SCRANTON, Pa. — The wind was whipping, and the sky was gray at McDade Park in Scranton, but people were there soaking up some much-needed normalcy.
"The weather isn't that great but, you know, just to be out in the fresh air and just knowing that there's some kind of relief, maybe, from the COVID. It just definitely feels good," said Karen Zikoski of Taylor.
The popular park near the Scranton/Taylor line had been closed since mid-March. It and the three other Lackawanna County parks, Merli-Sarnoski, Covington, and Aylesworth, reopened Monday morning.
Lackawanna County officials did make some changes to the parks to promote social distancing. Public bathrooms are closed, picnic tables were removed from pavilions, and playgrounds and basketball courts are still off-limits.
People can jog, go fishing, or walk their dogs at county parks.
"I've been walking here for probably about 10 years now, and I still love it, and I missed it," said Jean Josephson of Taylor.
Josephson's dog Rocky may have been most excited to be back at McDade Park.
"We were getting terrible withdrawal. I used to walk him just in the fields by my house, but it's just so different. There are a lot of rabbits and cats and squirrels, and he's a beagle, and he chases. So, this is much easier," she said.
McDade Park is also home to the county-run Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. While it would normally open up in April, it is still closed even though the park is open. County officials said it will stay closed until further notice.