Nestled in the woods at Deane’s Children’s Park, you can find the only Adventure Playground in Washington state, one of four similar playgrounds in the United States. In the middle of its fourth season, this summer activity continues to grow in popularity. After being opened for less than a month, over 300 kids have come to seek out the adventure of creating, building, hammering and climbing in the woods in forts they build on their own.

The Adventure Playground is a free drop-in program on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, from 1-4 p.m., and because it is free and so popular, it takes a lot of wood and materials to keep up with these busy builders. This program is made possible by donations, grants and sponsorships.

This year a special thanks goes to JayMarc Homes, which is donating wood weekly to the playground. They have been instrumental in providing support to the Parks and Recreation Department, and this program would not have been nearly as successful this year if it wasn’t for their support. JayMarc Homes is also one of our title sponsors of the Arts Council’s Mostly Music in the Park concert series. We’d like to thank JayMarc Homes for their continual support of our programs and for being such a great community partner!

If you would like to make a monetary or in-kind donation of supplies to the Adventure Playground, please contact us at (206) 275-7882. Thank you!

Diane Mortenson

Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Superintendent