All-Access Playdays at the All-Access Playground - March 1 and March 30We welcome children of all abilities, ages and skill levels as well as their caregivers to learn how to use the new all-access play equipment on Wednesday March 1 and/or Thursday March 30 from 3 to 5 p.m.

The playground will open for play after the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 15 — rain or shine or wind! The first 50 kids (ages 4-10) to arrive will cut the ribbon, the donation boulder will be unveiled, Woody from Toy Story and Sponge Bob will be there, refreshments will be served and the 8-foot blue heron will be spraying its fountain of water.But the playground is what it’s all about, watching kids of all abilities — including those in wheelchairs — explore the swings, slides, rotating net, zip line, mushroom house, coal mine, musical instruments, chess board and other adventures that await their discovery. Arrive in plenty of time to get through the entrance gate as a good-sized crowd is expected. Park admission is $10/carload or use your $30 annual Discover Pass.

Ten days and counting until the playground is open for play! The donation boulder has been installed, the bouncy rubber surfacing is complete (and beautiful!), the irrigation system is in, and the top soil arrives Monday as the perimeter gets ready for the grand opening. The only thing left to do will be the landscape plantings, but that won’t keep us from cutting the ribbon.

Invitations to the grand opening have been sent to all the donors who contributed to the playground, to local dignitaries, to our local non-profit partners, to the contractors who built the park and to members of Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park.

Now we just need children to help cut the ribbon and come to play! The short program begins at 11 a.m. on October 15 and includes the unveiling of the boulder with its beautiful bronze plaque recognizing all the donors who contributed $1,000 or more. Join us as we celebrate their gifts!

Many thanks to Eagle Scout candidate Mike Inman and his team for constructing 8 beautiful new all-access picnic tables for the new playground area to open October 15. Mike’s onsite partner was Ranger Tor Bjorklund. Over two days on the weekend, Mike marshaled about 30 volunteers to help in the project that provides an additional amenity to the Sunset Beach area. Thank you!

Checkers anyone? The playground’s checker/chess board has arrived and is being installed, along with street benches and seats, along the sidewalk perimeter of the new playground. Just bring your own checkers and find a partner in the park for an afternoon of challenge play with Lake Sammamish as your backdrop!

The other playground pieces including the zip line, 17-foot geodesic climbing net, rotating net, giant chimes and more are expected to be completed this week, in time for the rubber surfacing to be installed next week, weather permitting.

All we need are kids for the Oct. 15 grand opening of the playground! The first 50 kids ages 4-10 who arrive between 10:30 and 11 a.m. will get souvenir scissors to help cut the ribbon!

Playground Update - Sept. 8, 2016 The blue ropes are waiting to complete the 17-foot climbing net. But first comes the base gravel to fill around the equipment. Then the rotating net (like a merry-go-round), zip line, talking tubes, giant chimes and other pieces can be installed in the next 10 days or so.

Watch for the rubber surfacing to be poured in place over the gravel fill, the last two weeks of September, dependent on weather.

Landscaping may not be ready for the dedication and grand opening of the playground on October 15, but that’s okay. Plan to bring the kids to be the first to play on this amazing long-awaited playground!

Mission Accomplished! Playground Build!Many thanks to all the volunteers, to all our media partners for helping to publicize, to Issaquah Highlands’ Zeek’s Pizza for lunch, to Talking Rain for liquid refreshments and to Krispy Kreme for morning donuts!

Yes – building a playground is like raising a barn – it takes the entire village working, sweating and laughing together!

The playground dedication will be Oct. 15 at 11 a.m., so save the date!

Join Mountains to Sound to Beautify the New Playground Oct. 8 Families are invited to put the finishing touches on the new playground. Mountains to Sound is seeking 100 volunteers on Oct. 8 to help install the landscaping.

Sign up for morning, afternoon or all day. Children under 13 need to be accompanied by a parent.

Sign up here:

http://mtsgreenway.org/volunteer/sites-and-opportunities/lake-sammamish-state-park-playground/planting-at-lake-sammamish-state-park-playground

Save the Date – Oct. 15 – Ribbon Cutting of New All-Access Playground! Come on out for a fun day at the park on Oct. 15 when we cut the ribbon and the kids inaugurate the new all-access playground.

Plan on bringing your families and friends for a fun morning and day at the park.

Twenty-four volunteers showed up this morning to help build the tower, the swings, the zip line and more. It took digging in the dirt, learning to work together with strangers and a lot of sweat, but the volunteers came away pleased with what they had accomplished. Many say they will return Thursday and/or Friday! A few more volunteers are needed to get the job done, ages 18+. At this point, forget signing up, just show up! Proceed to the playground (you can’t miss it!) at Sunset Beach. A pair of gloves, your water bottle and some sunscreen is all you need. Lunch from Zeek’s Pizza will be provided.

Mark your calendar for the October 15 ribbon cutting of the new playground!

OMG! What an exciting morning Monday was! The sun was already warming the perfectly calm lake, osprey were seen flying overhead, and early walkers with children or dogs in tow were out stretching their legs along the lakeshore paths. But the excitement was all at the new playground site as a giant crane lifted pre-formed concrete components of the playground from the truck trailers that had delivered them from Texas. The next big install dates will be next week, August 24,25, 26, when volunteers arrive to add the slides, the climbing net, the zip line, the twin towers and more!

More volunteers are still needed for ½ day or full-day shifts! Volunteers must be 18 or older. Lunch will be provided by Zeek’s pizza. Please sign up at this link:

www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4faeaf2ca6f94-playground

Looking for a fun team building activity? Come to the park and help construct the equipment for the new all-access playground, due to open by October 1!

About 15 volunteers per day are needed for half-day or all-day shifts for Community Build Days, Aug. 24, 25, 26. Especially needed are volunteers comfortable working with power tools. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Lunch will be provided!

To volunteer, sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4faeaf2ca6f94-playground

State Parks has decided to direct some of its department funds to poured-in-place rubber surfacing for the playground to make it the most accessible it can be. However, a few other cost overruns and change orders have put some of the finishing touches in funding jeopardy (e.g., landscaping, benches, etc.). Lakeside Industries to the rescue! Lakeside, based in Issaquah, has already donated 1,500 tons of fill dirt and gravel for the playground. But with the new surfacing, another 700 tons of aggregate is needed. Lakeside’s manager Jim Weidman said “We need to get to the finish line. Lakeside is in!”

Lakeside, this week you are the playground’s Super Hero! Shall we say Super Heron?

Earth movers, big machines, bulldozers, backhoes are all part of the excitement of the coming of the new playground at Lake Sammamish State Park. Bring the kids and come watch! W.S. Contractors is completing the site prep this week. Then there will be cement trucks coming to pour foundations for the heavier playground pieces, and big cranes to lift the equipment into place.

Volunteers are needed the week of August 24-26 to help put the playground together. While some construction skills will be needed, there are jobs for others that have no skills at all. The foreman can teach you how to spread gravel.

To volunteer, contact director@flssp.org.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new all-access playground will be its zip line! It may not go across a canopy of treetops, but it is sure to be fun for all ages. Just bring the rope back to the top of the starting platform, climb on board the disk and hold on as you zip your way across the playground! Visit the playground site this week and you’ll see that the paved sidewalk around it is nearly complete. Irrigation lines and a few foundations for playground equipment will be done in the next couple weeks, then it’s time for volunteers to help construct the equipment.

If you have an interest in volunteering, email director@flssp.com to be notified of times and dates when they are known.

Playtime can be educational! Lake Sammamish State Park has a mission to be a living laboratory for environmental education — even on the new playground!

In addition to the salmon "stream," kids will learn from signage that will share fun facts about mushrooms and pond life. Did you know that frogs don't drink water, but absorb it through their skin? Now you do!

Another local connection at the playground will be the long-forgotten Issaquah Mining Company, named on the mountain and mine.

The site work on the playground is moving quickly! Be sure to come check it out at the park. Kids enjoy watching the earth movers and cement work during the weekdays!

This month, site work is being completed for the long awaited all-access playground. Sidewalks and foundations are being poured, readying for the installation of the playground equipment. That’s where you come in! At least 200 hours of volunteer help will be needed for construction, spreading sub-surface gravel and more. All ages 10+ will be welcome. This is a great opportunity for youth or community groups to offer community service.

Can you imagine the sound of music? The giant chimes and the outdoor xylophone-like instruments have arrived at the park, ready for installation in a few weeks! Add the giggles of children at play and Lake Sammamish State Park will have a new sweet tone carrying across the lawns and beach before we know it. This week some of the concrete foundations and sidewalks are being poured. Progress! If you would like to volunteer to help construct the playground equipment, email director@flssp.org to be notified as dates get firmed up in August and September. You can then register for your preferred time slot. Volunteers 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Washington State Parks & Recreation is upgrading the surface of the playground to poured-in-place rubber, making it the most accessible possible for wheelchairs, strollers and walkers. The investment will not only put a great finishing touch on the playground, but will make it easier to keep clean by parks staff. Geese will not likely be attracted to the rubber surface and fall leaves can be blown off.

The surface will be colored to represent grass with a salmon stream meandering throughout the playground structures.

We are very close to reaching our goal and your donations are still very valued. To donate, visit Playground4All.com or mail a check with a clear designation for the playground to Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park, PO Box 605, Issaquah, WA 98027

Thank you!