What’s New at Betsy’s Park

Today is September 16, 2024

We're thrilled to announce the completion of Phase 1 at Betsy's Park! The park is bustling with activity, and it's wonderful to see so many people enjoying the new amenities. Our swimming lessons for local children have been a hit this summer, and families are hosting birthday parties, taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings. We were delighted to host the New Hampshire Fish and Game department for a youth fishing clinic. The event was a great success, with many young participants eager to learn.   

The GET OUTSIDE pavilion is completed. A special thank you goes out to KMac Builders and PK Builders for their hard work and dedication in helping us construct the pavilion. This new addition will serve as a central hub for gatherings and events in the park.  

Our Americorps members are now residing comfortably at the park after a full renovation of their accommodations . The updates include a stunning new kitchen and lounge area, an outdoor deck perfect for relaxation, and renovated rooms to enhance their stay. We are delighted to see them enjoying these new facilities. We had many volunteers working various jobs to help out with the projects ranging from assembling beds and dressers, shopping for furnishings, designing kitchen, decorating common areas and assisting the contractor.  

Looking ahead, we're excited to share our plans for a new year-round lodge, complete with bathrooms. This facility will serve as a warming hut during the winter months and a gathering place throughout the year. We're also planning to start a cribbage night and are eager to hear suggestions for other winter activities in the Americorps lounge area, as they will not be living there in the winter. 

Community Involvement and Upcoming Events

We've had several bittersweet pulling days led by the SLA Americorps members. Badger, Peabody and Smith real estate staff had a give back day and some chose to come prime the back of the long building to prepare it for painting. Holderness School sent students and faculty and their families to pick up pine cones and do some spring clean-up.  Betsy’s Park is incredibly grateful for their involvement.         

Pickle and paddle courts have been well enjoyed by many.  We held the second annual Betsy’s Park pickleball tournment Labor Day weekend. It was a huge success we had 18 teams participate and raisied over $10,000. A good time was had by all!          

Additionally, we're gearing up for an exciting auction and raffle. Keep an eye on Betsy’s Park Facebook page and website for more details and links to participate. If you'd like to donate an item, please reach out to us at 

betsysparknh@gmail.com . Kate Dwyer and Emily Andresen are leading this initiative. A heartfelt thank you to Lara Lee O’Shaughnessy for helping us create a database, which is now integrated into the Givebutter platform that Emily Andresen has set up. This platform will allow us to accept donations, put out newsletters, event notices and have auctions and raffles!  Thank you Julie Flynn for helping with the annual fund mailing!  For the latest happenings at Betsy's Park, please join the Betsy Park Facebook group.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for Betsy's Park.

TODAY IS JANUARY 3,2024

At Betsy's Park, the community has been actively involved in various activities and volunteer efforts. With the help of dedicated volunteers, the platform tennis court has been prepared for play, thanks to the hard work of Michael O'leary, Bruce Gavarny, Jim Cole, Austin Applby, Greg Finnegan, Brent Anderson, and Emily Andresen. The festive spirit was alive with a heartwarming carol sing on Christmas Eve, led by Steve Desloge. around 70 people came! Families have been enjoying the playground and exploring the park's trails, while volunteers have been diligently spreading bark mulch and weeding. Special thanks to Rusty Rakes for providing mulch at cost and Twin Rivers Landscaping for leading the mulch spreading efforts and providing their staff complimentary . The first annual fund drive has yielded generous donations, with plans for another drive through social media. Lara-Lee and Kevin O'Shaughnessy have been instrumental in helping with a database for managing the donations. Exciting plans for the future include renovations to the Americorps members' housing building and the construction of a lodge with bathrooms, a pavilion, and a new garage. There are plentiful donation opportunities available for those who would like to contribute to the park's growth and development.

We are looking forward to winter settling in so we can enjoy all the activities Betsy’s Park provides for the outdoor enthusiasts, including ice fishing, skating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Ask to join Betsy’s Park Facebook page to learn about the most current conditions and happenings.

Today is September 12, 2023

Betsy’s Park is now open and offers the Squam community well-planned natural spaces for both robust outdoor play and calm inward reflection. Park landscaping enhances the site’s natural features and includes road-buffering berms and indigenous plantings. Park goers will enjoy a playground, beachside meditation area, a memorial sculpture, natural rock reflection area with a flowing water feature, fire pit, walking trails through the eight-acre site and two pickle ball courts. In the winter, Betsy’s Park will offer sledding, ice skating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Still to come will be an athletic circuit around the property, a pavilion with picnic area, a grilling area, a lodge/warming hut with bathrooms, garage, a new kitchen , bathroom and warming area in long motel building for interns use during their season, pickle players and paddle tennis players, fruit bushes and trees, completion of a paddle tennis court, easier accessibility down to the water’s edge play area and beach. Wow!! That’s a lot! This means there is still lots of need for donations. Visit our “Donate Page” to participate.
 
The quaint motel cabins and building have been housing Americorps members helping the Squam Lakes Association with jobs including water quality monitoring, milfoil removal, trail maintenance, running special programs. camping maintenance, ramp monitoring and many other jobs. The main house on the property has been converted to a residence for a caretaker, who will both help maintain the park and keep a watchful eye on the property to ensure that it is enjoyed as intended. We have security cameras installed throughout the property to assist. Wifi password is BOLA!park88

We ask that you don’t post about Betsy’s Park on social media. We would like to keep it from getting over-run. Email comments, questions, ideas and good times you have to betsysparknh@gmail.com and or post to Betsy’s Park Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/832718753951964/ It’s a private group so you have to ask to join and answer a few questions.

Please go to our Donate page to see how you can help and our Volunteer page to get involved! See Betsy’s Park page on this website for lots of pictures!

Here are a couple videos. One is of a community of volunteers coming together to assist the paddle tennis company in moving the court that was donated by the Swindell Family on Pinehurst Road to Betsy’s Park. The other is a transformation of a large oak tree, to a highlight of one of the play structures, that fell on Dede Connors property that she donated to the park.

Today is JULY 2, 2023

The best way to get updates about Betsy’s Park is to join Betsy’s Park Facebook page. We also send out a newsletter email. If you’d like to be on that send your email to betsysparknh@gmail.com.

Today is APRIL 25, 2022

FUN-Raising for Betsy's Park!

Betsy’s Park has joined RallyUp fundraising platform and will be raffling off fabulous items throughout the year. If you’d like to support the park and take a chance on winning a raffle prize follow this link. This current raffle is for an original watercolor painting in memory of Betsy and baby Brooke entitled, “Mosaique de Couleurs” by Reine Fischler. The drawing date is June 05, 2022.

Today is March 7, 2021

This month Betsy’s park has been filled with both human and nature activity. The community has been busy enjoying the frozen pond and snow by ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, skating and keeping warm with campfires by the pond.  Bald Eagles have been viewed flying overhead or perched in trees around the park. Many thanks to the amazing group of volunteers who have been maintaining the skating rink and ski trail, chopping and hauling wood.

The playground plans for our younger visitors are underway. Many thanks go to the designer of the park, David Verbeck, and the landscape designers, Miracle Farms. Please look at a virtual tour of the playgroup on our November 14th post. A wonderful pavilion for people to gather under during the hot days of summer or enjoy a pot-luck meal all year round is being put up near the playground. We are so grateful to KMAC Builders and Sharpe Construction who have volunteered to design and build the pavilion. Lots of volunteer help will be needed for that so stay tuned.

One more of the cabins has been removed from the park making room for the on-going improvements to Betsy’s Park. Three more are still available. These functional cottages have electrical and plumbing hook-ups. They are free, but cost $10,000 to move locally. Think in-law housing, overflow housing.... Please contact Randy Currier if you are interested (603)968-7001.

Betsy’s Park had 15 donations so far in 2021 totalling $28,584. We were thrilled to welcome seven new volunteers to Betsy’s Park. Thank you for all this continued support towards this wonderful community project.

Time to Rally! A paddle tennis court is coming to the park. Thank you so much to the The Swindell Family who donated the court to the park. Please stay tuned because a lot of volunteers will be needed as well as donations to transport and set up the court. Estimates to move it ranged from $20,000 to $40,000 With some fabulous volunteers we hope we can cut this cost.

Today is January 24, 2021

There has been lots of activity at Betsy’s Park due to great ice conditions for skating and enough snow for skiing on the pond. Old friends are meeting up and new friends are being made, of course social distancing. Michael O’Leary has been clearing the rink and maintaining the skating trail with Big Red that Don Stoppe originally plowed with his four wheeler. Cindy O’Leary has been grooming a nordic skate skiing trail that is about 3 miles long. You access the two mile ice skating trail and the skate skiing trail to the right of the skating rink. There is a shorter ice skating trail off the rink to the left. There is a short section at the beginning of the ice skating trail that you have to clomp over some snow to get to the good part. Once past that conditions are fabulous.! There have been lots of volunteers helping to scrape after the plows have gone over it. Thank you to all of you! There are four ManPlow shovels in the shed if you get to the park and notice it needs to be shoveled. We had early fun sledding, but had to close it, hopefully temporarily, because of liability issues:(

Lights are installed down by the pond for night skating. The lights are solar and can be be turned on and off with remotes that are mounted on the tree with the slack line attached to it in a small box . You are welcome to turn them on and off yourself. You have to be fairly close to the lights for the remotes to work. They can also be turned on to be turned off with a timer. Please be mindful to make sure they will be off by the time you leave or manually shut them off.

Septic Solutions installed a porta-potty up near the shed.

Betsy’s Park has a private group on Facebook. If you want to get updates about conditions and happenings at the park more frequently you need to ask to be accepted https://www.facebook.com/groups/832718753951964 There are 235 members so far!

In December the park received 10 donations totaling $17,000, and 8 new volunteers. Thank you for this support!

TODAY IS DECEMBER 22, 2020

We have lots of hopeful plans for Betsy’s Park this winter. It’s all weather dependent. With the recent snowfall the trails are open for snow shoeing or cross-country skiing and the sledding has been tons of fun!! A “Slack Line” has been set up down by the pond frontage. If anyone is more familiar than me with them and notice it’s not set up right, please adjust it. There is a rink for skating shoveled. As the winter proceeds it will take community involvement to keep the rink cleared. I will be posting more frequently to the Holderness On-line Bulletin board with conditions and when help is needed. https://www.facebook.com/groups/748223042207614. There was talk about doing a Carol Sing on Christmas Eve, but weather doesn’t look like it will cooperate with rain predicted.

Randlett Trucking and Septic will be putting a porta-potty on the property for the winter.

We are looking for a donation of seasoned wood for the fire pit.

Today is November 14, 2020

There are a few new updates for Betsy’s Park. We have hired Miracles Farms from Moultonborough as our landscaper and Oasis Playscapes as our playground designer. The plans are attached below. One is a great virtual video of the proposed playground area! It’s amazing what design technology can do these days.

Thank you to Randy Eastman who has been bringing truck loads of fill to the park property.

Miracle Farms donated their time to clean up the sites where some of the cabins had been removed and moved the large stumps!

Sandra VanGundy will be heading up the athletic circuit plan and will have help from the Holderness School students and staff on the project.

We have also hired local artist Kathryn Fields to create an interactive sculpture.

I had my first experience with young children enjoying what is at the park so far and it was so wonderful to see the enthusiasm from them and there is only one natural structure in place and a few tree trunks that haven’t been officially placed. I’ve included pictures and video below.

The park is open, and for now, park anywhere. The interns are gone for the winter. The park will be open this winter for Snowshoeing, sledding and hopefully having a skating rink! It ‘s a magical space and I feel Betsy and Brooke in my heart and soul every time I’m there.

Cindy O’Leary

Today is October 20, 2020

As you drive by Betsy’s Park you may notice piles of fill. It is going to be used to create a berm with plantings around and on it. This should help reduce road noise and naturalize it more inside the park. There are now 6 or 7 whimsical owls to be found along the trails. One trail walker said they have consistently seen a real one at dusk along the trail near the big wood chip pile.

There has been a couple work days since last post, but there has been a lull in work that needs to be done because we are waiting on the rest of the cabins to be removed, final landscape plan and playground plan. Below I’ve posted pictures of preliminary playground plans. There has been some tree work and three large stumps have been left that seem to already have created interest in climbing on and peeling.

The brooks are babbling again which is nice to see along the trails. The ferns are dying down so you can see it again. Some of the bridges and wooden crossings are a bit wobbly so please be careful. If you come across green flagging it is a potential spot for a natural athletic station. We are planning to have athletic circuit stations around the park. Sandra VanGundy is heading that up.

Please spread the word to sign-up to receive news about Betsy’s Park on this website. It’s the only place to find out about what’s going on. Please do not post about Betsy’s Park on social media. Although Betsy would have wanted it to be open to all, she would also understand that the property can’t support that. It will be open to the Squam Watershed communities. This means Ashland, Center Harbor, Holderness, Meredith and Sandwich residents and taxpayers, We don’t want social media to attract the general/transient public or it could get over-run.

Today is September 2, 2020

We hadn’t had many work days in August because it was too hot. There has been more painting, pulling invasive plant species, trail work and goose fencing put up done during the couple we had. Matt Harris our caretaker has been doing a great job keeping up with grooming the grounds and gardens. The pool has been filled in! Some of the cabins still remain because of transport permit delay. Site plan application almost ready to be submitted to the town. We’ve had more then 150 people participate in donating ranging in gifts from under $10 to six figure donations!

There has been an owl theme started and 4 whimsical owls have been placed along the trail. Can you find all four? The owl theme stems from many unusual owl encounters people have had since Betsy and Brooke’s death.

There is a really cool uprooted tree along the trail. Can you find that? Picture below.

Today is July 29, 2020

You may notice the pool cabana gone. The lattice will be next and then the pool filled. The remaining 4 cabins that are being moved to make way for the playground are very close to being moved. It has been an arduous process on trying to get permits from the state.

Flagging has been put around the cabin sites that have been removed. Please stay away from them there are lots of hazards to hurt yourself on.

We have hired Miracle Farms as our landscape creator and Dean Smith as our playground designer.

Signs are up saying BETSY’S PARK UNDER CONSTRUCTION USE WITH PERMISSION ONLY.. We’d like to know who is there using the property so if you’d like to check it out send us an email betsysparknh@gmail.com .

We’ve had several work evenings that have been well attended. They have been Thursday 5 to 7 followed by a social distancing gathering after with BYOB and Food. There are several picnic tables spaced apart to sit at.

There are several Jack-in-the-Pulpits on the property which is really special.

Amercorps volunteers have settled into the green cabins and motel units and seem to be a wonderful addition to the community.

Please do not post about Betsy’s Park on social media. Although Betsy would have wanted it to be open to all, she would also understand that the property can’t support that. It will be open to the Squam Watershed communities. This means Ashland, Center Harbor, Holderness, Meredith and Sandwich residents and taxpayers, We don’t want social media to attract the general public or it could get over-run.

TOday is June 25, 2020

Trail work and property clean up has been progressing. We have typically been working from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursdays weather permitting, followed by a social distancing gathering pond side. People bring a finger food to share and byob, email if you’d like to join us and I will tell you what tools to bring. Tonight it’s weed whacking, bittersweet removal and chip spreading on trails. If you have a weed whacker you could bring that, rake, clippers, gloves, 5 gallon bucket.

We have also had eight Americorps volunteers move into the motel and green cabins. They are working for the Squam Lakes Conservation and Squam Lakes Association.

An SLCS NextGen group has been formed and already had a volunteer day at Betsy’s Park. Please contact Jesse Saba if you’d like more information on joining that group. Jessicalsaba@gmail.com

There is now over a half mile of trails cut to explore.

Today is May 28, 2020

If you drive by the former White Oak Pond motel you will notice the motel strip and four cabins have been painted. Final touch-ups still need to be done. The sign has been taken down. A caretaker has moved in, Matt Harris, to the red house.

What you don’t see from Route 3. Five of nine cabins by the water have been removed. We are waiting for four more to go. It is quite a project and expense to have them moved.

We had landscape architect, Karen Janosky, walk the property to carve out where trails should go. Yarn was run along the trail tied tree to tree to mark the paths. Clipping was done and now wood chips are being spread as a guide defining the trails. Some bridges have been constructed. Lots of bittersweet has been removed, but there is still a lot there! Goose fencing has been put up.