Pumpkin Armada and my wheelchair 10/26/24

November 02, 2024 | By: Robert Ouellette

Pumpkin Armada at Heart Pond (aka Baptist Pond) in Chelmsford, MA.

lighted, Carved pumpkins on tables in the water on a pond

The Armada event has been held for about 15 years in Chelmsford at Heart Pond. This was my first year participating. The pumpkins are put on floats and tables in the water. When the sun goes down, the pumpkins are lit.

lighted, carved pumpkins on display on tables on a pond

There were so many pumpkins on display that it was hard to get them all in one shot. Because of technology, I could take this shot from the road with my mom and the camera by the water. See how in my future post!

wheels from a wheelchair shown stuck in sand on a beach

I was on the road part of the beach, quite a distance from the pumpkins. My dad tried getting me closer to see my carved pumpkin in the water. We went a little too far and got stuck in the sand. It took several big guys to get me out.

wheelchair stuck in the sand on a beach.

I was very thankful people were there to help. My chair is 500 pounds, so we kept sinking and my tires spinning. As hard as this was for me, it created change and made progress towards an accessible beach for the community. Things do happen for a reason.

Accessibility and Inclusion in the community cannot happen without the community

The 2010 ADA Standards for accessible design do not have accessibility guidelines for public beaches, but MASS.GOV has a list of accessible pools, spray decks, beaches and beach wheelchairs through the Universal Access Program (UAP). The links are shown below. There is also a link to what an accessible beach mat looks like. 

My aunt and her family made a generous donation for this mat to be placed at Heart Pond. I am very thankful to them for this. 

The COSS Facebook post below notified their community of what happened at the event they held. They are always committed to making open spaces accessible for all. Their post helped to create accessibility and inclusion for Heart Pond. Read the post below to find out how this happened. 

FB Post- Chelmsford Open Space Stewardship (COSS)

22h  · 
  
Last night, Armada did have a small incident. A wheelchair user trying to get a better view of the pumpkins moved off the road and immediately sank into the sand. This is a full wheelchair with a user, so it's many hundreds of pounds. A few large, beefy men were able to help lift it back onto the firmer sand, and it was resolved. I also know that a couple of wheelchair users have said they wish they could get onto the beach for a better view. Earlier, there was also a baptism there (we have a few of those) that had to be carried to the water. This is a public beach, so we need to review accommodations.
I think the town was looking at this, but I am not sure, so I will check into it. If not, there are available rollout mats for $1000- 2000 dollars that would resolve the issue. So I will check with the town, then see if there is a grant if none of that pans out, then a "Go Fund Me" page to buy one. It's time to get one.
 
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Update: we would like to Thank Linda Tansino McCaul and family, who have made a generous donation that will fund the mat\walkway for Heart Pond. Her nephew was the young man who got stuck last night. We will arrange to get the mat\walkway and install it in the spring and have her and her family there for a ribbon cutting.
This will require town support to move forward, but it's no different than installing tables, kiosks, or other items, so I do not see any Issues.
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Accessible beaches
Beach Wheelchairs
Accessible Pools and Spray Decks
Mobi-mats
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