Jumping Jacks

I WAS BLOWN AWAY when on a nippy overcast weekend I came across this motley crew of circus acrobats doing somersaults off a refrigerator they had repurposed as a ramp from which to jump onto a cache of discarded mattresses, utilized as a trampoline of sorts. Their free-form gymnastics were impressive, especially given that no prior formal training was involved—just the innately resilient savoir faire that was part of the DNA of South Bronx kids in those days.

These same kinds of improvised playgrounds were a big part of my own childhood in the mid 1970s during the “fire for hire” epoch of the Bronx. I, too, survived and thrived as a result of a creative imagination and tenacious fortitude.

Four years later in 1993, the lot was cleared of illegally dumped refuse and debris, renovated, and adequately named “Field of Dreams,” after an initiative sponsored by Mayor David Dinkins to turn vacant lots into parks. Because of the lot’s limited space, and a development set-aside for much needed affordable housing on a portion of the track of land, an adequate basketball court with benches was built in lieu of a fully equipped playground (no swings, seesaws, slides, merry-go-round, or monkey bars).

The court was assigned to NYC Parks Dept on August 27, 1993 and is located in the Crotona Park East section of the Bronx.

I wonder if these vibrant and visionary children know that their festive weekend adventures would someday lead to a formal safe space for others like them?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?