The new park features gardens, fishing and an 18-hole disc golf course
After a labor of love for two years, the 27-acre Northwest Community Park — including an 18-hole disc golf course – is now open to the public at 7950 N. County Road 650 East. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for Saturday, June 3.
Food trucks, inflatables, a family scavenger hunt, a disc golf tournament and disc golf lessons will be part of the park’s grand opening June 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“We have been blessed with a lot of property. Brownsburg has done a fantastic job with the parks for the community. We wanted to extend what they have started to the north side,” said Bethesda Baptist Church Pastor Eddie Ferguson.
Hendricks County Disc Golf Club partnered with Bethesda to plan and design the course. Players will find the course challenging due to a three-plus-acre pond that runs through it, the Rev. Ferguson said. “It’s a wonderful fun sport for those wanting to compete as well as those wanting to recreate, for the pro and for the novice,” he added. It’s the third disc gold course in Hendricks County; the other two are in Avon and Plainfield.
According to the Rev. Ferguson, disc golf is played like regular golf but with Frisbees. Instructions can be found at each hole. While the play is free, people will need to bring their own Frisbees.
The park also includes a three-plus-acre fishing pond, ¾-mile walking path, flower garden, baseball diamond and more.
The flower garden, the Rev. Ferguson said, was created in partnership with the Master Gardeners of Hendricks County, part of the Purdue University Extension Program. The 1,200-square-foot garden will be completed over the next two years with community involvement. It will include five garden areas: perennials/bulbs, shade, rock, plants native to Indiana and butterfly gardens. A walking path provides a way for people to better view the garden.
Another area will host a community vegetable garden. “Our desire is that next summer we will have fresh food for the west side through the community garden,” the Rev. Ferguson said, adding that planting will begin next year. The fresh food will eventually be distributed through the Bethesda Store House clothes food pantry open Wednesday 5-7:30 p.m.
A playground is planned for summer 2018. It will be completed by the community and through grants from community organizations, the Rev. Ferguson said. It will be similar to the Blast-off Playground in Brownsburg’s Williams Park. The Brownsburg Parks and Recreation Department has provided counseling and design tips, he added.
A baseball practice field and diamond with shelter house are currently available. The fields will be rented to traveling teams; the general public may use when available.
Families can enjoy scavenger hunts through the Discovery Trail with five stations throughout the park. After answering the question at each station, children receive a stamp to place in a booklet. They will learn about birds, trees, recycling, fitness and habitats.
The Bethesda Pond, stocked with bass and bluegill, is open to the public for fishing. It is a catch-and-release pond.
“We want to be a blessing to our community. As a church, we just want to give this to them so they may get outside and enjoy God’s creation,” the Rev. Ferguson said.
The park is open to the public from dusk to dawn. For more information, visit nwcommunitypark.org.