Mishawaka's Rose Park to reflect Belgian, Italian heritage in its renovation plans

MISHAWAKA — For a century, the Belgian and Italian presence at Rose Park and the city's West End has stayed muted but steady in the neighborhood.

That all changes this year as a three-phase reworking of Rose Park will honor time-tested ethnic traditions of the past as it adds some new features.

Members of the city's central services crew already are at work on the first phase — a new splash pad, playground, shelter and walking paths.

In about two months, Mayor Dave Wood said, the second phase begins, with the park upgrades in it, which include the only outdoor Belgian bowling courts in the area, bocce ball lanes, a wiffle ball field and pickleball courts.

Wood said he has been promising this for decades.

"When I first campaigned more than 25 years ago for council, I said we needed to fix Rose Park," the mayor said while serving his fourth term as the top executive in City Hall. "We have tried to renovate the parks so each will offer a different experience. We are having this be a historical, ethnic experience."

Belgian bowling heads outdoors

Since 1928, the Broederenkring Club (known as the BK Club) has been on Seventh Street, with a sport brought over with Belgians moving into the area that was played on the two clay courts in the basement.

The bowling game played there, which is a mixture of curling, bocce and others, has eight players to a side and uses a round beveled "bolle" that players try to roll closest to a peg about 30 feet away.

Jeff Celie, president of the BK Club, says on Wednesdays, 20 to 24 bowlers take part, with Friday night leagues that have anywhere from 32 to 48 bowlers.

Having six new, outdoor courts at Rose Park is going to allow the local club to step up its game.

"We're hoping to have the outside courts filled up during the summertime, and we're also going to be hosting tournaments with the Moline bowlers, the Minnesota and Canada bowlers," Celie said.

With the city parks department, Celie said, the club plans to take the reins when it comes to maintenance and overall stewardship of the bowling courts.

"We're grateful the city is going to involve us in this," Celie said. "We're having the area fenced in so it's protected. We're planning to have covers over all the alleys, like an awning or carport cover. And the alleys are going to be turf."

Wood said the second phase's work at Rose Park possibly could be done before the cold weather returns this fall.

Should that happen, Celie said, he's hopeful the city and the club could have a grand opening ceremony filled with public bowling, a tournament and an overall emphasis on the uniqueness and fun of the sport.

The local Belgian bowling teams have been traveling to Moline and the Quad Cities area in Illinois, which has a large "rolle bolle" presence because of the large concentration of Belgian descendants there.

The Mishawaka bowlers have traveled there for tournaments for the past six years or so, Celie said, and having a Rose Park facility will allow the local teams to host other teams from across the country.

"It's going to give us another dynamic instead of having to come down and bowl in the basement, which is great in the fall and the winter months," Celie said. "This is going to give us a different dynamic where we can actually bowl outside on a nice day in the summertime."

The BK Club president said the club and the nearby DeAmici's Italian Club are grateful for the city's emphasis on retaining the West End's ethnic heritage through its park.

"This club and the DeAmicis Club always have had a presence in the West End," Celie said. "Now, not only are we going to have the presence of our clubs, but now we're being included in the city of Mishawaka and the parks department.

"A lot of places are gone now," he said of the many fraternal organizations that have closed. "In 1928, when this place was built, it was built in here and it still goes on: tradition, tradition, tradition," Celie said. "With the parks department, it's extending that journey for us."

Last phase still pending

Phase Two will see a reimagining of the historic stone building. Wood said it likely will be incorporated into a concession facility with storage.

But the park's third phase likely is a few years away, the mayor said, largely because of the sewer lines that are not extended to that area of the park yet.

Wood said the Seventh Street work will allow work to begin soon on Eighth Street, but the sewer lines will need to extend to the park area for the road improvements with curbs and lighting.

Wood said it would be prudent to do all that work when the sewer lines are extended to the area.

The final phase also should entail a dog run and a food truck lane for times when local festivals and sports tournaments are planned.

Email Tribune staff writer Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Rose Park improvements reflect Belgian, Italian heritage in Mishawaka