By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Playground additions were in demand this spring in Great Bend. The Great Bend Recreation Commission is set to host a grand opening of the Ninja course and rock-climbing wall at the Activity Center Wednesday, June 5.
With help from the Kiwanis Club, Rec Center Executive Director Chris Umphres said they are already celebrating the addition of a playground at the Great Bend Sports Complex.
"The partnership with Kiwanis has been huge," said Umphres. "Those playgrounds have already brought some enjoyment for a lot of kids. This last tournament we had over weekend, we saw 20 to 30 kids at a time huddled around that playground at the Sports Complex. I'm sure the parents appreciated that too."
The Kiwanis Club received $50,000 from the Robert and Patricia Schmidt Foundation that covered the 36' x 29' playground feature at the Sports Complex.
The grand opening for the Ninja course on Wednesday will begin at 11:45 a.m. with giveaways and food.
"I'm hoping it's a real good turnout, especially with the free jambalaya provided to the first 200 participants," said Umphres. "The construction crew should be wrapping up the boulders and rock climbing portion of it. We should be good to go."
Near the softball fields at Veterans Memorial Park, a 15-post Diamond Climber playground equipment was installed again with help from Kiwanis and the Bill McKown Foundation.