The den Bok Family Park at 31 Plewes Drive is now officially open, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 18.
More than 100 den Boks attended the ceremony on Wednesday, exchanging stories of the land and the meaning Collingwood has for the family.
“There are so many memories about this land – the agriculture and the river. It was lots of fun, but there was lots of hard work,” said John den Bok.
“Having our name on the park is a real honour for our family,” he said.
Adriaan and Dirkje den Bok originally came to Collingwood in 1949 from Holland along with their seven sons and two daughters. They came specifically in response to an ad from Smarts Brothers, offering employment on their farms. Eventually, the den Bok family purchased land on Poplar Sideroad to start their own farm and build a home, where the Summit View development exists now.
Joop and Gys – two of the seven sons – came to see the festivities on Wednesday. Joop was 13 years old and Gys was 12 when the family moved from Holland to Collingwood so many years ago.
“I’m the oldest at the moment,” Joop said with a laugh. “I didn’t really get that excited about this but my kids seem to think it’s a big deal.”
He said he’s been to the park a dozen times already since it soft-opened last week.
Gys said that when the family moved to town back in 1949, he didn’t speak any English.
“This is great," he said
The park includes a playground, a community gathering space, a large lawn area, an internal walkway/trail system, a multi-use sports pad, bike racks and seating.
The park was designed with nature in mind, with the playground equipment designed in the shapes of animals and flowers.
“This used to be a farming community, so we integrated elements of nature,” said Wendy Martin, manager of parks with the town.
The work on the park isn’t yet finished. In 2025, the town will be putting out a call to artists for an art installation for the park, in consultation with the den Bok family.
For more information on the park, click here.
