Boy from Loudonville surprises with railway park named after him via Visual Bucket List

LOUDONVILLE – Beth Heath saw a story about the Visual Bucket List Foundation in March and soon after inquired if the organization could grant her son Peter a wish.

Heath’s son Peter suffers from Batten disease, a rare genetic disorder that prevents his body from eliminating cellular waste products.

He had already received a Make-A-Wish gift, but Heath had an idea that would bring joy not only to Peter, but also to other children.

This is where the Mansfield-based Visual Bucket List Foundation comes into play.

The Visual Bucket List Foundation grants wishes for children who have lost or are at risk of losing their sight.

According to Steve, many of the wishes that were fulfilled involved travel and excursions.

Christine said the organization was founded because her own daughter had lost her sight and they wanted to help children with similar problems.

But Heath approached her with her idea: she wanted to build a railroad park in Loudonville that would bear Peter’s name.

After a few months, Peter was surprised with “Peter’s Train Park”.

The park, located at the Loudonville Church of the Nazarene, opened to the public Tuesday with a grand opening by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce.

Christine said Peters Park was the Visual Bucket List Foundation’s 22nd wish fulfilled.

Building blocks

Christine Myers said after Heath contacted her, she contacted Fred Boll at the Buckeye Imagination Museum.

Boll put her in touch with the construction company Adena Corporation, and from there the ball started rolling.

Sammy Darling, a part-time design assistant at Adena, designed the train. Wyatt Darling, a carpenter, built it.

Volunteers from Warren Rupp, Inc. were ready at the last hour to erect a fence around the park.

Christine said the project would not have been possible without the help of Adena, Warren Rupp and other area businesses who donated time and materials to the project.

Sammy Darling said Tuesday she was grateful Adena was involved in the park’s design. Karen Petz, Warren Rupp’s human resources director, and Christine Gfrer, the director of marketing, agreed.

Petz said Warren Rupp was proud of his employees’ volunteer work and enjoyed helping with a unique project.

At the end of the day, Wyatt Darling said that surprising Peter with the park was the highlight of the project.

“The best part about building the train was seeing the smiles on their faces,” said Wyatt Darling.

Finding joy

The park is accessible for children in wheelchairs. It has a railway for children to play on, as well as a climbing frame and a swing.

There are also special touches, like painted rocks scattered around the train. Heath said Peter loves painted rocks and encourages other children to bring more or trade them at the park. There is also Braille on the train.

Heath said the park should be a place for the entire village of Loudonville to enjoy.

“I hope that a lot of people enjoy it and that more people have the opportunity to see with more than just their eyes,” Heath said.

(See photos from the opening ceremony below.)