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Finally: Silver Lake reopens to the public
The public officially regained access to Silver Lake Regional Park in Haymarket on Oct. 4 at a grand opening ceremony.County officials lauded volunteers, themselves and others for opening the park by its October deadline as initially promised when the Board of County Supervisors granted control of Silver Lake to the county's Park Authority in June.
"Silver Lake, at 233 acres, is truly a crowning jewel," said Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R-At large).
He pointed out that county residents managed to open the park on their own through volunteer work and local decision-making.
"These were all done by you," said Stewart, "This is something we did without the assistance from the state or federal government."
Supervisor John Stirrup (R-Gainesville), whose district includes Silver Lake, mentioned that Silver Lake is only the second new park established in the Gainesville district since 1982.
"This is the largest park proffer in the history of Prince William County," he said, later adding, "Future generations are going to enjoy this park."
Oddly enough, Stewart and Stirrup both lauded the electrical company Dominion for contributing 80 employees to help clean up the park shortly before its opening.
The county is one of several suing Dominion for its proposed 155-foot high power lines that opponents say would be an eyesore in western Prince William -- including at Silver Lake.
The Lake
Rick Berry, the Gainesville District representative to the Park Authority, told the audience "partnerships are something we're really going to need to forge" to maintain properties like Silver Lake.
According to Bristow resident Bob Engelmann, traveling to Silver Lake "was easy. It was much like it was back in the old days."
Silver Lake had been a privately-owned campground until it was bought by the developer Toll Brothers and later ceded to the county.
Engelmann first came to Silver Lake with his now-adult daughter Deborah Breen about 30 years ago. On Sunday, Engelmann's grandchildren played near the lake front.
"What's neat for me," he said, is that three generations of his family were all there to experience the lake together.
"I feel like we're much further west than we are," said Breen, talking about the quiet and rural character of the land.
Mike Miller sat in a lawn chair in front of the lake near a tackle box.
"It's kind of nice getting away from town," said the Michigan native, sitting with his wife Debby and with Scott Davis. "We're country people."
Having lived in Manassas during the last year, Debby Miller said, "It's peaceful and relaxing out here."
Karen Shumake, a park ranger assigned to Silver Lake on Sunday, said rangers there are charged with enforcing the rules and giving information to visitors.
What is unique about this park compared to others in the county is its green focus, she said.
"Since it is a new park, it's geared toward being environmentally friendly, so that's good,” she added.
Scenery
On a Sunday afternoon with just enough clouds dotting the sky, a few empty cans could be seen in the woods off the beaten trails, along with an occasional bottle or piece of debris.
The sight of pinkie-size fish and tadpoles swimming over water beds of rocks, sticks, mud and leaves, however, was much more common.
Blood-red holly berries shined through gray branches in the woods. Hardened sap draped a tree trunk and dead branches covered in high grass lined the forest floor.
The sounds of crickets chirping and insects buzzing sounded louder off the trail paths than the playful screams of children somewhere closer to the lake.
"This is a great day," said Stewart. "It is a beautiful day and one that the county has been waiting for for a long time."
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