It was 1963. New to Santa Maria, I headed down Broadway from our rental apartment with my preschool son one gloomy June morning to see a park I'd heard about.

There was little south of Stowell Road past the Vandenberg Inn and JCPenney's. The Town Center and Highway 101 were only dreams.

We drove on and on, seemingly forever, until we reached Waller Park.

Turning in, we saw a lonely pond with a couple ducks - and little else. We were the only people there. We returned to distant Santa Maria feeling as gloomy as the day.

Last summer, we again drove into Waller Park and found one of the gems of the county park system. Granted, the weather was better. Sun splashed patterns through a canopy of trees. The park is larger and well-groomed. The pond with a gurgling fountain was surrounded by laughing children. We meandered on roads past playgrounds and picnic areas, ball fields, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, bike paths. There's also a flying disc golf course, weekend pony rides and a popular large, fenced off-leash dog area.

Today, the 153-acre park attracts more than a million visitors a year, most of any North County park, and is one of the most popular countrywide, said supervising ranger Martin Villescas.

Many of the amenities are the work of Friends of Waller Park, which began in 1982. Back then, "The park was in terrible disrepair," said Don Ward, chairperson of the organization. "The lake was overgrown with weeds. It was overrun with mosquitoes."

The original idea was to bring families back to the park, not raise money, but since its inception, "We've put $400,000 into the park," Ward said.

On Saturday the organization, which sponsors an annual "Day in the Park" in August, will dedicate its fourth play structure.

In the group's Tree Planting Program, individuals can honor or memorialize a person by planting a tree. Working with the park department, 2,000 trees have been planted, including redwoods, alders, deodar cedar, numerous pines.

"We get along so well with the parks department," said Ward. "I marvel at it."

"They're a big help to the department," said Villescas. "It's just a beautiful park. In the summertime, we're completely booked."

Here, family milestones are celebrated - birthdays, quinceaneras, weddings on a lakeside terrace.

The park began with a

77-acre donation from the Santa Maria Golf and County Club in 1926. Originally named Washington Grove, it was named for L.D. Waller, owner of a flower seed company and later chairman of the County Park and Forestry Board who spearheaded the park's development. He died in 1940 when the park was named for him.

Roadside Attractions is a weekly chronicle of sights along the Central Coast's main commuter routes. Sally Cappon can be reached at sjcappon@cox.net.

November 3, 2009