Playground Update by Diane Jennings

The historical playground committee and the city had an initial meeting on the design developed from design day. The design draft is located at Creative Arts Café for your viewing. There were several additions made from community feedback to the original. Some examples are to add more swings, a small stage to represent Shoestring Theatre, more covered benches, new picnic tables and hopscotch and checkers/chess areas. One of the main highlights of the playground is the History Wall. This wall will depict a timeline illustrating Lake Helen’s antiquity through pictorials, photographs and cast moldings of artifacts. Lake Helen Historical Society, Kevin Jennings and Ed Blackman are working on the design of this. Corporate fund raising has begun and these requests take time to process. Event planning has commenced as well and more details will follow in next month’s edition. We have placed a stake in the ground for our build dates. Mark your calendars for October 12th-16th of 2011.

1. Sign up to be a volunteer for build week. Please leave your contact information at city hall or sign up at Creative Arts Café.

2. Business Owners can sponsor playground components. Please contact Diane Jennings 386-228-2283 or djennings@outstart.com for pricing information.

3. Buy a picket for $50 in your family name. Picket forms are at city hall. Our goal is to sell 500 of them, so spread the word. This will raise $25,000.

4. Buy a raffle ticket at Creative Arts Café to win $1000 of free DTS Tree Service. Tickets are $5 each or an arm’s length for $20.

5. Have connections with tools and materials? Please contact Diane Jennings

6. Have fundraising ideas? Call me!

On behalf of the playground steering committee, thank you for everyone’s continued support, open minds, and willingness for this project. Our community, our children, our families, local schools, and our local merchants will all benefit when this project is brought to fruition.