It’s no secret that I’m a book lover. Last year, I read exactly 100 books, but my love for reading began long before any yearly goal or to-be-read list. It started in childhood, when I wandered the aisles of the R.H. Stafford Library, located inside Woodbury’s Central Park. Some of my fondest memories are rooted there: picking out books to take home, walking through Central Park with the unmistakable scent of the waterfall in the air, stopping for ice cream at the café that has long closed and playing at Lookout Ridge.
Last February, I was lucky enough to experience it all one more time. My sister and I took my nephew to Lookout Ridge on its final day before the renovation began. Watching him race across the jungle gym, weave through the giant tubes, climb into the boat and search for hidden treasures in the seek-and-find felt like watching my own childhood come full circle. Afterward, we wandered through Central Park and enjoyed all the greenery and water for the last time.
Now, the renovation of Central Park and Lookout Ridge is complete. I toured the space on its opening day in November; to my surprise, the same sense of nostalgia washed over me. The updates beautifully honor what made the park so special, keeping its magic alive. Readers, I invite you to learn more about the renovations, including the new murals and greenery.
Looking toward the future, the R.H. Stafford Library is set to kick off its renovation predesign and community engagement study this spring with construction anticipated to be complete in 2028. Until then, I’ll continue to peruse the same aisles I wandered through as a child while enjoying all the new features at Central Park.
Cheers,
—Hailey Almsted
