This is probably one of the saddest videos I have ever had to do. But I will do my best to tell the memory here. . .
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This video outlines the final moments of the Bakowski Family Playset. While it may have been an object, it was considered a member of the family for nearly 20 years.
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Purchased by my old man in late 2004, it was brought to the yard and constructed for my sister’s 5th birthday in late 2005. For years following its construction, it entertained the children of the neighborhood that was only rivaled by the older playset next door. I played with my best friends, my sister played with hers, and a large multitude of my extended family had fun times on this wooden behemoth.
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Not once was there ever a bad memory made upon its boards and rails, come rain or shine, wind, sleet, or snow. We swung on its swings like there was no thought of gravity. We climbed its ladders like we were climbing a mountain. We reached across its monkey bars like the apes that we could be on the inside. We played like soldiers who went off to war, we played like pirates like Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew of the mighty Black Pearl, and we played in any way our imaginations could see. But with time, all things must come to an end.
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Many moons would pass, and the children of the neighborhood would grow, move away, and find other new things in life. And only a few of us would remain. And from our teenage years on, our playset would remain there, idle and dormant. And as the teen years turned to the adult years, the playset would remain unused and untouched.
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Finally, as the years approached 2022, the future looked bleak for the old playset. No one came to play on it. No one came to admire it. Those years were long gone. Gone were the times of seeing children clamber around it, seeing who could reach the top first. And gone were the times where all that was needed were the spirit and imagination of a child. And thus, the final decision was made. The playset had to go.
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So, with as much courage as we could muster, myself, my mother, and my father ventured outside on that April afternoon in 2023. And as my mother and I filmed and took those sad pictures of the shattered pieces, my father went through the process of dismantling and cutting up the wooden backyard fortress.
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In the span of just a couple hours, the playset would be gone. And in its place, just an open area, like it was when we first arrived back in 2003. What the future holds for that spot of grass and dirt, we are currently uncertain. But one thing is for certain. The memory of the Bakowski Family Playset shall live on.
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There may only be a couple minor bits and pieces left of the mighty backyard bungalow, but it is still there in our hearts and minds. Maybe it will still be there when we reach the other side? One cannot say as we cannot see the other side until we are there. Regardless of how sad it may be, we will trek forward. But never again, shall we forget the sweet, sweet times the family had on that playset. Never will the memory die. Even if we only have tiny little mementos out of the several hundred pounds of metal and wood, may this video serve as the final memory.
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Rest in Peace, Bakowski Family Playset. We will never forget the fun times you provided during your tenure here in Western New York.
-TTC