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~ Margaret Mead

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Sunday Play Day at Bacon Ford

Today, we had Sunday Play Day to help raise awareness and initiate community response concerning the condition of Bacon Ford Park in Claxton, GA. The park is supposed to be maintained by the Evans County Department of Recreation; however, it has been in sad disrepair for years. This Sunday, we came out and played at the park. We threw footballs, played catch and tag, watched a basketball game, and even had a 5-year-old "knight" rescue his Mom, the princess, from an imaginary dragon.

In Claxton, Georgia, Jim Crow laws still exist.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Evans County, Claxton, Georgia, you will find Bacon Ford Park. It is operated by the Evans County Department of Recreation. It is not the only park in Evans County, but it is the only park in a dilapidated state of disrepair. It's also the only park in Evans county in a predominantly black neighborhood.

The differences between Bacon Ford and the other parks are stark, starting with the operating hours. Bacon Ford is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Just a few miles down the road, in a predominantly white neighborhood, one of the other parks is open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.


Evans County residents have spent decades asking for the park to be improved. When their demands have become loud, county officials have responded by threating to close the park permanently. Official websites for Evans County describe the park in glowing terms. "The Bacon-Ford Park, located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive offers basketball courts, picnic areas and a fully equipped playground..."


Swing sets without swings, slides full of holes, other slides sunk into mud puddles. Broken, jagged, and dangerously damaged equipment, barred and locked bathrooms, and fallen over non-functional water fountains are apparently what Evans County officials consider a "fully equipped playground".

The citizens of Evans County are organizing to demand change. Our efforts have thus far been ignored or censored. We ask that you join us in applying public pressure for the purpose of ending this disparity and ensuring that all children of Evans County have a safe place to play.

Recreation Department Officials:

Director:
Danny Swain
(912)739-1434
danny@evansrecdept.com

Grounds:
Jarin Lewis
(912)739-1434
jarin@evansrecdept.com

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