CUMBERLAND – A new pocket park along the Pennsy Trail in Cumberland is hitting all the right notes with local residents since officially opening with a ribbon cutting Saturday morning.
The park – called Music on Pennsy – is being billed as a musical playground, featuring music-making interactive features on the outskirts of a 25-foot-wide circular node, with piano keys painted on the trail just east of the park.
The miniature “pocket park” on the Pennsy is a third of a mile east from the parking lot at 11800 Warehouse Road.
Cumberland Town Council president Joe Siefke credited the town’s community development project coordinator, Victoria Musser, for coming up with the idea to create a musically-themed pocket park along the trail.
“I love it. Kids are going to have a blast here,” he told the crowd gathered at the ribbon cutting.
Siefke said the mini park was more than just a musical playground, but “a testament to what we can achieve when we come together as a community and dream of the future. The vision behind Music on Pennsy was both simple and profound, to honor our community’s deep love of music,” he said, referring in part to the town’s summer concert series.
He also thanked generous donors for generating more than 90% of the funding to complete the park.
“Your support has turned an idea into a reality,” said Siefke, thanking the Community Foundation of Hancock County, MIBOR, RASK and Iron Trail at the Hub by Spectra.
“This park is a reflection of our town’s character, a place where children can let their imagination’s run wild, where families can make memories and all of us can come together to celebrate what makes Cumberland a special place to live,” said the longtime resident, who moved to Cumberland in 2003 and has served on the town council for 16 years,” he said. “I encourage you to continue to explore this space, play the instruments, listen to the music of nature combined with the music we create, and be a kid again, and appreciate the incredible work that has gone into bringing this park to life. Together we have created something truly special.”
Community Calendar
Like much of Hancock County, the Town of Cumberland is on the grow, its population expanding from just under 6,000 in 2020 to just over 6,500 in 2024, based on U.S. Census data.
The town hosts a number of events throughout the year designed to bring the community together, including a monthly Family Fun Night at Lions Park from 5:30-7:30 p.m. the second Thursday each month from May through October.
Perhaps the town’s biggest draw is the popular Blues, Beers, & BBQ free concert series held at 11623 E. Washington St.
The final concert of the year will take place from 5-9 p.m. Sept. 28, featuring a trio of rock bands including Six Figures, That 90’s Band and Vonnegut Hardware.
The town will also host its recurring Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays through October.
A Cumberland Clean-Up day is slated for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 12, starting at Town Hall.
On Oct. 19, the town will host its annual Trail & Treat from 3-5 p.m. along Buck Creek Trail.
On Dec. 7 holiday revelers are invited to the annual Weihnachtsmarkt, a German-inspired holiday market held on U.S. 40.
For more information on local happenings, visit town.cumberland.in.us.
