Anniversary Park

Sometimes all it takes is the vision of one person to spark a tremendous outpouring of community spirit and participation. John Sears saw a long-abandoned gas station lot on the corner of Route 28 and Old Main Street in South Yarmouth, and recognized a potential for town pride, involvement and celebration.

"It was in what I always considered the center of South Yarmouth," said John Sears. "Everyday, I looked over at that old gas station as I drove by. One day I thought, 'Somebody ought to do something about it.' Then I realized if I don't do it, nobody else will."

Aniversary Park .

In April 1988, town meeting voters approved $53,100 to purchase the scenically strategic 4,000 square foot parcel. To raise restoration funds and participation, the Yarmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, the Yarmouth Department of Public Works, town officials, Route 28 Task Force and many others rallied behind the Yarmouth Conservation Trust. The only unexpected cost came from contamination clean-up of the site, for which town meeting voters later approved another $46,875.

What did the townspeople of Yarmouth get for their investment? Sears knowsyou cannot put a price tag on it. "It's invaluable because it's there for perpetuity; because it was kept from being the site of another ATM machine or hotel. It adds a sense of 'village.' The first time I drove by and saw someone sitting there on one of the benches, reading a newspaper, I thought 'There! That's what it's all about."