EVERETT — Almost all the trees are coming down at the former Jazwieck’s Golfette and Trainland in south Everett — one of the last large wooded tracts of land in the city.
Monday afternoon two heavy machines used their claws to grab 100-foot-long downed trees and stack them like Lincoln Logs.
Owner Phil Jazwieck expects his family’s 8 acres should be cleared in the next week or two, with the exception of some stands left to protect habitat around streams.
The trees will be sold to help pay taxes, and the land itself is up for sale for commercial development.
The work has attracted the attention of people driving by on nearby Broadway, who slow down or even pull over to take a gander.
For half a century, families came here for a different reason, to ride the black-and-orange Bumblebee Special or play a round of miniature golf. The place was a one-of-the-kind local favorite.
Phil Jazwieck’s parents bought the land in 1948. His father, Edward Jazwieck, worked as a meat cutter by day, but he was a natural with mechanical things. The train, dubbed the Bumblebee Special, was his project. At night, he built the train from parts salvaged from the wrecking yard, including a 1946 DeSoto. He painted it bright orange and black.
When the train first opened to paying customers in 1955, it made just a modest circle around the property. Over time, Edward Jazwieck laid more track and he built attractions along the route: the Statue of Liberty, a 15-foot-tall Mount Rushmore, a mechanized Humpty Dumpty teetering on a log.
Today the tracks are all gone. The golf course closed in 2009. Phil Jazwieck said he won’t disassemble the attractions his father built; he’ll leave that to the next owner.
He said he’s ready to sell the land and get out of this state. When he goes, the Bumblebee Special will go with him.
“Wherever I go, it’s coming with me,” he said.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com
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