Many don’t know that a house once stood on the site of the tot lot. Opal, the owner, loved children so much that she left her property to the children of Albany for the establishment of a park. Although the City now calls the park the Dartmouth Tot Lot, its original name was Staniek Tot Lot, after Opal. (There was a plaque at the corner which was removed by request of the family.) In honor of her dedication to our community, those of us in the neighborhood continue to call the tot lot Opal’s Park.
A brief history of AFOOP:
Winter and Spring, 2003 – We had a huge turnover in our neighborhood – many wonderful families moved in, all with young children (to the great excitement of those of us already here.)
Late Spring, 2003 – Our first-ever block party was planned by Steve and Gail in honor of their daughter Leah. They invited neighbors to join in the planning.
July 5, 2003 – Leah-palooza was a huge hit! Great food, great music, and a great time were had by all! The event further cemented our community and our friendships.
Summer and Fall, 2003 – We continued to informally gather to play at the park daily. As our kids played, we got to know each other much better.
Winter, 2003 – As the weather turned cold and rainy, we stayed in touch, making it official by the establishment of AFOOP in December.
You can contact us at AFOOP anytime!