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HARD WORKING BUNCH OF MEN … The construction part of bringing new playground to Evansport was accomplished by a group of men on August 26, 2020, adding some more equipment for the children to enjoy. (Photo courtesy of Patty Fruth)
By: Rebecca Miller
On August 26, 2020 a brand new playground was assembled next to the old one in Evansport behind the United Methodist Church. Evansport children will now have twice as much equipment to play on, with half of it being brand new and splinter free.
Patty Fruth shared that “Midstates Recreation sales consultant, Mike Hibner, was great to work with. He was attentive to the need to be inclusive for all children in the age range for which we were gearing and he also suggested a playset within the budget we had available.”
The money to add this playground was raised in Evansport by people of all ages. Lemonade stands, bake sales, card club winnings, 5K Nightcrawler Run, Chicken BBQ, raffles, a golf cart rally, percentage of sales from Schwann’s and Subway, a jewelry party, music fest and Easter Bunny party were some of the formats used.
There were also memorial donations, a percentage of an ice cream social, a Vacation Bible School mission, anonymous donations and funds from the Defiance Area Foundation.
The area where the playground sits is a large church yard with a shelter house. This provides a common recreation site in the village for the children and families to gather. Fruth explained that the village does plan to add more playground equipment in the future as funds are raised.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com