Good Beverly Kids

This is a bit older news, but Dylan (10 years old) and Logan (8 years old) Stevens have taken it upon themselves to clean up graffiti from Beverly's playgrounds, one playground at a time this summer.

The brother and sister team were shocked to find graffiti at Obear Park, near the Kernwood Bridge, and proceeded to clean it off with sponges and various cleaners. Beverly patrolman David Costa saw the good citizens and went and restocked their cleaning supplies for them.

The best part is, these kids have inspired others to do the same.

Thank you Dylan and Logan!!!

Great Article!

This article appeared in the Boston Globe back in April, 2007, by Drake Bennet.

Back to the Playground article

A great push for more leniency and creative ideas at playgrounds. They site Teardrop Park in New York as a "manifesto on the possibilities of a playground."

It's a long article but an interesting read if you are planning to build a playground.

Playground Injury

Last May, a child at Center School Elementary, Peabody, fell from a playground slide and severely broke his arm. This has spurred an increase in playground training in the Peabody school system.

A good thing, and one that is suppose to be in place at all schools anyways.

Salem Common

Okay. So it has been awhile since I have posted anything. But here is sometehing.

I've mentioned this committee before. It is one that formed to help create a new playground at the Salem Common. Here's the present tot lot:


Simple and clean, old wooden structure with what looks like- appropriately although maybe not be appropriate - a gallow, a slide and some swings. There used to be some wooden benches around that MASSIVE, shady maple tree but they were falling apart and had to take them away. They just recently put in the wood chips. It used to be small stones . . . not the best for mouthy tots.

Anywhoo, the committee is having a raffle on October 30th, with all proceeds to benefit the new playground that they hope to have installed sometime in Spring 2008.

Details:
Ticket cost $20, Drawing will take place at 6 p.m. on October 30 at
the Common. You do not need to be present to win.

First prize: 32" LCD high-def. wall-mountable television
Second prize: 2 nights at the Salem Inn
Third Prize: one year membership to BJ's

Contact Katya for tickets: katyusha@comcast.net

What are the plans for the new playground? I don't know yet but will try and find out.

Quiet out there

Not too much new happening in the realm of playgrounds on the North Shore.

Endicott Park just had a big Carnival to raise money for their playground renovation.

Jackson Park did a big fundraiser as well.

Otherwise, pretty quiet.

Carrol Savage School, Peabody

This just in the news . . . Carrol Savage Elementary School just broke ground for their new playground due to be complete in the fall of '07. The article said the structure will be "huge."

Coool. I can't wait to see it.

Here's what the old playground looked liked:

Juniper Point Playground, Salem

Juniper Point neighborhood in Salem, MA, has just had a major fundraiser to update their playground. This is not a great playground but it is in a phenomenal location with a small private across the street and has the unique, Salem-style park structure. – a gazebo or shelter sits on a cement patio, along with benches. A woodchip-covered playground is set into the patio by about six inches, which creates clean lines between playground and patio and visually neatens the look of the park.

I can't wait to see the what this great park will be once renovation is complete which is slated for the end of June 2007.


A closer view of the inset playground and gazebo, and the beach across the street.

ARTICLE IN NEWSPAPER

Okay. So I have yet to get press releases out to the media about the second edition. Still trying to get the books into a few new stores, and even just IN Newburyport.


But the Salem Evening News (which also prints the Newburyport paper, The Gloucester Times, and the Lynn paper) teased an article on Saturday for their Monday edition about "Playground Ratings on the North Shore." COOL! Although no one contacted me, maybe they just took it upon themselves to do an article about the best playgrounds using my book as a reference.

Well, if they did I did not get any mention for it. I am so sad.

The article was great and they chose: Lynch Park, Beverly; Ross Memorial, Peabody; Touch the Sky, Beverly; Forest River, Salem; and Endicott Park, Danvers. I'll kind of agree with that. But I sure wish they could have contacted me about some input or assistance. They have quoted my book several times already. WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST MENTION MY BOOK!!!!

HAPPY PLACE HAPPPPPPYYYYYYY PLLLAAAAACCE

PLANS FOR JACKSON PARK, SWAMPSCOTT

Tentative plans have been drawn up for redesigned playground on the site of the Machon Elementary School Playground at Jackson Park in Swampscott. They include two separate playgrounds for both preschool and elementary school children, a dog park, and basketball hoops. No start date has been planned yet. They will tear down the current playground and rebuild the site.

http://www.townonline.com/swampscott/news/x1623296093


A view of the current playground with Essex Street way in the back