There has been much discussion of late regarding the shortage of kids’ ball fields in our county. This got me thinking about the demise of another field – the vacant lot. When I was a kid, most neighborhoods had at least one or two of them. Depending on the season, kids did all kinds of things on these empty lots: fly kites, play marbles, football, baseball, tag and even hide-and-seek when some cover was available. None of these activities were officially sanctioned and there were no coaches, uniforms or record keeping. I guess they didn’t know they needed all of that.
Now, most vacant lots seem to have been planted with subdivision and strip mall seeds. They are doing quite well, I might add. Sometimes I do long for the sight of kids playing on a vacant lot, but I suppose vacant lots are worth more money these days. Maybe that money can be used to buy some ball fields.
Marysville
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