All-inclusive playground in Perryville slated for 2019

Perryville, Missouri, could have its first all-inclusive playground for children as soon as 2019 � if all goes as planned � through the efforts initially put forth February 2017 by 10-year-old Perryville native Lucas Fritsche.

A free movie night is slated for Sunday in Robert J. Miget Memorial Park at 110 S. French Lane in Perryville, which is also the planned future site of the playground. The goal for the event is to raise �location awareness� and to offer people the opportunity to contribute to the $1 million needed for the mission, according to Fritsche�s mother and event organizer, Jennifer.

So far, $80,000 has been acquired, she said.

�My son was at school and he noticed this kid in his class in a wheelchair who chose a lot of times to stay inside,� Jennifer Fritsche said. �My son took it upon himself to start pressuring his principal and all kinds of people at school that it wasn�t fair that his friend couldn�t play outside like they did.�

Which then �spurred a fundraising initiative,� Fritsche said.

A conceptual design for the future all-inclusive playground to be constructed in Robert J. Miget Memorial Park at 110 S. French Lane in Perryville, Missouri.Submitted

Soon after the boys� encounter, she said, the goal was then to raise �a little bit of money� to improve some playground equipment at the school. But the focus slightly shifted after presenting the proposal to the City of Perryville.

�Then that became an initiative to partner with the city to make all of the playgrounds around Perryville a little more inclusive, so it wouldn�t be such a struggle for them,� she said.

It was then decided raising funds for one public playground would be the new direction.

Fritsche said the future playground is going to be a fully inclusive playground, similar to Melaina�s Magical Playland in Cape Girardeau or the universally-accessible playground within the Ste. Genevieve Community Center in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

According to Fritsche, all-inclusive playgrounds are built for �all children, especially those with disabilities,� offering �parallel play,� which she said allows for interactive play, not dependent on each child�s ability.

A conceptual design for the future all-inclusive playground to be constructed in Robert J. Miget Memorial Park at 110 S. French Lane in Perryville, Missouri.Submitted

�They are built where you�ll have a ramp going on to the playground, but there are also activities around the ramp for other children, too,� she said. �All the kids interact and play together.�

She said different, user-friendly activities would also be available for people in wheelchairs and who have other disabilities. There would also be slides, specifically catered to people with hearing aids.

Fritsche added some of the swings would be made to be �more specific for all kids.�

�One feature we hope to get is a zip line,� she said.

One zip line would be for �typical kids,� she said, and the other zip line would be handicapped-accessible.

A conceptual design for the future all-inclusive playground to be constructed in Robert J. Miget Memorial Park at 110 S. French Lane in Perryville, Missouri.Submitted

This completed venture would bring awareness to the fact �no matter what ability you have, you can play together,� Fritsche said.

�We partnered with the city and Unlimited Play around this time last year,� she said. �We�ve been doing a lot of planning and researching for about a year.�

Unlimited Play is the not-for-profit organization responsible for the fundraising and construction of the playground.

There have been �a few� fundraising events leading up to this weekend, she said, but this year the focus is 100 percent on the fundraising.

According to Fritsche, the City of Perryville has partnered with her and her team and recently constructed a �splash pad.� It didn�t open this year, she said, but it is located at the same location as the future playground.

A conceptual design for the future all-inclusive playground to be constructed in Robert J. Miget Memorial Park at 110 S. French Lane in Perryville, Missouri.Submitted

Spring or summer 2019 is the anticipated and approximate date for the project�s groundbreaking, according to Fritsche.

�But we will really have to keep that open, depending on funds,� she said.

Sunday�s fundraising event will feature a movie �under the stars� at 8:30 p.m., and people are encouraged to stop by the on-site Kona Ice truck at 7:30 p.m., as 20 percent of the proceeds will benefit the cause.

More details can be found at the Lucas and Friends Backyard Adventures Facebook page.

A conceptual design for the future all-inclusive playground to be constructed in Robert J. Miget Memorial Park at 110 S. French Lane in Perryville, Missouri.Submitted

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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