COLUMN: Everybody Calls Me Jana Banana

Each Wednesday since school got out, I have had the honor of playing tour guide to some wonderful children. The number of children varies, and some we only see a few times a year, so each week is special and unique. We’ve called our outings “Play Days,” but on posts I’ve shared on Hartsville Today, http://www.hvtd.com, I’ve entitled them, “Take a Field Trip.” The opportunity to see the world as a child experiences it has been such fun, and I thank these little people for allowing me to share part of their summer with me. I’ll be sad when school starts!

Our experiences have been varied, and none of the trips were expensive. In fact, all were under $3 per person and most were free. We walked the sidewalks of Hartsville and enjoyed visits to the Hartsville Memorial Library, Hartsville Museum, Carmike Cinema Twin and Southern Candy Kitchen. Noticing architecture from the sidewalk vs. inside a car is something that their generation does not get near enough of. It was adorable to see how some of them were just amazed at how beautiful the Center Theater really is when you take the time to just stand and look up at it.

Venturing out a bit further, we experienced the Coker Farms National Historic Landmark, Kit ‘n Kaboodle on Carolina Avenue and my favorite Hartsville place- Kalmia Gardens.  On one particularly hot day, we ventured even further to Lynches River County Park and the children cooled off at their impressive Splash Pad. One Wednesday we stayed in and played some old fashioned games like Twister.

Some of the themes that the children learned this summer were that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun and that there is a lot to do in your own city. The trips to the Hartsville Museum and the Coker Farms were invaluable, as it is important for children to know the history of where they live and the people that worked so hard to make this such a vibrant city.

Whether they got the message or not, supporting local businesses is something that is a good thing to teach children. Every dollar spent at home builds our community. Out of town is not always better; although we enjoyed our day at Lynches River, it was a long drive. The children really had a sense of community pride when we stopped at the Sonic on Irby St. in Florence, and the kids noticed that “Hartsville’s Sonic is way better, this place doesn’t even have a playground!”

Just this week, we went to Byerly Park and Lawton Park. Byerly was buzzing with activity with the construction of the new gymnasium, and we saw people playing tennis and on the walking trails. The children had fun on the equipment near the tennis courts, but as the sun rose a little higher, we quickly decided that we needed more shade and headed to Lawton Park.

Lawton Park- oh my goodness, if you haven’t been there in a while, please do! The new renovation is just gorgeous. The shade from the trees and the breeze coming across Prestwood Lake made it surprisingly cool. The children started playing the second we arrived and used the swings, the climbing equipment, ran around and walked the boardwalks. They loved it!

I got to pretend the kids all were mine and loved every minute of it.