A playground dream come true

Rainy weather last weekend didn’t stop a troop of volunteers from building an all-accessible playground at Centennial Park in Grafton. 

“It’s been cold, rainy and miserable, but it’s so nice to see everyone come together to get this done,” All My Friends Playground co-organizer Dianne Dyer-Helmer said on Friday at the park.

Co-organizer Donna Howarth agreed. “Seeing all these people wanting to help us makes me want to cry,” she said.

“We have been planning this for five years. The pandemic put the build on hold, but we weren’t going to let that and the weather stop us.”

Approximately 20 volunteers trudged through the mud Thursday through Saturday to build the playground. Cedarburg resident Tammie Pergande, whose 28-year-old son has polymicrogyria, a brain disorder, leveled stones around the playground equipment.

“I’m really excited to make a difference for all of the kids and their families, especially those who don’t get to go to other parks,” she said. “I can’t wait to take my son here to play and watch others enjoy this.”

Bill Johnson, a playground supervisor with Little Tikes, the company that built the play equipment, came from Minnesota to oversee the project and said it will be state of the art. 

“Kids of all ages and abilities and even adults will be able to use it. It’s fully ramped so you can use a wheelchair anywhere,” he said. 

The organizers said the cost of the project is $450,000, and they still need to raise $20,000.

“We decided to push through with it (the build) in hopes that we can get the money raised before next spring,” Dyer-Helmer said.

She said there will be two fundraising events next month, a Bloody Mary Walk on Oct. 4 in downtown Grafton and a Casino Night on Oct. 24 at The Hub at Cedar Creek in the Town of Cedarburg. 

“There has been a tremendous outpouring of support from many people, and we hope they continue to support our cause,” Dyer-Helmer said.