Every beautiful place has a story.
This is the story behind Gazebo Park.
It's easy to walk through Gazebo Park today without giving it much thought.
Children play nearby.
People stop to admire the flowers.
Bicyclists pause beneath the gazebo for a snack or a rest.
Each December, Wilbraham's children gather there to meet Santa during the annual Town Tree Lighting.
It's hard to imagine Wilbraham Center without Gazebo Park.
Most visitors have no idea that just over a decade ago, this little park looked very different.
The gazebo roof was failing.
The paint was peeling.
Brush had grown so thick that sections of the park had disappeared beneath it.
It wasn't the kind of place that invited you to stop.
Most people simply drove by.
One person didn't.
In 2013, local Girl Scout Diana Gerberich was looking for a project worthy of earning her Gold Award—the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. She could have chosen almost anything.
Instead, she chose Gazebo Park.
She didn't simply want to plant flowers.
She wanted to bring an important piece of Wilbraham Center back to life.
One student's idea. An entire community's accomplishment.
More than a Girl Scout Project
The first step wasn't planting.
It was clearing years of accumulated brush.
Soon, the project grew beyond what one person could accomplish.
The Minnechaug football team arrived to cut and haul away truckloads of brush, branches and debris. Girl Scouts planted.
LeClair Construction donated and installed an entirely new 50-year roof.
Teachers from Minnechaug's Technical Education Department rebuilt decorative latticework.
The Department of Public Works helped prepare the planting beds.
The Wilbraham Garden Club donated roses.
O'Keefe's Lawn Service donated mulch.
Diana’s family donated their time, many of the flowers, and resources to get it done.
Friends, neighbors, businesses, students, and volunteers all found their own way to say, "I'll help."
Little by little, the park began to change.
Not because someone was paid to do it.
Because people cared enough to show up.
April 8, 2013 - Sad looking gazebo with a desolate landscape.
April 8, 2013 - Broken lattice work, failing roof, rotting wood, flaking paint. Can it even be saved??
April 18, 2013 Members of the Minnechaug Regional High School football team volunteered to clear brush and prepare the site for the new gardens.
April 8, 2013 - Not much to look at, yet.. Diana had her vision though...
April 18, 2013 - Minnechaug Football Team defeating the brush!
April 18, 2026 - LeClair Construction donating time, materials, and their passion to restore the Gazebo roof.
May 12, 2013 - Diana's parents prepping garden beds.
June 29, 2013 - A family that paints together, stays together...
June 25, 2013 - All sparkling with a new coat of paint!
And finally the flowers are planted and blooming!
August 31, 2013 - Compare this to 5 months before!!!
Diana in July 2013, Crowned Wilbraham 250 Queen, in her royal garden.
The Lasting Legacy
By the end of the summer of 2013, Gazebo Park had been transformed.
The brush was gone. New gardens were blooming. The gazebo had a new roof, fresh paint, repaired lattice, and a new lease on life.
That same summer, Diana Gerberich was crowned Wilbraham's 250th Celebration Queen—a fitting ending to a year she had already dedicated to giving something back to her hometown.
Or so everyone thought.
A year later, Diana left for college.
But the gardens didn't leave with her.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
Her parents simply kept going.
They weeded…watered...mulched…planted.
Every spring they returned. Every summer they cared for the flowers. Every fall they prepared the gardens for another season.
No one asked them to.
There was no contract. No committee. No recognition.
Just a promise—spoken or unspoken—that something beautiful created for the community deserved to be cared for.
One year became two.
Two became five.
Five became ten.
And today, more than thirteen years later, the flowers surrounding Gazebo Park are still being lovingly maintained by Diana’s family.
From One 250th to Another
This year, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Diana’a mother, Diane, is once again helping our community celebrate—this time as the Wilbraham Garden Club's representative and judge for the Best Floral Display in the 2026 Great Front Doors of Wilbraham contest.
It feels like history coming full circle.
One 250th inspired a young Girl Scout to help restore a park.
The next 250 celebrates neighbors who decorate their homes, plant flowers, and make Wilbraham just a little more beautiful.
Perhaps that's the real lesson of Gazebo Park.
Community isn't built by one grand project.
It's built when someone cares enough to begin...
...and someone else cares enough to continue.
Today… the gardens and gazebo are maintained by Diana Gerberich’s Family. You will often see her mom, Diane, out tending to the gardens. Diane Gerberich is a Master Gardener, and member of the Wilbraham Garden Club. The family personally continues to provide countless hours, all the annual flowers, the perennial additions, and many plant health supplies at their own expense. Diane used to carry water in jugs from home for the plants. Today Gary and Michelle Cove, who live next to Gazebo Park, provide the hose and water for Diane to use. Our Department of Public Works cares for the expansive lawn, and the Town keeps our Wilbraham Christmas Trees healthy and beautiful. The Wilbraham Garden Club recently updated the Gazebo Park sign to reflect Diana’s contribution. The Wilbraham Women’s Club recently donated a commemorative tree to recognize Diane’s ongoing work to keep our lovely park beautiful. And the Wilbraham Garden Club has decorated the Gazebo for our 2026 America’s 250 Celebration! It’s community spirit that transformed the park, and keeps the beauty alive for us all to enjoy.