Azusa Park Evolves With Its Community

Since Valleydale Park was created out of orange groves in 1949, it has served as a de facto neighborhood civic center.

In unincorporated Azusa in the San Gabriel Valley, Francine Bizzell, 72, and other residents of this largely working-class neighborhood have gathered at the five-acre park’s community building to try to solve problems and deal with challenges.

As the neighborhood grew, the park struggled to accommodate all the activities and events. The kitchen became a computer learning center. Recreational activities were limited. And a much-needed senior program could not be introduced.

County officials hoped that making improvements to the park would enable them to keep up with the neighborhood’s growth and changes.

On Saturday, hundreds of residents and county leaders celebrated the park’s $2.3-million renovation. The hoopla was similar to that half a century ago when the park first opened. The only things missing were the Lawrence Welk musicians.

Mildred Swiader, 79, who moved into the neighborhood in 1947, got an early tour of the renovations a day beforehand.

“Everybody around here cares about this park,” Swiader said. “Most of us grew up with it.”

A combination tennis, volleyball and basketball court; more children’s playgrounds, spongy walking paths and picnic canopies are among the additions. More lighting has also been added.

“We want this to be a place where people can walk in any part of the day and feel secure,” said county Supervisor Gloria Molina, who represents the area.

Central to the renovation is the 4,300-square-foot addition to the community center.

“Now we’ll have a seniors program and a seniors lunch program because we can serve lunch out of the kitchen,” said Mary Shallowhorn, 54, a park supervisor.

Swiader, who lives across the street from the park, said, “This place helped bring people together.”

Many of the neighborhood’s first residents were World War II veterans.

“There were a lot of veterans here after the war, and people generally had about four kids at the time,” said Frances Popperwell, 80, whose husband, Glenn, served in the war. “People wanted a place for their children to play.”

Residents wanted a park. They raised money to buy a five-acre parcel of groves on what is now North Lark Ellen Avenue. They needed $6,100. The editor of a small local paper wrote to a county supervisor to inform him of residents’ efforts.

“Though the Valleydale residents represent only a medium-income group, they are willing to spend their own money and time to develop a small park and civic center,” Chuck Shelton of the Azusa Herald wrote.

Within months, the county purchased the orange grove.

Money raised by the residents built the park’s first community building, a bungalow that was razed in 1998.

Through the years, the park has had some rough periods, although community efforts have helped it rebound. During the 1970s, biker gangs used to hang out there, said Luis Gonzales, 49, who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. Some of this is featured in the 1985 Cher movie “Mask,” which was based on a family that lived in the Azusa neighborhood.

Swiader has fond memories of taking her daughter, then a Brownie Girl Scout, to the park.

“She learned to bake cookies in the kitchen,” Swiader said.