1-Color
June 6, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 31 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
TV show to feature local park
TITANS MARCH INTO FUTURE
PACE Center’s Harmony Park on ‘Innovations’ show By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Legend High School graduate Anneliese Smith celebrates after receiving her diploma. The caps of the Legend Class of 2014 fly at the end of the ceremony. It was all smiles at Legend High School’s commencement ceremony May 30 at Sports Authority Stadium in Parker. Despite light rain showers, the grads and their supporters remained a boisterous bunch. The Class of 2014 gave an honorary diploma to principal Corey Wise, who is moving into an administrative position with the Douglas County School District. Students talked about facing adversity head-on, from Justus Thompson’s moving speech about overcoming early learning difficulties to Madison Turner’s lesson on being determined enough to conquer the odds and get accepted to West Point. The ceremony was “capped” when dozens of blue hats were flung to the sky and a cheer filled the stadium.
When the moment finally arrived, Legend High School graduate Hannah Figueroa could barely contain her excitement.
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MICHLEWICZ
Lemonade stand helps fight cancer Michael Loomer serves up 10th annual event By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com A twist of fate can quickly alter one’s perspective on life. The Loomer family’s first such experience was sudden, and occurred when their oldest child, Michael, was just a toddler. At two and a half, he developed breathing problems. A chest X-ray revealed an egg-sized mass in Michael’s chest and a test confirmed that it was neuroblastoma, a cancer that at the time affected 500 kids per year. “We did not see it coming at all,” said his mother, Lisa, who pointed out that the cancer began developing when Michael was still in the womb. Luckily, it had not spread, but the tumor was lodged between Michael’s heart and spine. Surgery was scheduled for one week later at The Children’s Hospital. Being pregnant with her second son, Lisa Loomer was careful to avoid horror stories on the Internet. Most infants with neuroblastoma were diagnosed as stage 4, and the outcomes were terrifying. Months later, as Lisa Loomer was changing her new baby’s diaper and Michael was recovering, another fateful moment arrived. She heard the word “neuroblastoma” on the TV in the other room. A girl named Alex was on “The Today Show” and talking about her idea for a lemonade stand that would raise money to combat childhood cancers. That was when it hit Lisa Loomer. “This is what we’re supposed to do,” she said of her reaction. “This is how we’re supposed to pay it forward.” Sadly, Alex Scott passed away later that year, but her legacy has lived on through the lemonade stands, which were named
An interactive public art piece in Parker will be featured on a popular television show. “Innovations,” a Discovery Channel program hosted by Ed Begley Jr., stopped by the Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center May 27 to take a closer look at Harmony Park, a musical playground on the east end of the performing arts facility. The concept promotes “health and wellness via brain stimulation and pleasant sounds, and encourages social participation,” said Kirstin Fletcher, education manager for the Town of Parker’s cultural department. “This access to creating music and generating spontaneous social engagement promotes a healthy community… which is why the Town of Parker was vested in the project and saw a perfect fit for its location at PACE Center, as it was built for the community and to inspire creativity, music, culture, arts and enrichment for all those visiting the facility,” she said. Richard Cooke, inventor, designer and founder of Freenotes musical instruments, which created the park in 2012, was contacted by the producers of the show. They wanted to highlight one of his interactive art pieces, and Cooke directed them to Harmony Park. The outdoor musical classroom contains a collection of metal instruments that enable non-musicians to play music solo or in a group. The outdoor wind and percussion instruments are weatherproof and designed to be played together easily because they are tuned to the pentatonic scale. There are no wrong notes; all of the sounds are harmonious. Knowledge of music, keys or scales is not necessary.
Park continues on Page 9
Lisa Loomer stands with her boys, Michael, 12, and JJ, 5, at Jola Park in the Clarke Farms neighborhood. Michael Loomer, a cancer survivor, is having his 10th annual lemonade stand at the park to help fund research. Photo by Chris Michlewicz in her honor. Michael Loomer, now 12, is planning his 10th lemonade stand from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 6 at Jola Park in the Clarke Farms subdivision. His efforts have raised more than $10,000, and he is hoping to bring in another $1,500 this year. “It makes me feel really good that I’m able to help other kids that have cancer so they can have a normal life,” said Michael, whose main passion is baseball. Particularly with the neuroblastoma connection, Lisa Loomer felt it was important to further Alex’s noble cause. “We felt like this is what we should be doing every year, and it’s so kid-friendly,”
she said. “That’s the part I like about it: it’s kids helping kids.” Michael’s cancer never resurfaced, and that’s due in part to the incredible care the family received. The hope is that the money raised through his lemonade stand will prevent children from ever having to endure such a scare. The lemonade stand, which will be on South Clarke Farms Drive between Motsenbocker Road and Marcott Drive, is just one place where people can help out. Donors can also visit www.alexslemonade. org and type Michael Loomer’s name into the search field to find his page.
A little boy bangs on one of the many instruments at Harmony Park, an outdoor musical playground on the east side of the Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
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