Three-year-old Colter, left, teams up with five-year-old bubble shooter, Olivia, for some fun on the official opening day of Parkview Playground last week under sunny skies. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
An unofficial neighbourhood block party broke out to help the City of Lloydminster celebrate the official opening of the new Parkview Playground.
Sunny skies and a playground buzzing with kids and families set the mood for the grand opening last week, held in the Parkview neighbourhood on public green space at 6921-35 Street.
“It’s always great to see these outdoor community events,” said Jordan Newton, the city’s senior manager of parks and green spaces.
Newton was thrilled to see so many people accept the city’s invitation to attend and enjoy some refreshments and local food vendors.
“This is our first time doing a grand event for a playground install, and it’s great to have all the kids and families here to celebrate and bring everyone together because it’s been a long couple of years,” he said.
“We also brought our block party play kits down, so they are rentable from the city for any neighbourhood group that wants to celebrate a block party. It gives something else for kids to play with down here.”
The new playground is already a popular destination for the kids at the nearby Celica’s Dayhome.
“We’ve been playing here for around two weeks now and they really love it,” said Celestina Pescadero, who helps her mom, Celica, run the business taking care of six to seven kids.
“They keep asking to come back here. It’s just a short walk.”
The playground features multiple interactive activities and fun stuff like a corkscrew climber, fire pole and a playhouse that Dayhome kids like.
“They really like the house. They like to do a little bit of rope playing in there. They also really like the swings, especially the younger ones,” said Pescadero.
Seven-year-old Louanna called the playground “good,” then with some coaxing from her mom, added she likes the house the best, “because it looks wonky.”
Parent Colleen Werenka used the occasion to throw a picnic with her two young daughters and two nieces on hand to enjoy the playground.
“It’s great; we’re so excited to have it here and somewhere to walk to in the evenings, and have a place to play after supper. It’s awesome,” she said.
Werenka said they saw the invitation to take part on Facebook “so we thought it would be fun to stop by and see.”
Her daughters and nieces seem to like every inch of the playground voicing simultaneous shoutouts for the monkey bars, the little playhouse and the hammock.
Newton says residents in the city can expect to see more parks and green spaces in various neighbourhoods as the city grows.
“There are no more play structures being installed this year, but there will be more in future years,” he said.
