Columbiana officials gather to celebrate Firestone Park

COLUMBIANA – The Columbiana community gathered Sunday to celebration upgrades to Harvey S. Firestone Recreational Park.

During the event Sunday afternoon, the park’s Legacy Trail and Idabelle’s Gathering Place & Garden also were dedicated.

The Restoration and Beautification Committee of Columbiana hosted the event that paid tribute to the Firestone Family and its efforts to give back to the community.

The project was made possible through donations from the Firestone Family, the Bradford A. and Patricia L. Tingle Family Trust and the local community.

“The park has been the backdrop for our lives since the Firestones presented it to the city in 1935, so this restoration was personal for everyone involved, perhaps more so for me because I was grieving both my son and husband when we started the project,” said Pat Tingle, a Columbiana native who also is a co-founder of the Restoration and Beautification Committee. “The result: R&B worked diligently to preserve the historical aspects of Harvey S. Firestone Recreational Park, honor our area’s rich history and continue the Firestone legacy of a community park for all to enjoy.”

The private event with about 170 guests also featured performances by Today’s Firestone Park Orchestra, featuring compositions by Idabelle Smith Firestone. Remarks came from Columbiana Mayor Rick Noel, members of the Restoration & Beautification Committee and the Park Board.

Pat Tingle shared a letter of tribute to her late father, Bradford A. Tingle. Those on hand also enjoyed a stroll along The Legacy Trail, which includes Idabelle Firestone’s Gathering Place & Garden.

Firestone Park was created in 1933, when Harvey S. Firestone and his composer wife, Idabelle Smith Firestone, hired landscape architect Ailing DeForrest to develop a public recreational park as a way of giving back to his hometown. In 1935, the park was given to the city.

The restoration committee began work on the upgrade in 2017, focusing on Mirror Lake and then expanding restoration efforts. Among the additions was the Three Pillars monument at Mirror Lake, which pays tribute to “vagabonds” Harvey S. Firestone, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. A memorial garden at Mirror Lake was dedicated to the late David A. Tingle.

Mirror Lake got upgrades that include water features, paved walkways, benches and landscaping. Sidewalks from the pool parking lot to football stadium, added accessibility. Swing sets and teetertotters were replaced throughout the park.

The effort included a reforesting that added two to three trees for each tree that was lost in the park.

For those looking to get active, pickleball courts were added, and tennis courts and basketball courts were resurfaced.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Columbiana officials gather to celebrate Firestone Park