Tennyson Thomas, 26
Factory worker
Elyria’s parks have been with Tennyson Thomas for his entire life. As a kid, Thomas used to spend countless hours with his friends in Elyria’s parks, a tangible example of the city’s sense of community.
As Thomas has gotten older, that sense of community has grown stronger. “Growing up in Elyria taught me a lot about myself,” Thomas says. “I’ve grown up with Elyria in a way. As I’ve transformed and gotten older, the city’s transformed around me.”
Thomas gets a chance to be a part of that community in his job as a factory worker at JB Enterprises, a homegrown Elyria factory that started out of a garage 15 years ago. “JB Enterprises is a lot like me in that we’re both homegrown products,” Thomas says.
With so many other locally owned businesses popping up in Elyria, Thomas is excited to see what the future holds for the city he was born and raised in.
“A new brewery just opened up and we’ve also had some renovations to our downtown,” he says. “There’s a ton of positive momentum around the city.”
Out of all of Elyria’s parks, Cascade Park still stands out as Thomas’ favorite, with its 145 acres serving as the backdrop to so many significant periods of his life. It’s also his favorite because it holds a little secret.
“There are bear caves underneath the waterfall,” Thomas says. “There are no bears there now so it’s just a big cavern.”
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