On Sunday morning, July 3, 2022, I visited each of the 22 “pocket Park” in Steinbach, MB. I wrote a poem at each, and recorded them in a pocket notebook.
Most of Steinbach’s pocket parks have been generously donated by families in memory of loved ones, including many founding pioneers of the city.
In preparation for the project, I made a 24-page notebook to record the poems. I also printed a map provided by the City of Steinbach (more below). What I failed to consult was the weather, which would make things interesting. I didn’t have a specific theme in mind, trying to see what I could see, experiencing the town from a different perspective.
A beautiful sunrise created me at the first park at 6:o6AM, at Giesbrecht and Hwy 52. As I moved east and south, roughly down Main St, checking off parks on my map, the clouds grew darker. By 7:10AM it had started raining. The park closest the post office had no coverage, so I moved quickly, and missed the plaque entirely, which stood on the other side of the bushes from the bench where I’d stopped. The next park between Earl’s and RBC offered plenty of tree cover, but curiously no plaque. I took my time to try to let the rain pass.
After moving quickly through the more “urban” pocket parks on Main, I noted the peaceful change in conditions at the Kroeker (& Elmdale) park. The KR Barkman park, equally peaceful, turned out to be more than a pocket park, but maybe held a place on my map because of the historic plaque.
From there I ran my furthest jaunt over to the Meadows, with a park commemorating a young person, and finished at the pocket park within a larger park at LA Barkman park (Abe’s Hill).
Over the entire route I covered 9.08km and wrote 22 poems over a total time of 2:29.
The City of Steinbach provided this map, which I followed for my route. This resource details many as well, and includes the newest pocket park (on the path nearest Grandview Dr), which was likely not included in the map I followed because the plague has not yet been installed. I ran past this one, but did not stop. Next time.