C.J. Kelly Park — Attraction in Midland

Caught my first trout of the second half of my life here the other day. You'll guess this review is about fishing, then, right? Yes! There's a pond at this park stocked with Rainbow Trout and Channel Catfish, usually at the end of winter. A wonderful pier extends into the water on one side, making it easy for me in my wheelchair to practice my casting, and roll to one end and then the other, "trolling" my line at least a short distance. Parking is available pretty close to the pier and the pond in general.

Other folks were fishing from the shore. One caught a catfish and offered it to me; when I declined, he let it go. Everyone I met was quite nice, briefly chatting with me.

Kids 16 and under don't need a license to fish. Adults do need a fishing license whether to catch-and-release or to take fish home (they are tasty). Mine cost me $19 to buy online through Texas Parks and Wildlife. You can also pick up a license at Academy Sports or Walmart. All licenses expire near the end of August every year, so you probably don't want to start your fishing hobby early...

the play ground was nice, but not safe for children who have spacial issues. My son does not notice the world around him yet and is shy, so while climbing up to the third story to do the big slides, other kids kept pushing back, so he kept backing up, Nearly in my opinion falling to his death had i not been RIGHT THERE. The Pole that kids slide down is an easy back step off to your doom. If he had stepped back and i had not been there he would have fallen at least 8 feet to the ground. HE could have broken his legs or neck or who knows what else.

So if you have a clumsy kid, or if your kid really has no sense of the space around him or her, this is not a good park to play at unless you pan on straining your neck the whole time ready to catch them if they fall.

The design is not well thought out. The slides are fun, but the big gaps to fall through if you back step more than 3 times, is a death trap in my opinion.

Will not...

Nice park where I take my dog on a regular basis and he enjoys going to. There are 2 football/ soccer fields, numerous baseball/ softball fields and batting/ pitching cages with conveniently located concession stands and restrooms with plenty of trees and canopies for shade. There's a playground with a pond nearby where you can go fishing or just work on your casting skills. I was starting to think that there were no fish but I've caught 3 catfish out of the dozen times I fished. There are plenty of turtles and ducks. They have a walking trail and sidewalks with multiple parking lots with different access points. Best of all it's walking distance from my house!! It would be cool if it had a tennis/ basketball court or possibly add one. I'd also like to add that the City of Midland does an awesome job at keeping the park clean and the grounds...