Beautiful, 68-Acre Oak Hall Regional Park Opens
When the Centre County Council of Governments purchased 68 acres of land from Penn State University a decade ago, leaders envisioned a beautiful, state-of-the-art park.
That plan came to fruition on Monday when the Oak Hall Regional Park opened. A grand opening ceremony was held Saturday.
The spacious park includes softball fields, a one-mile perimeter trail, and more. Arthur Conner came out to the park for the first time Saturday afternoon, walking the trail with his wife and son.
"It's really just a gorgeous addition to the community," Conner says. "I had to drive from about 15 minutes away to get here, but it certainly won't be the last time I make that trip. This is the kind of park that can be a real draw for a community."
Jeff Hall, the sports supervisor for the Centre Region Parks & Recreation Authority, was at Oak Hall on Saturday to enjoy the festivities. It wasn't all work for Hall, though, as he spent some time playing in a softball tournament.
Hall says the park was years in the making and he's proud of the end result. A kite-flying event, softball tournament, and other events were held Saturday to mark the grand opening.
"A lot of time and effort went into getting this park ready for today and everybody is enjoying it," he says. "It's about 68 acres and it's brand new, just opened on Monday and we've had a pretty good crowd here."
As the sports supervisor, Hall is excited about the recreational features that a park like Oak Hall can provide for the community.
"This creates a lot of opportunities, not just for active recreation but for passive recreation with the path," he says. "It's a great place to come out to. It's a great addition to the park system and everybody is just enjoying themselves out here today."
Putting recreation aside, Hall looked out on the park's rolling hills and greenery, with a magnificent view of a mountain in the background.
"You can see how beautiful this place is," he says. "There's a lot to do out here. It's one of the nicest facilities in the state."
The park is open for all to enjoy, but it will continue to progress as phase two of construction begins. Oak Hall will eventually include a playground area, picnic pavilions, an off-leash dog park area, a sledding hill, and more.
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Zach Berger
Zach Berger is the managing editor of StateCollege.com. He graduated from Penn State University in 2014 with a degree in print journalism. Zach enjoys writing about a variety of topics ranging from football to government, music, and everything in between.
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