Shevenell Park

Shevenell Park is a small park in downtown Biddeford that apparently came into existence when a building was taken down. For many years it was little more than an empty lot with broken glass and the usual garbage that accumulates when no one’s watching, but a few years ago some grant money appeared and the lot was cleaned up. Trees were planted, benches were built, and some tables and chairs showed up. Now it’s a spot where there are concerts every Wednesday in the park, people drop by to eat their lunch, and the police frequently walk through.
There’s nothing about the park that’s going to put it on the cover of Architectural Digest, but it’s one of a hundred little things that can turn a small downtown from a dreary and depressing wasteland into a place where people want to work and live. Not all of those 100 things have been done yet and there’s always some guy within a few blocks asking people for spare change, but it’s nice to see progress. If you’re near Biddeford between 5:30 and 7:00 on a Wednesday night in the summer, check out the music and then walk to one of the nearby restaurants for dinner. Shevenell Park is okay, and that’s worth three stars. Actually it’s a little more than okay but Unilocal won’t let me give it 3.5 stars.