In late summer an exhibit describing Marie Louie, Snoqualmie Tribe elder and healer, will be installed at Tibbetts Beach. Stay tuned for a notice of an event to herald this 1-year long exhibit.

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!

In August we welcome the ‘Kids Obstacle Challenge,’ a 1-mile course full of obstacles for kids to run with their parents. You can find event details at http://www.kidsobstaclechallenge.com/

Paddling in the Park – Lessons and Rentals! Through Sept. 10 - Now's the Time to Paddle the Lake!

Sunset Beach will be closed for public access while restoration work is being done. Fencing will go up around July 10, through the duration of the work. State Parks are renovating the entire swim beach, including in-water and the out-of-water sandy beach, an ADA walkway to the water and a sandbox for kids. It is estimated that the beach will re-open in November.

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.

Summer Nature Programs at Lake Sammamish State Park Wanda Peters, state parks interpretive specialist, has created an exciting line-up of special nature programs at Lake Sammamish State Park for people of all ages this summer beginning June 25 through Labor Day weekend.

All programs are free! Remember your Discover Pass!

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!

Experience an amazing afternoon at Parkadilly at Lake Sammamish. Come to the FREE kids' concert, fair & fun!

July 24, noon to 5 p.m.!

Presented by Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park.

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Windermere Real Estate East

Volunteers still needed, contact director@flssp.org

Fencing around the playground site is complete and equipment is on site to move around the dirt in preparation for the playground. Come watch the progress! However, Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park still needs to raise about $25,000 for the playground. Donations can be made online at www.Playground4All.com or send to FLSSP, PO Box 605, Issaquah, WA 98027.

Donate $1,000 or more and have your name on a boulder that will be placed at the playground. But hurry, the plaque must soon be ordered!

June 1 – Ground breaking day! The state awarded the site prep contract to W.S. Contractors out of Buckley. They expect fill dirt, rocks, gravel etc., donated by Lakeside Industries, to begin arriving June 1.