Mixed weather made for diverse activities during the weekend

Partly cloudy skies and warm temperatures in Union County made for mixed weather and varied activities during the weekend, especially on Saturday, May 21st.

For the most part, there was plenty of sunshine as clouds skittered across a mild blue sky on Saturday. People worked in their yards. There were plenty of opportunities for baseball, bicycling, hiking, soccer and tennis at BNA Park and on Tanglefoot Trail.

The David Lopez family on New Albany’s north side hosted one of the neighborhood parties they hold a few times each year for all the children in the neighborhood.

It was complete with one of those giant inflatable “tumbling” structures, a tent with tables and chairs, a clown with size 40 tennis shoes and refreshments.

A couple of dozen children (and a few adults) from around the Northside neighborhood joined in the fun.

Northside used to be New Albany’s “Mayberry.” Many senior citizens recall that, as children, they lined up for their turn to play tennis on the tennis court there. The Northside court was then located on what is now the Children’s Park between Alabama and Broad Streets.

After a period of decline, the Northside is again becoming Mayberry. Many of the strongly built old houses, 70 to 125 years old, are being bought up and renovated. Younger people with children are moving to the Northside. The bargains on vintage houses are being snapped up as “Mayberry” returns.

Although the school board 20 years ago mysteriously decided to build New Albany’s grand new grade school half-way to Myrtle, on the extreme northwest side of town, the Northside is nevertheless reviving as a neighborhood. It is rapidly combining affluent mature people and growing young families with their first owned homes.

Activities like the parties on the Lopez lawn and young children playing on the new equipment in the children’s park are signs of revitalization.  Neighborhood walkers, many with family dogs, as well as porches and lawns with kids’ bicycles are also becoming more and more apparent in Northside.

Half-inch or so hailstones fell in Blue Springs on May 21. Photo courtesy Joe Wilson.

Yet, while most Union County people were holding lawn parties and playing and working outdoors on Saturday, a small hail-storm developed in the Blue Springs area near the Lee/Union County line.

A reader sent us this photograph of one of the many half-inch diameter hailstones that fell about 2 p.m. in Blue Springs, while the sun was shining ten miles away in New Albany.