Crescent City's Kid Town: Del Norte community puts it together

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Crescent City's Kid Town:
Del Norte community puts it together
by Sharon McKinney

Kid Town under construction in September 1999. Photo by Adrienne Anthony.

The local headlines read: "Be Proud Del Norte County! You've donated 210,000 hours, tools and your hearts to make a dream come true!" This was the effort to provide a new Crescent City playground for our county's children. Kid Town was the community in action.

People walked in and went to work for five days sanding, hammering, carrying tools or pushing wheelbarrows. Smiles, excited interchanges, and the spirit of cooperation were everywhere. The day care center was jam packed with youngsters of the workers. The project was infused with feelings of elation and inclusion and provided a high morale for all. Churches sent groups, scout troops came en masse and entire school classrooms came to work. The Lutheran Church group built the pirate ship as its project. Community elders were everywhere.

79-year-old John Short worked at least 20 hours. He worked every one of the five days building the play platforms. He measured, sawed, carried materials, hammered and smiled the whole time. John discovered power screwdrivers and purchased one for himself at the tool sale following the completion of the project. His wife Fran followed him around and did her share.

Helen Perkins, 87, worked three days in the snack booth. "I think it is a worthwhile cause; the kids in the county need it. I was able to find a way to help."  Lois Weiland stayed at home and helped out. She made phone calls to fill the calendar for the snack booth. All the cookies, donuts, cinnamon rolls and the daily lunch were donations by individuals and businesses.

Nineteen RSVP volunteers hosted the snack booth for the whole project, serving coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, tea, and the donated baked goodies. The only problem they reported was a few youngsters who dropped by for sugar cubes. Mary Stuart showed up for her stint at the snack booth and when leaving asked about the T-shirt sale. She was told that there was no one to sell them. Mary jumped right in and stayed an extra eight hours to sell the shirts and the tiles which will name the supporters of the project.

Seniors also worked at the gate registering volunteers and getting them directed to appropriate work stations. Each volunteer was guided to a site, introduced to a site boss and set to work. Many hands were sanding, moving sand and chips and cleaning up after carpenters. Something for everybody. Day care for tots and a supervised play area for small children were provided.

David Wells, city manager and member of the RSVP Del Norte Advisory Council, said, "The older volunteers, as much as anyone who contributed to the total of more than 210,000 hours of donated time, filled a need within the project and should be proud of their part in its success. I am!" It was a total community achievement for everyone.

Kid Town is located at Crescent City's Beachfront Park across from the swimming pool. A parking lot and restrooms will be added, and the community is planning another project to use the great spirit that was engendered.

Sharon McKinney also worked on Kid Town. You can e-mail her at sjmck@earthlink.net.

One-time article Copyright 2000 by Humboldt Senior Resource Center.