Ed. — From the Sunday, Aug. 27, print edition.
VIRGINIA BEACH — There is a special birthday being celebrated this year in Virginia Beach.
Our very own Mount Trashmore was created 50 years ago as the first landfill turned into a recreational area in the U.S.
It’s hard today to imagine the location – basically, where I-264 meets South Independence Boulevard – ever being a landfill. On a map, Mount Trashmore appears to be the center of the suburban area of our city.
It’s a great location now for a large recreational area, but not so much for a landfill, I suppose. I wasn’t a resident in 1973, but I am sure I would have appreciated the effort it took to convert a mountain of trash into a park that attracts so many visitors.
What was a 640,000-ton pile of trash was compacted, mixed with clean soil and formed into a 60-foot high, 800-foot-long mountain, according to the city.
And here I thought my family’s two to three bags of trash each week was a lot.
The park also includes two lakes, a 26,000 square foot kid’s playground, numerous picnic shelters, volleyball courts and restrooms. And, of course, the mountain itself provides a great place to walk and run, and the absolute best place to watch the annual Independence Day fireworks.
The average elevation in Virginia Beach is about 12 feet, a main reason why homes with basements are hard to find around these parts. Anything taller than a Wawa tends to get our attention.
I’m sure we all have our favorite memories of this mountain. Maybe you were part of the 1991 living flag in honor of the Gulf War troops. Perhaps it is the 1992 April Fool’s prank when a couple of radio DJs spoke of a pending explosion. Or you might have been one of the many snow sledders who returned home with an injury before sledding was banned back in 2000.
I’ve spent a lot of time at Mount Trashmore over the past decades, and I have many fond memories. I’ve run a few 5K races around the mountain – and thankfully not up the mountain. My family and I have picnicked numerous times, and we’ve enjoyed watching the kites rise and dip over the mountain. My daughter joyfully played at Kid’s Cove Playground.
But my favorite memories are from the many Fourth of July holidays we spent on the side of the mountain with friends marveling at the fantastic fireworks displays.
We’d often lay back on our blankets and just appreciate being together while enjoying the lights and sounds coming out of the sky above our heads. It was always the highlight of our summer, without question.
New York City has its Broadway. Orlando can have its theme parks, and Los Angeles can keep Hollywood.
We have Mount Trashmore as a prime example of the value and joy which comes from having enough vision to create something from nothing.
The author, a business coach and consultant, is active in community service and enjoys time with his wife, Kim, and daughter, Kara. Reach him via email at mckco85@aol.com.
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