On the brisk fall morning of Sofia Schwarz’s 89th birthday, a crew of friends and family assembled at Bush’s Pasture Park to warm up with coffee, her freshly baked kiflice cookies and stories from her two decades of volunteer work which transformed the space around them.The trees around were also made cozy with colorful knitted pieces by Schwarz, put up to decorate for the special occasion. About a dozen people gathered for the celebration, which took place by the park bench dedicated in honor of her 80th birthday in 2015. Most were fellow caretakers of the south central Salem park, bundled up in city Parks Department work attire.  After planting several new barberry bushes behind the bench, they listened intently, sometimes interjecting with jokes, as Schwarz spoke about the people she’d met and discoveries she’d made in the years spent tending to the park.Schwarz first started volunteering after a storm tore through the park in 2004.“As I was walking along High Street there, along the park, I looked across and I saw the whole playground just littered with storm debris. And I looked across there and thought, ‘These kids, they can’t swing there. They can’t do anything,’” she said. “And I said to myself, ‘If you can walk, you can rake.’” She said she got home and called the Salem Parks Department, asking if she needed any kind of permission to bring a rake over and get to work. They told her to go right ahead. Schwarz’s work brought surprises and made her many new friends over the decades, and she documented nearly every day of work and every interaction. Schwarz brought mementos from over the years, including from a 2005 celebration after she raked 500 trees, and an article from 2008 naming her “Queen of Bush’s Pasture Park.”“Along the way, I met so many incredible people in the park,” she said.  Sofia Schwarz tells stories about the people she’s met over the years while volunteering at Bush’s Pasture Park. (Abbey McDonald/ Salem Reporter) Her memories fill 1,100 pages. She bound them into two printed volumes which she brought to the bench. Her friends there had memorized the numbers of the pages they could find honorable mentions of themselves on. She read some tales aloud at the celebration, which included once breaking up a fight at the park between either 12, 20 or 90 teenagers – a number which inflated as she told the story –  which made the group laugh. Another year, she harvested the park’s garden to make elderberry jam and syrup, rose hip nut bread and more. She also shared a favorite story about meeting Salem photographer Ron Cooper, who in 2008 saw her working on the hillside and introduced himself. When they chatted, he found out that harmonicas reminded her of her early days in New Mexico. He later returned to play music on his guitar and harmonica for her at a nearby picnic table.“We began to attract a crowd. I was too selfish to invite them over. I wanted this moment to myself,” she said. “It was a very beautiful picture, and should have been photographed, but the photographer was the musician.” Her son Petar Frease was part of the birthday party Thursday morning, and at one point joined his mother to turn a music box with the tune “Happy Birthday,” which she brings out every year.  Petar Frease plays “Happy Birthday” on a music box for his mother, Sofia Schwarz’ 89th birthday celebration at Bush’s Pasture Park on Oct. 24, 2024. (Abbey McDonald/ Salem Reporter) Frease said the recognition from the city and community that Schwarz got over the years has been a joy, but it’s not what motivated her to do the work. She’d gotten married in a church visible from the park, and spent many days enjoying it.  “She wanted to pay it forward,” he said.  He said she spent a good amount of her time working on removing invasive species from the hillside overlooking McCulloch Stadium, and her work unearthed over 140 baseballs. It was enough to fill a wheelbarrow. Some were in good enough shape to donate to troops overseas.By raking through leaves, pulling ivy and removing blackberry, Schwarz helped uncover and then nurture the camas wildflowers which beautify the area today.Brian Smith of the public works department, who previously worked in parks, said Schwarz brings people together and inspires volunteers, gesturing to the lively group of both city and McCulloch Stadium staff.“She’s kind of like the heart and soul of Bush Park, really. She’s been a driving force at this park for 20 years,” he said. “She’s pretty awesome.”Schwarz had to stop raking a few years ago due to her health. She said the results now visible in the park took all 17 years of work. “You can’t do it in a day,” she said. “I just thought that it was a lot of fun, and very important to staying in touch with nature.” Friends and family of Sofia Schwarz pose for a group photo around her honorary Bush’s Pasture Park bench on her 89th birthday, the morning of Oct. 24, 2024. (Abbey McDonald/ Salem Reporter) Brandon Whiteman prepares to plant barberry bushes, under the direction of longtime volunteer Sofia Schwarz. (Abbey McDonald/ Salem Reporter) Freinds, many of them Salem Parks staff, gather to hear stories from longtime volunteer Sofia Schwarz on her 89th birthday. (Abbey McDonald/ Salem Reporter) City, parks and Willamette stadium staff are among those who planted barberry bushes and help set up treats Sofia Schwarz baked for her 89th birthday celebration at Bush’s Pasture Park. (Abbey McDonald/ Salem Reporter) Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. 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