Rotary Adventure Playground breaks ground

(Above) A ceremonial “dirt cake,” made with chocolate and topped with Gummy Worms, was served at Saturday’s ground breaking of Rotary Adventur Palyground at Terry’s Corner. Dark, rich soil and vibrant grass gave way to the backhoe’s long-armed scoop amidst the chug of diesel and cheers of people that signaled Camano Island’s Rotary Adventure Playground had broken ground Saturday.

A maze of caution tape outlined the boundaries of the new playground and stakes with tags on them marked the future locations of slides, monkey bars, ladders, tunnels and even a tree house.

Over a year in planning, the new iHeartParks playground at Freedom Park will be fairly unique, a grassroots playground.

Greg Gilday, president of the local rotary, compared it to an “Amish barn raising.”

Gilday said the entire project has been funded by local organizations, businesses and individuals, and is relying entirely on volunteers for construction, which will take place May 19-23.

(Left) Rachel Zerby, 3, of Stanwood, didn’t need any play equipemnt, dirt worked nicely thank you very much. PHOTOS BY JEREMIAH O Volunteers sign up to work in four-hour blocks, and Gilday is hoping for 800 people over the fiveday construction. So far, 600 workers have signed up.

“It’s really coming together,” Gilday said. “We’ve raised $173,000 of the $200,000 we need.”

Individuals or businesses can also sponsor individual pieces of playground equipment, and Gilday said six new pieces have been sponsored in the past few days. Each sponsor will get a plaque with their name or business on the piece of equipment they sponsored.

Also for sale are engraved fence pickets that will surround the park. For $35, people can buy a picket and have it engraved.

Gilday said there are plenty of pickets left, which will be available during the five-day construction period. Someone will be engraving them on site so they can be installed with the rest of the construction.

Visit www.iheartparks. org for more information about volunteering, donating, or sponsoring pickets and playground equipment. Construction begins May 19, and the playground opens to children the evening of May 23.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews.com.