Gibbons Memorial Park, also known as Honesdale Star Park, is a park in
Honesdale, Pennsylvania with a star in the center.
The park
The park is dedicated as a
memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
to a past
mayor, Austin Flint Gibbons, and to his parents Dr. and Mrs. Peter S. Gibbons.
[ The actual ]park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
that the star is in lies at the top of a winding wooded road.[Lyon, Mrs. Charles. "Around the Country with Our Correspondents." The Milford (PA) Dispatch, 15 November 1956, 5.] Perched on top of Irving Cliff, the highest mountain overlooking the town, the park is surrounded by a large fence that wraps around the premises.
Lent and Easter
During the 40 days leading up to Easter, otherwise known as Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
, the star that watches the town disappears and is replaced by another image. A towering Christian cross is instead displayed over the town.
The cross has been permanently removed due to a First Amendment challenge.
References
Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Parks in Wayne County, Pennsylvania
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