Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park invites you to become part of all the new things happening at the park. Join at the $50 level and receive a beautiful beach tote just in time for summer. We invite your participation in events, restoration, board service or sharing your great ideas! Reach out to director@flssp.org to plug in. Join us by following the link below or clicking on the “Join Us” link on the website.

Don’t be disappointed! Reserve your picnic shelters early! http://parks.state.wa.us/533/Lake-Sammamish

Or call 1/888-226-7688

Calling all dogs and their humans! The Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park is happy to announce the 2nd annual "Walk 'n Wag" canine inspired walk-a-thon to raise funds for improving the park. Come meet other dog owners in the community, make new friends and have fun! If you do not have a dog, but like dogs, come and see what's going on!

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!

The playground is nearly finished! Yes, the zip line is in! This week the poured-in-place rubber surfacing is being installed. First comes an all-black base coat, then the colored top coat goes in. It should be done by early next week.

Watch for the arrival of the 8-foot blue heron, making its home in the entry plaza. Last will be top soil and the irrigation system. Planting the landscape is not likely to be in time for the grand opening at 11 a.m. Oct. 15, but that won’t stop the children from playing! Come celebrate this historic event and help us honor our many donors who have made the playground dream come true.

The first 50 children ages 4-10 who arrive will receive souvenir scissors and be invited to help cut the ribbon, so arrive early!

In case you missed it, The Issaquah Press sent its photographer during the Community Build of the playground. Check out his photos, and be sure your calendar is marked for 11 a.m. Oct. 15 for the grand opening of your new amazing playground! Photo by Greg Farrar, The Issaquah Press

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!

The playground made huge progress with volunteer help last week, but it is a long way from completion. Next will be the gravel fill around the base before the final playground pieces are installed. The last two weeks of September will be reserved for the poured-in-place rubber surfacing to finish things off. But not quite! There will be an irrigation system, rail fencing and landscaping added in early October, readying for the grand opening at 11 a.m. on October 15. Have you added the big event to your calendar yet?

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

Get ready, here comes the playground equipment! This week, Cadman’s donation of concrete has been poured for the foundations of the large concrete structures coming to the playground — next Monday, Aug. 15, beginning about 8 a.m.!! Come watch the Issaquah Mining Co. coal mine and mountain as it is lifted into place. And the Mushroom House. And the twin towers. It will be an exciting morning as the playground begins its journey to an October finish date!

But there will still be lots more for volunteers to help with during Community Build Days, Aug. 24, 25, 26. It will take 15 volunteers each day. Zeek’s Pizza will provide lunch!

Volunteers must be 18 years old. Sign up for half day or all day shifts, www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4faeaf2ca6f94-playground

This installation is part of a project honoring Snoqualmie elder Xa-cha-blu, usually known as Marie Louie, born about 1800 in the village of Toltx, now the town of Carnation. She lived most of her life on the east shore of Lake Sammamish, and traveled by canoe and on foot between Seattle and the Cascade mountains.

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!