A Field Day

Panorama view from 2015 (my own photo)

Very close to where I live (I can see it from home), there is a large old football (soccer) field. I've lived in this part of town 18 years now, and I don't think I've ever seen a "full size" football game played here (i.e. making use of the whole field). There are junior games played now and then, and practices in between, and occasional school sports days etc are held here. But most of the time, it's just a huge empty space where not much happens except a few people walking their dogs there or jogging around it for exercise. But the lawn gets mowed by machines regularly in summer, to keep the grass short.

If it's a rainy summer, it can be very green - and enjoyed by the local wildlife:

July 2015 (my own photo)

But in hot and dry weather, it does not get watered, and can get very brown and dry: 

August 2018 (my own photo)

It can be a great place from where to just watch the sky:

(my own photo)

And in winter, with newly fallen snow and fog, it can look very dreamy and mysterious.... 

January, 2016

... But it can also be a great place to enjoy walking in snow and making footprints...

January 2013 (my own photo)

January 2026 (my own photo)

A few years ago, the city decided on long term plans to create a long park (green area) more or less following the river through town, making it possible to walk on foot (or ride a bike)  from north to south, without having to worry about traffic. If memory serves me right, about 5 km in total - and turning this field into part of the long park area is included in those plans. It will no doubt be years yet before the whole vision is fulfilled, but just now, the turn has come to "our field"...

   

Image from our local newspaper, 2023

A week or two ago, flyers were put up in the entrances of the buildings around here, welcoming everyone to a presentation of the plans, to be given "on the spot" (in the field), this Tuesday afternoon, starting at 4:30 pm. Living so close, I was definitely curious to know more about the details, so I was at the main gate at the appointed time. And I had expected quite a few other people to be there as well - but found myself alone! Far out in the field, I saw a van parked, and three or four people, who I assumed to be those who were going to present the information. I hesitated to walk all the way over there, though, as I'm still not all that confident about walking long distances on uneven ground... (It was on a piece of muddy lawn that I slipped and fell back in October...) So I waited at the gate for a while longer, to see if more people would be coming. But no. There was just me! ... After a bit longer still, I started walking into the field - and one of the guys back at the van started walking towards me, so we met like somewhere in the middle. I forget his title but he was one of those in charge of the project, anyway. He showed me a couple of sheets with plans of the intended layout of what they're going to do, and explained. In short, it seems that at one end there's going to be a new basket ball court, sort of in the middle also still a football field (but not a huge one), and at the other end an area with two playgrounds for children (younger and a bit older), a public toilet - and a brand new stage structure for outdoor concerts and other events. 

After I got back home, I found an image online of what that stage is going to look like: 

Please not the size of the people they've put inside... It's going to be HUGE! 

Living close by, it's really the noise from presumptive "big events" that worries me the most - I can only hope that they won't be too frequent... 

While we were talking about this, two (2) more women + a dog entered the field and came up to us. I stayed on for a while, listening again as the man started over and pretty much gave all the same information again. The newcomers seemed more positive to the idea of big events than I am - but they were younger than me (one of them mentioned she was likely to have like 15 years left before retiring from work), and I also don't know where in the area they live (perhaps not as close as I to the field/park)... After a while, their conversation with the "planner" drifted off to other parts of town that I'm less familiar with; so I just said thanks for the info I had been given, and went back home to contemplate.

From what I could see from home, not many more people arrived in the couple of hours that the van remained parked in the field. I'm still surprised at that, as no doubt the transformation of that field into a public park is likely to affect all of us living here. Not that there is anything I can "do" about it, but for my own part I still find it better to have an idea of what it is they're planning, rather than just wondering over the next few months what on earth it is they're doing... 

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Field Day - AI summary:

A field day typically refers to a special day of outdoor sports and athletic competitions organized by schools or community groups. Figuratively, it means an occasion or opportunity for unrestricted fun, activity, or criticism—most commonly heard in the phrase "to have a field day".

The term is used in a few different contexts, including both literal and figurative meanings:

School Events: A day when classes are canceled so students can participate in outdoor games, relays, and athletic contests.

The Idiom (Have a Field Day): To seize the opportunity to criticize, mock, or exploit a situation. For example: "When the scandal broke, the newspapers had a field day criticizing the mayor."

Military & Professional Use: Originally a military term for a day of outdoor exercises, drills, or maneuvers.