memorial benches

Recycled plastic bench with engraved lettering

Recycled plastic benches have an attractive feature that could help parks and other facilities instantly add more benches to their location.

That feature - engraving.

Many cities across the country manage successful sponsorship programs as an inexpensive way to fill their grounds with park benches.

Probably one of the most successful programs is run by one of the most recognized parks in the world - Central Park in New York City.

More than 4,000 of the iconic park's 9,000 benches were installed from their adopt-a-bench program.

What a great way for a city to save money on park furnishings. And what a great way for the public to honor a loved one or group in a highly visible way that can be seen 24/7. Plus providing a welcome place for people to sit is a nice service for their fellow citizens.

The great advantage of recycled plastic benches is that it is a fairly easy process to engrave letters in the memorial bench back.

Recycled plastic benches

Memorial benches have gained in popularity as a way to honor an individual. Now some towns are offering memorial picnic table programs

Memorial benches are becoming increasingly popular as a way to honor an individual and now there's a trend toward adding a commemorative message to picnic tables as well.

In fact, the City of Ravenswood in West Virginia recently received an award for a new memorial picnic table program they started.

What a great way to honor a loved one or popular public figure in a town!

Like adding park benches with a plaque or laser-cut inscription, memorial picnic tables are a fantastic way to commemorate someone's life.

Memorial benches and picnic tables have several advantages

Here are a few reasons why:

Highly Visible - unlike other donations, when families buy memorial benches or picnic tables, that donation will be seen by a continuous flow of people who use or walk by those site furnishings. Maybe some of those people will even know that individual, which will

Memorial bench at a beach. Memorial benches are becoming a more preferred way to honor someone in a community because they are highly visible and add seating amenities to parks or favorite locations

A memorial bench is a perfect way to commemorate someone in your community for a number of reasons.

But let's first talk about two memorial benches that were recently installed at a beach in San Diego.

These benches held special meaning for surfers in the area.

The concrete memorial benches were installed to honor Larry Gordon and Skeeter Malcolm, two surfing legends who literally pioneered the sport in San Diego, probably most of California and were sure to have an influence around the rest of the country.

Gordon, who passed away in 2016 a the age of 76, partnered with friend Floyd Smith to make surfboards back in the 1960s, when surfing was just a fledgling pastime.

They were one of the first surfers to manufacture boards with polyurethane foam, making them easier to ride than clunky wooden

One of two memorial benches installed in Boulder City NV as a tribute to a student who passed away after a battle with leukemia. The message reads: "Smile More & Laugh Often.

Sometimes an entire community will pull together to create something awesome and this occurred recently in Boulder City, NV, when students came together to install memorial benches to honor one of their fallen friends.

According to teacher Azure Quinlan, one of her former students, Michael Manteris, was a very popular youngster in town who unfortunately was stricken by leukemia.

"He was well known in the community and was always kind, thoughtful and determined to succeed," she said. "When he passed away I wanted to do something special for his family and the community who loved him and prayed for him throughout his fight."

Azure thought a memorial bench might be an appropriate way to honor Michael. She said that when her mother passed away, she and her siblings purchased a memorial bench to honor her.

So she decided

 

More and more people and organizations are turning to the idea of placing memorials benches in public places as a tribute to local relatives and those who contribute to the betterment of the community

By Gerald Dlubala

The use of memorial benches as structures to honor someone is becoming more common among individuals, groups, and organizations.

We've all walked by, or perhaps even sat on, a smartly placed park bench in our local park and noticed a nameplate or plaque on the bench, designating it as a bench for an historical event, local good Samaritan, or outstanding park fundraiser, supporter, or donor.

Their legacy lives on because of a funded or donated memorial park bench, installed in a public place for all to see, take notice, and remember.

Memorial benches have caught on in a big way, and are now being erected by diverse groups for a number of unique circumstances and occasions.

Today it's not just municipalities and government organizations funding a memorial for a city leader

One of the best scenes in the critically-acclaimed movie "La La Land" includes a park bench. Photo Credit: Dale Robinette / Lionsgate

When watching awards shows, it's clear that there are so many factors that go into film-making: editing, cinematography, production design, directing, sound, makeup, music, park benches and many other factors are all necessary for the successful, tear-jerking films that we all love.

Park benches? Sure. They are in plenty of hit movies. As writers and directors set the scene, many choose a local park for portraying everyday life in films. No matter the genre—action, mystery, love, comedy, or otherwise—there is one prop that remains constant: the park bench.

A park bench is something most moviegoers can identify with, as opposed to say a mansion or a yacht. It's a place where anyone is welcome to sit and talk, read, or think.

Park benches are easy to look past, but later you will find yourself searching for one when your legs

Park benches have a certain magnetic quality about the

There seems to be a certain charm about a park bench when it comes to bringing folks together. And when checking out park benches for sale, think about the type of bench, but also the people who will be sitting on those planks as well.

Park benches have a magnetic allure that is conducive to one person engaging with another - whether it's in a deep conversation with a friend or an first-time talk with a complete stranger.

This was very evident in a recent project conducted by Neighborhoods Inc., a non-profit organization in Northwest Indiana.

To help foster the interaction of people in their community, the organizers placed a park bench in front of 22 homes in a town of about 30,000 people. They included a sign that read, "Please have a seat."

Their efforts were effective. People now had a reason to stop and chat with the home owner or others in the area.

Neighbors, strollers, joggers, school children, people walking their dogs and

Bud Caldwell visits his wife's memorial bench in Lakeside Park every day. But during the winter, the heavy Wisconsin snowfall makes it difficult for him. So on those days, he speaks to her from his car stopped near the park.

That is until two thoughtful park employees noticed him sitting there. They came to Bud's assistance and shoveled a path so he could make his way to the bench and the plaque displaying his wife's photograph.

The story behind Caldwell's routine is truly amazing. Every day for the past two years, the 82-year-old visits the memorial bench he bought to honor his late wife Betty. They spent 56 years together.

He brings a daisy, which he leaves for her to commemorate one of their favorite songs: "Daisy a Day." He also leaves a penny on top of the bench, to honor their other favorite tune, "Pennies from Heaven." He then speaks to her for a few minutes, telling her about his day.

Last year, when the Wisconsin snow was particularly heavy, Caldwell tried to make it to the memorial

Source: Resources for the Future surve

What types of challenges do state park directors face? Perhaps they can be solved with a Buy-A-Bench memorial bench or picnic table program.

Resources for the Future, non-profit organization founded in 1952 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., conducted a study a few years ago of state park directors to get an insight into the types of challenges they encounter and how they rank them in terms of minor problems or huge headaches.

The group's mission is to apply economics as a way to develop more effective policies on the use and conservation of natural resources.

Not surprisingly, results from the survey revealed lack of funding as the No. 1 headache. As states have tightened their budgetary belts, it seems the places that many legislators like to pick on are state parks.

According to the study, the majority of park directors said that insufficient funds for capital expenditures (excluding land acquisition) and construction of new facilities was either