Grand opening set for all-inclusive playground in Perryville

All children, regardless of their abilities, will have a place to play together in Perryville, Missouri, come the end of the month.

Lucas & Friends Backyard Adventures Playground, specifically designed to remove physical and social barriers so all children with or without disabilities can play side-by-side, will hold a grand opening at 10 a.m. Oct. 30.

The grand opening will be held at the park, located at 107 S. French Lane in Perryville, and include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and free food and drinks, according to the Lucas & Friends Backyard Adventures Playground Facebook page.

The idea for the all-inclusive playground for children came from 10-year-old Perryville native Lucas Fritsche in February 2017, according to the Facebook page. Lucas was diagnosed with autism as a child, and noticed some of his other friends with disabilities could not get around on the playground at school.

Lucas told his mother, Jennifer, about the dilemma and said he wanted to build a better playground so all his friends could play together. She wanted to help so she took his idea and ran with it.

Now, four years and $500,000 raised through partnerships with the City of Perryville and the not-for-profit organization Unlimited Play later, the park is finally ready for "all children, especially those with disabilities," Jennifer said in a previous article by the Southeast Missourian.

She said the park is made for "parallel play," which allows for interactive play not dependent on each child's ability, through a variety of user-friendly activities for people in wheelchairs and with other disabilities, such as slides specifically catered to people with hearing aids and a variety of swings and zip lines for "typical kids" and others who are handicapped- accessible.

She said the playground was designed down to the smallest detail -- even the shadows from ramping can promote imagination and conversation.

This complete venture brings awareness to the fact "no matter what ability you have, you can play together," Jennifer said.

For more information on the Lucas & Friends Backyard Adventures Playground in Perryville, visit the groups Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lucasandfriendsplayground.