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New Veterans Memorial, Playground at Park in the Poconos

MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP — A park in Monroe County now has two new features just in time for Memorial Day weekend. One is a veterans monument that has b...
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MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP -- A park in Monroe County now has two new features just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

One is a veterans monument that has been in the works since 2013. The other is a playground designed to keep people of all ages active.

A meaningful moment of celebration marked the dedication of the Echo Lake Park Veterans Memorial.

Local boy scouts and Middle Smithfield Township officials worked together. Making the monument a reality required patience.

“There was a lot of hurry up and wait. I had to get it approved by the Eagle board. I had to wait for the materials to be done. So yeah, two and a half years,” Eagle Scout Joseph Schuon reflected.

For veterans at the ceremony, seeing the boys celebrate service and sacrifice was moving.

“Watching the kids that are out there, doing it and putting it together is marvelous,” said Rev. Abraham Gonzalez, who was a Navy medic.

But on this day, the park near East Stroudsburg welcomed not one new feature but two. Kids and parents had a blast breaking in the park's new playground.

While little ones explored the slide, older kids hung on for a whirling ride. This is a playground you never get too old for because it is also a fitness circuit adults can use too.

“To include the older children, their parents, and grandparents we built not only a play structure but also a fitness circuit,” said Jenna Componovo, chair of the parks and recreation committee.

With two-year-old identical twins and an older daughter as well, Denise Diaz of Bushkill says she will be back soon.

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