Since 2017, Corn has been working together as a community to bring something to their town for every generation to enjoy. After three years of hard work, the Corn Patch is officially open to the public.
The grand opening of Corn’s Corn Patch, public park and splash pad was held Saturday morning. An emotionally moving speech given by mayor Barbara Nurnberg showed just how much love and work was put into this project.
The grand opening was held in the pavilion of The Corn Patch. Mayor Nurnberg took the time to personally thank each person who contributed to the park in any way. After her speech, a prayer was said and the ribbon was cut, officially opening the park to the public. Kids ran to the splash pad and the playground as soon as the ceremony was over, many members of the community stopped in for a five dollar lunch. The event was catered by the Corn Cafe, who served pulled pork sandwiches.
Nurnburg told The Beacon, “We’ve been in Corn Since 1978, and this is home. We just wanna keep the town going and have something nice for the community and surrounding areas, and hopefully grow from that.“
The idea for the Corn Patch’s splash pad was born while Nurnberg was attending her grandson’s baseball games. She noticed smaller towns, such as Binger and Fort Cobb, had splash pads, this sparked the idea of putting a splash pad in Corn.
After a series of phone calls to the previously mentioned towns, Nurnberg was put into contact with a gentleman from Hinton, who gave her a ballpark estimate of the cost. Upon receiving this figure, Nurnberg began searching tirelessly for grants to fund this new addition to Corn.The grant she found covered the cost of the splash pad, the playground, the tot lot, and the concession stand, and building begun in 2017.
The park is located where the Washita Heights baseball field once was, this plot of land was donated by the Snyder family to the town of Corn, to build the park on.
The park project was funded through grants such as the Oklahoma Tourism Grant, the Recreational Trails Grant, the Land and Water Grant, and also paid for through town funds and community donations.
The park features a splash pad, a 1,717 foot long walking trail, outdoor exercise equipment, a concession stand, public bathrooms, a playground, a Tot Lot, and many different seating areas, all located in one fenced area.
Bart Gossen, county commissioner, told The Beacon “They done a great job, the park looks good, it’s good for our little town”