A Park for the Community

Leah and Kurt Pfitzner purchased a vacant block and built a community park in Dadeville

STORY BY LYNN COX & PHOTO BY CLIFF WILLIAMS

Pennington Park in Dadeville is a multi-purpose art and music venue designed to offer events for all ages, from babies to seniors.

In September 2018, Kurt and Leigh Pfitzner purchased a two-acre lot in downtown Dadeville, Alabama. They named it after Johnnie Fae Pennington, a long-time Dadeville schoolteacher and the land’s previous owner. The lot was the last undeveloped parcel within the boundaries of the town’s historic district, previously occupied by the Creek Indians and owned by Chief Menewa, a famous leader of the Red Stick faction of Creek Indians.

“Our intent, inspired by other cities such as Fairhope, Alabama, was to first develop the property into a multi-purpose art and music venue while keeping its natural beauty of open spaces and pecan trees,” said Kurt Pfitzner. “Secondly, we wanted to inspire a revitalization of downtown Dadeville, our new home after a three-decade-long career in the Air Force.

“Lastly, we wanted to create memories for our children that may inspire them, someday, to continue what we’ve started in the park.”

Following the initial purchase, the couple landscaped three planting berms, added a park sign, installed electricity and water, built a 17-by-25-foot outdoor pavilion with a music stage and installed outdoor lighting. Since the completion of the pavilion in May 2020, they have hosted countless events – summer farmer’s markets, music concerts, art shows, craft festivals, Easter egg hunts, baby

showers, weddings, reunions and high school pep rallies. The park has hosted important displays like the annual Memorial Day display with more than 2,000 flags, Christmas decorations with more than 25,000 lights, personalized Santa letters to hundreds of children and much more. All events are free to the public and almost all at no cost to vendors. “Our greatest joy over the past two years has been the reaction of the community and, more specifically, our children,” Pfitzner said. “To see the exciteOur greatest joy ment in their eyes as they walk through the Christmas decorations, and the thrill over the past two as they talk to Santa and Mrs. Claus on years has been the pavilion, see them dash across the park for the Easter eggs, play basketball the reaction of the with our first responders, play in the bouncy castles or simply read their first community and, personalized letter from Santa delivered directly to their home is priceless. more specifically, “Additionally, the satisfaction of just our children.” knowing that our events are filling a much-needed service to our adopted community makes every bit of effort

Kurt Pfitzner worth it a thousand times over,” he said. This year, Pennington Park will host nearly all of the same events listed above with each expected to be bigger and better. The park’s first chili cookoff has been added to the list of events for 2022. The cookoff will be sponsored by the Dadeville Lake Martin Area Chamber of Commerce and is scheduled for March 12. “Additional events are only limited by the imagination of our residents,” Pfitzner said.