Parents to kiddos and canines alike can now enjoy Best Friends Park at 1155 Pacific Ave, Bremen, GA 30110 in Bremen. The park’s ribbon-cutting ceremony featured Shannon Christian, Gelon Wasdin, and Vann Pelt sharing the park’s joys and its significance for the Bremen community.
“Today we will open up this park and it will be affectionately called Best Friends Park,” Christian announced during the ceremony on Friday morning. The Bremen City Schools Superintendent added, “It’s a community hub for our four-legged friends and children to play. A huge thanks to Gelon for approaching Bremen city schools.”
Best Friends Park features a playing field stretching approximately thirty yards across. Included throughout the fenced-in area stand various obstacles pups can interact with while socializing with new friends. Just outside the fence stands a brand-new children’s playground equipped with a slide, steering wheel, and tunnel. Freshly laid wood chips lend a clean-cut feel, as well.
Community partner School Board Chairman Vann Pelt shared during the ceremony that although he had never attended a ribbon cutting for a dog park, he proudly attended this one. He credits Gelon Wasdin, longtime Bremen resident, for coming up with and creating a plan to make this project happen.
“Some of you may not know this, but he’s also called G-Dawg!” Pelt laughed. “So when he approached me with the idea of a dog park, I thought, ‘Well, there’s no better person to make this suggestion!”
Pelt also added that Wasdin’s dog-park project is the result of his staying in the area and wanting to give back.
“He could have left Bremen to live on the beach,” he postulated. “But he chose to stay here and invest in the community.”
Wasdin, though, doesn’t put the spotlight on himself. Rather, he credits previous generations of Bremen locals for inspiring him to give back. Families like the Higgins, the Sewells, and the Hubbards – who all gave back in some way to the community and the local schools – ignited something special in his soul. Combined with his background in the playground industry, Wasdin was able to give back in so many helpful ways.
“My dad was a good person and supported others. I was infected with it!” he confessed, chuckling.
Shannon Christian addressed the audience, specifically the students – many of whom brought their own dogs – with this grand takeaway:
“Your community is what you make of it. Yes, we pay taxes, and we expect our community leaders – like me as the superintendent and the Board – to do right with your money, but you go around this nation and see not every community is alike. Our community is what we make of it.”
Gesturing to Mr. Wasdin, he adds, “And this is a really good example of someone who stayed in Bremen and wanted to build something for Bremen to enjoy.”
Pictured here are the audience and dogs who now get to enjoy an all-in-one park. I think even the pups found some inspiration from Mr. Wasdin, too. 🙂
