The New Playground Is Here!!!

That’s right, the Copper Harbor Playground Project’s dream has COME TRUE!

The adults are pleased, the committee is relieved and the kids are having a blast.  This was all for the kids, you know.  Here are some pictures of them playing, rain or shine!

Even big kids like the slide!

Three Ring Fling in action!

I wish I was small enough to ride in the bear…

Who’s next down the bug slide?

 

Swinging in the mist

 

A picture perfect day on the playground!

If you haven’t gotten out to see it for yourself, come on up!  It’s loads of fun for all ages!

Thanks again to everyone who donated time, funding and efforts for this project.  We couldn’t have done it without you!!!

Schedule to Build a New Playground

Ahhhhhh!  Less than a week for the new playground!!!  Are you ready???  Get your buns up here and help us out on any one of these days, PLEASE!

Monday, Aug 19 – The playground will be closed for disassembly.  The old equipment will be removed.
Tuesday, Aug 20 – Anything that wasn’t disassembled or removed will be finished up.
Wednesday, Aug 21 – Playground engineer, Eric Sheffer from Superior Play, arrives.   Excavation begins, and materials arrive from 41 Lumber.
Thursday, Aug 22 – Playground equipment from Landscape Structures arrives (2 semi loads).
Friday, Aug 23 – Playground surfacing arrives (2 semi loads).
Saturday, Aug 24 – Build Day starting at 8 am!
Tuesday, Aug 27 – Playground will be open for use!!!

Please watch our Facebook site for the Grand Opening date and time. www.facebook.com/copperharborplayground

Did you see our new total over there?  If you can’t come to help build, you still have time to send a few bucks to finish it off!

The slide is almost finished… you know what that means!

Please call or email if you have a couple hours to share during the disassembly days:  (906)289-4306  marty@highway-41.com

And please call Miranda to be added to our Build Day list!  (906)289-4662.

See you Saturday!

How to Build a Playground

Before our playground equipment gets delivered to Copper Harbor, it has to be manufactured somewhere.   Did you ever think about that?  That playground equipment has to be made?  Well, our very own Syd and Marty, key players in the Copper Harbor Playground Project, took a tour to check it out.  Earlier this month, they visited Landscape Structures, Inc. (LSI) in Delano, MN.

This factory was founded in 1971 by Steve and Barb King.  Steve invented “continuous play” during a college project.  He thought kids would love the idea of getting to play on all the structures of a playground without ever touching the ground.  His professor didn’t think so, but Steve proved him wrong, as LSI now leads as the industry standard.

LSI is now 100% employee owned, and manufactures every piece right there in Minnesota.  Come see for yourself as you take the tour!  Here we go!

The Design of Play machines

Recognize this corkscrew?

Adding some color!

The making of a rock

And how to sculpt a tree trunk

Making this log stack come alive

Don’t forget about the little guys

 

Ready to play on their Minnesota playground?

Race you to the log slide!

Who’s at the top of that treehouse?

P.U. I’m not going over there!

Woah, someone has been here before us!

What’s inside this cabin?

It looks like somebody lives here!

Maybe it’s Syd on our three ring fling!

Did you have fun? They hope you did!

Please note that not everything in these pictures will be on our playground.  This was a tour of the one at their facility.

Make sure you come help us put all these pieces together on Saturday, August 24th.  Then bring the kiddies by after the weekend because the playground will be ready to play on by the following Tuesday.  Stay tuned for our Grand Opening day!  Thanks for coming on the tour with us!

Press and Pictures

Hey!

Guess what!?  The Copper Harbor Playground Project made TV 6 News again!

Our beautiful spokeswoman, Miranda Davis, was the star of that episode.  You can check out the article and video at this link.  I would recommend watching the video.  It’s way cute.

And here are a few pictures of what you’ll see in the park after August 24th… for the big kids!

Sa-wing!

Up in the Tree Fort

Rock Climbing!

Mountain Biker in the Making

Spin Up and Down!

Remember to get in touch with Miranda if you can help us put this together!  Less than two months to Build Day!

Youngster Land

Guess what?!  We ordered the playground equipment!  It is being gathered and getting ready to ship in time for August 24th: the Big Building Day!

Here is a taste of what’s coming for the young ones.

“This is funguys!”

aMAZEing!

Crawling with the crawly things

“Can you hear me now?”

“Maybe it goes this way.”

Stay tuned for the big kid fun in the next post!

Speaking of big kids (you), have you signed up to help on build day?  When you do, make sure you tell Miranda what tools you can bring.  We’ll get a list of all the things we need to you soon.

As always, thanks for your support!

To Build a Playgroung August 24th, 2013

This summer we plan to build the new playground on August 24th!  Mark your calendar, come on up and HELP US put it together!  We are going to assemble it in ONE DAY, so we need 50 volunteers.  Can you be one of them?

If so, please email copperharborplayground@gmail.com or call Miranda at (906)289-4662.  She’ll put your name on our list.

Can you think of anyone else who would like to help?  Why not plan your Copper Harbor vacation that weekend?  Bring the family!  Yes!  Then you can all hang out in the schoolyard and test out the new equiptment!

As you can see, we have not quite reached out funding goal, so please keep saving your Econo receipts and dropping your change in the Playground fund canister at the Gas Lite General Store.  Oh, heck, if you can’t be here to help us build it, you could drop a “Happy Building” card in the mail with a donation!

The times and perks of this grand building day will be updated through our facebook page and this site.  Please stay tuned for the details.  And why not pump some iron to build your digging and building muscles?  See you August 24th!

Ice Fishing Tournament Recap

Last Saturday was a fine day on the ice.  The wind was subdued and temperatures were in the 20’s.  What else could you want out of a day on the ice?

Some fish!  Eight fish were checked in.  So here are the winners!

Walleye Category: 1st Place = Mick Peterson

Perch Category: 1st Place = John Gierke, 2nd Place = Dave Hanson

Kid’s Category: 1st = Tyler Kipina, 2nd Place = Oren Christ

Close to $200 was raised in donation from the anglers.  Let’s see what they had to say.

Bring on the hungry fishermen!

Mmmm, hot dogs!

Will I be warm enough?

Shhhh!

Fish on!

Special thanks goes to committee volunteers as well as Pat’s IGA, The Pines Resort, Toni’s Country Kitchen and The Gaslite General Store for their contributions of food and supplies.

Lake Fanny Hooe Ice Fishing Tournament

Bust out your shanty and your long johns.  Scrounge up some bait and ten bucks.  Why?  Because the Lake Fanny Hooe Ice Fishing Tournament is coming up!

Date: Saturday, February 9th

Place: Middle of Lake Fanny Hooe (enter by the boat ramp)

Registration: At The Pines Resort in Copper Harbor at 6 am

Fishing time: 7 am to 3 pm

Cost: $10 enters you into three categories with a special category for the kiddies

Prize: $75 for first place, $50 for second place

Refreshments will be provided in that little cabin by the boat ramp.  The Copper Harbor Playground Project is providing pasties, snacks and beverages.  Please feel free to donate back — it’s all for the kids!

This event is sponsored by McCabe Distributing and The Pines Resort.  It is designed to benefit Splake Fishing in the Keweenaw.  I mean, come on, how many other states know what splake is?

This ice is nice, so we hope to see you there!

Santa’s Little Elves

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Copper Harbor had some busy little elves this Christmas!  Donica Dravillas of Garden Brook Studio, organized her Christmas wreath business again this season.  Local folks signed up to purchase a wreath made by Donica and her helpful little elves.  Only this year, all the proceeds went to the Playground Project!  Extra big thanks go to the head elf, Jill Protzel, and Mrs. Claus, Peg Kauppi, for letting the elves spin wreaths at the North Pole, um, I mean The Mariner North!

Donica shows us how it’s done

Head Elf Jill does a fine job

Busy, busy at The Mariner North Pole!

More gratitude goes out to all of you who bought a wreath to help out the playground fund.  We have been so fortunate to receive such overwhelming support from our community, those who love the area and those who love the children.

With Christmas under our green and red belts, what’s next?  Well the Playground Project will once again be providing refreshments for the ice fishing tournament at Fort Wilkins/Lake Fanny Hooe on Saturday, Feb 9.  The ice is nice, so why not bundle up and jig a little bait?  More details on this event are to come, so stay tuned.

Things to be Thankful For

Bargain Ben does it again!  Pat’s Foods recently donated $1,000 to the Playground Project!  Thank you Campionis!  I wish I had  the acceptance picture to show you.  It was full of cuties!

Also, right in our own town, The Pines Resort donated $1,000 to the playground.  Thank you Stigers!  Make sure to visit The Pines and Zik’s Bar when they reopen this winter!

For a bit of bad news, the Ladie’s Masquerade Ball is postponed for this weekend.  They didn’t have enough participation to cover costs this time around.  Perhaps it will reemerge after the holidays, so save your ball gown!

In the mean time, have a Happy Thanksgiving!  There is a potluck at the Copper Harbor Community Building this Sunday the 18th at 6 pm sharp.  Bring a dish to share and your own setting.  The kiddies from the schoolhouse are going to sing us a few thankful tunes as well.  Gobble gobble!