Exciting news! This newsletter is a guest post by local writer and educator David Rockower. We hope you enjoy it!

Each park in State College has its own vibe. Holmes Foster is known for its towering trees that make kids feel like they’re going for a walk in the woods just a few blocks from downtown. Tudek Park has wide open fields, inviting all kinds of play, from football to flying kites. Slab Cabin Park is the go-to spot for sledding. But there’s only one park with an iconic covered bridge and a babbling creek. Most kids love a playground, but almost everyone—regardless of age—loves the water running through Spring Creek Park.

When our kids were toddlers, we took them to the edge of the water and plopped them down on the rocks. Nathan was a fussy kid, and it was tough for him to relax. But he stared—open mouthed—into the stream for long stretches of time, occasionally finding a smooth rock to roll through his little fingers. The sound of the moving water was mesmerizing. Maddie was instantly drawn to the water and marched right in, despite the icy temperatures. We walked along the stream, over the covered bridge, and then onto the playground. Afternoons were filled with mini-adventures for our tiny explorers.

A few years later, Michelle would take the kids there for the entire afternoon. They wore water shoes, splashed around in the ankle-deep water. Once they found mud on the far side of the creek and created a mudslide that entertained them for hours—a homemade water slide that was only three feet long but felt like 30. They begged Michelle to bring whatever pool floatie we had sitting in the garage (we must have gone through a dozen floaties that would inevitably pop after hitting a sharp rock).

Start Smart soccer took place in the open grassy fields of Spring Creek. We signed Nathan up, not knowing what he’d think of the sport. His shyness made him hesitant to kick a ball when others were around. Encouraged by the coach, he scored his first “goal” by kicking the ball through the miniature cones. Parents clapped, and he promptly ran to his mother, hiding his face in her shirt. As he grew up, he would play T-ball and soccer matches at Spring Creek, running into the water to cool off after the game.

When Maddie learned to ride a bike, she looked forward to long rides from Boalsburg to Spring Creek. We would load up our backpacks with snacks and drinks, and then head out on an arduous 6 miles along the bike path. By the time we made it to the creek, Maddie forgot all about the snacks and ran with abandon into the waist-deep water. I can remember 8-year-old Maddie sighing and saying, “It was worth it.” Later, we sat under the pavilion and ate our food, listening to the creek.

One summer when Nathan was about 10, his soccer coach led the team on a creek walk. They shuffled, slid, and splashed their way downstream, laughing the entire time. Nathan still recalls this as one of his best post-soccer game memories. I was along for the ride, and I can tell you, there is something special about the experience that sets it apart from the typical visit to Dairy Queen after a big win.

When Maddie became a teenager, she and her friends followed Spring Creek beyond the bounds of the park and discovered a few favorite locations. One had a rope swing that dropped her into deep water. Another was the perfect spot to float along on her giant, inflatable donut. Requests to be driven to the pool shifted to drop offs at Spring Creek Park. I didn’t mind taking her, because I could always find a quiet spot to read or a walking path to explore, and I was likely to bump into an old friend or acquaintance.

There really is no better sound than the gentle, gurgling hum of a nearby stream. It’s so easy to forget that treasures like these exist just a few miles from our couches, where we sit, far too often, staring at a TV or computer screen. When our kids were young, we were reminded of these gems; they begged us to take them so they could squeal, splash, and laugh. As we age, we forget to go on our own. Yeah, our kids are both adults now, but I’m betting that if we told them we were headed to the park for a creek walk or a mudslide adventure, they would be all for it, and we would still have a blast.