Park gets a facelift; kids get summer fun

Third-grader Madison Kolbly, 9, (left) and second-grader Danittza Castro, 7, (right) were among 66 Hinkley Elementary School students who took a field trip to the newly renovated Foglesong Park on Thursday. The students played games, blew bubbles and learned about desert wildlife from Bureau of Land Management park ranger Art Basulto.

The park re-opened to the public on May 1 after an eight- or nine-month renovation process that involved replacing the irrigation system, removing about 40 dead and diseased trees and an old concrete retaining wall, replacing the concert pavilion and adding picnic benches, Barstow parks and recreation manager Jeanette Hayhurst said. The renovation cost about $465,000 in total.