ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new park dedicated to the late Reverend Joffery Grove opened in Altoona on Thursday, June 8, with a ceremony with friends and family and the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission.
The park includes a pavilion, a playground and a Bankshot basketball course.
“I’m overwhelmed with joy,” Donna said. “Tears of joy and tears of sadness, because my husband is not here, but he would be very pleased about what has happened here. Because it still gets to be used by the community to share a place of worship and to have a good time.”
Donna owns the land and said she and her husband initially planned on building a church there.
“My husband passed away. And it’s just been sitting empty for a long time,” Donna said. “I was tempted to sell it, and that didn’t work out. So I went to the city, offered it to them, and the rest is history.”
Donna emphasized how much she loves Altoona and the community and how happy she is everyone will be able to enjoy the park.
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“My husband was all about the community. So this envelops all of us. We’re a community,” Donna said. “We need one another, no matter what our differences are. We come together on common ground, and we meet with one another. This is our community, and I love my community.”
Bankshot consists of multiple stations with different hoops and backboards where players score by getting the ball through the hoop. But, of course, every shot has to be a bank shot.