If you really like to make a difference, Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park is seeking qualified applicants to serve on its board of directors to help meet the mission of the organization: to support, enhance and promote Lake Sammamish State Park.

Did you know Lake Sammamish State Park has more geocaches than any other Washington State Park? Geocaching, the updated version of a treasure hunt, requires players to find an object by using GPS coordinates listed on Geocaching.com. You'll find several types of clues to get the right coordinates, including mystery or puzzle caches. A puzzle cache takes geocaching to a new challenge level!

Come out to Lake Sammamish State Park starting on June 29 for our free interpretive programming. Programs are for visitors of all ages.

Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park welcomes Springhill Suites by Marriott as its newest corporate member!

Come learn about dozens of ways to explore the outdoors with a wide variety of organizations exhibiting from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on June 10. Music, food, hikes, kayaking demonstrations and more. As part of National Get Outdoors Day the parking fee is waived! No Discover Pass required.

Although the Discover Pass at $30/year for unlimited entry into ALL Washington State Parks for 12 months from purchase date is the best entertainment bargain in the state, sometimes it's fun to have a free day for those who don't know about our state park treasures!

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!