.
Lewisburg lost an honorable man and a beloved couple.
Souls gathered. Dreams dared; Plans evolved.
A relic railyard became a park: a village green with
Expansive lawn for children of all ages chased balls and frisbees,
A gazebo and seating where music and plays enchanted, and
Wounded souls united in solace to commemorate
The painful beauty of our scars. Life happened here.
Only plaques and whispers spoke of what went before — and
Failed to convey the dangers of our own carefully constructed paradise — Until the floodwaters rose again.
Hearts of communities, so like our human hearts, can clog and falter. A flourishing borough needs a thriving heart with
Cleae arteries and new ways of living that
Honor the waters, burbling or rushing by turn;
Sinking or swelling, with the weather’s whims;
As we learn to live and play on this land and celebrate This miniscule run’s outsized, capricious nature.
This living heart fed by our little artery, at last! At last!
Flowing freely to the Susquehanna —
This spiritual heart, stuffed with history, generations, memories, Grown from families’, friends’, and neighbors’ awe and laughter. This wild heart with spaces for stories, songs, dances, dreams. This healthy heart that protects and nurtures and teaches us
To live in harmony with the precious People, Planet, Park
Which are the heart of Lewisburg.
We give thanks to the visionaries, planners, donors, workers Who brought this place of memory new life.
May we all be a blessing upon this land, cherished by peoples From the Paleo- and Woodland Indians, the Delaware, Shawnee, Susquehannocks, Leni Lenape, the explorers, settlers To the tiny climbers and scooter riders roaming this park now. Together, let us create a place of Peace in this Greenway Heart Of Lewisburg and allow it to lead and sustain life along Bull Run.
The first Weekly Greenway promenade will happen May 17 5:30-6:30.
