FROM THE DESK OF SENATOR DAVID LONG
What a difference a day makes. I’m writing this article early on Sunday evening, May 2nd. The sun is out; the birds are singing. It’s spring again, after a perfectly miserable Saturday and early Sunday. We certainly needed the rain, but why do days like we had on Saturday have to come on the weekend? Sunday afternoon salvaged the weekend, however. Isn’t it amazing what a little sunshine can do to the spirit?
With my head full of springtime optimism, I thought I’d write about my favorite places to spend a beautiful May weekend in Fort Wayne and Allen County. Lets begin with the best parks.
The Parks. Foster Park is the crown jewel of the Fort Wayne park system, and I challenge anyone to find a more stunning spot in northeast Indiana than when the flowers at Foster are in full spring bloom. On top of that, the golf course is back in action, and better than ever. Whether you’re playing 18 holes, or taking a walk around the many paths and trails, it’s hard to beat Foster Park in May. This is the best park in our region. I’m also partial to the Indian Trails Park in Aboite township. The facility, though very new, gets a huge amount of use. Last weekend, you could simultaneously see a batch of soccer games ongoing in the back of the park, tons of young families hanging out at the playground, rugby players going toe to toe at the front of the park, while three or four Little League games were being played at the Times Corner Little League facilities just across the way. And, adding to the whole scene is the new Jorgensen YMCA, which is situated at the southwest corner of the park, and is, in just six months or so, a hugely popular hit with the community. The Aboite township leadership has done a wonderful job building the Indian Trails facility into a magnet for family activity.
Golf. Of course, when you’re talking spring in our part of the country, you’re also talking golf season. Of all the public courses that now exist in the Fort, I still love good old Brookwood the most. It isn’t the toughest course in town, but it’s no pushover either. The pro at Brookwood, Mike Harris, along with his staff, does a terrific job keeping this course in shape, and they run a first rate outing as well. The aesthetics of the course are always pleasing, making a walk around these grounds a pleasure. And if by chance you ever get bored with your golf game, you have a better than average chance of getting buzzed by the F-16 fighter jets flown by the Air Guard. Hearing the back draft from those jets blow through the trees about five seconds after they’ve passed never gets old.
My other favorite course in town is the “average Joe’s country club”, The Elks. I love playing this course. It is always a challenge; for much of the course, you truly feel as if you’re out walking in the countryside; and the course has never been in better shape. In fact, in high season, I’d hold the condition and speed of the greens at the Elks up to any other course in town, and that includes Sycamore, Fort Wayne Country Club, Orchard Ridge, and Pine Valley.
Out to Dinner. Spring also gets the social calendar revved up as well, and that often means going out to dinner with friends, or just for a special evening with your spouse. When it’s time to eat out, you can’t go wrong in this town. We are blessed with a number of great, affordable restaurants in Fort Wayne. But we all have our favorites, and here are mine:
The Cork and Cleaver. Still going strong after all these years. Still has the best combination of steak and seafood in town, combined with the absolute best salad bar. I always feel like I’ve gotten a great deal at the Cork.
Chops. This is the old Bagatelle restaurant, which was ironically purchased by Chuck and Kara Pastor. Chuck was the manager at the Cork and Cleaver for years, and has brought his know-how for running a top-notch restaurant with him. In my opinion, Chops is the best restaurant in the southwest part of town for several reasons: its wonderful, consistent menu, its good prices, and for the quality of the service.
Chappell’s. This old mainstay on Broadway consistently serves wonderful seafood dishes unlike any others in town. It has great atmosphere, and is another place where you walk away feeling like you’ve gotten your money’s worth.
The Longs make it a point to patronize locally owned establishments whenever possible. Having great restaurants like those mentioned above makes it easy to do.
And finally, since we’re on the subject of food, is there anything more satisfying than spending a great Spring evening on the back porch with the family, before the mosquitoes have shown up, feasting on a juicy steak or whatever meal that you’ve just grilled yourself?
Nope, there is nothing like Springtime. We who suffer through the long cold winters of the Midwest appreciate Spring like no others. Here’s to another great one this year!
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