Pancakes & Progress 1

Pancake, flapjack, or hotcake, whatever term you want, they all added up to some good eating down at the Rec Fields on Saturday morning. Some came early to take in the sacredness of the morning sun, but as the crowds began showing up you could feel the hint of summer heat drying up puddles on the ballfield. There’s a peculiar religious quality to events like this, and it’s a feeling members in any house of worship would recognize. Since the beginning, there has always been a holiness in the act of “breaking bread” together.

America’s immigrant roots were on display as names from different nations were called out by the young volunteers dispensing plates of pancakes. The people of different colors and creeds shouted back or held up a hand, and so it went for hours. People coming together to share a common ritual in a communal setting. The residents of Oakland would be hard pressed to find a better place than on a glorious spring day in May at the Rec Field. After a 24 hour downpour the day before, the skies had cleared for a great day of baseball, softball and pancakes cooked to perfection by the Oakland Father’s Club.

The Oakland Mother’s Club was stationed in the front of the Danny D building collecting used sporting equipment which will be resold to raise funds for one of the many projects they support. The Mother’s Club and The Father’s Club have provided enormous resources and leadership to help make the Rec Fields a vital component to the social fabric of Oakland. Also, the continuing improvements being made to the recreational fields by these Oakland volunteers have not had any impact on the town budget.

In an interesting historical note, a New York Times article from 1922 reported on the Recreation Congress meeting in Atlantic City. The main point of discussion over 85 years ago was, “Whether school boards or special recreation commissions shall control playground and recreation systems in cities and towns…”. There does not need to be any debate or vote on what is being accomplished through the efforts of these volunteers, and the community of Oakland can only express gratitude at this display of cooperation, industriousness and dedication.

There is a long tradition of civic organizations taking the lead in addressing community concerns, especially with regard to recreation, and many of those concerns are still valid today. The Playground and Recreation Association of America was instrumental in getting physical education requirements adopted into the public school curriculum in the 1920’s; this was in response to American Army doctors describing 1/3 of the men examined during WWI as being physically unfit.

The Oakland Journal has previously reported on the attraction of the social element of the Rec Fields as an added bonus to the recreational activities being promoted. There are numerous organizations in town that provide opportunities for civic and social engagement; but space, resources and focus are limiting parameters to the effect they can have on the community as a whole. The existing, and even planned development, of downtown Oakland will not be able to offer the sense of centricity the Rec Fields have come to provide. The creative element of individuals working towards a vision of communal space is hard at work in the various organizations that support the Rec Commission’s efforts.

Exercising the philosophy of Pragmatism, which originated in this country around the turn of the last century, the ideas being discussed for further development at the Rec Field hold true to the tenets of this American born philosophy: the meaning and truth of an idea are reliant on it’s practical outcome. One item of discussion is for a walking path throughout the fields, hopefully this will come to fruition as the various volunteer organizations review plans being created by a volunteer landscape architect. This would add another important element to the town’s social fabric as a place where all members of the community can gather, partake of events, or “do their own thing”.

The Recreation Commission, The Father’s Club and The Mother’s Club are always in need of volunteers. Age is not a barrier, having no children in the programs is not a barrier, the only requirement is a willingness to be a team player and help get the job done. Umpires for games, volunteers for the Rec Stand, all and any assistance is welcome. You can contact the Recreation Commission via their website; The Father’s Club can be contacted at: E-mail:ofc@oakland-nj.org or Phone: 201-421-7070; The Mother’s Club can be reached at 201-337-4755 or KATHYFAHEY2@aol.com.

The Oakland Journal encourages it’s readers to get out and about and visit the new Rec Stand for some snacks, enjoy the nice weather, get some exercise, and have fun watching the games or just watching the people.