Project Idlewild's Playground Design is Complete...
Now We Need YOU!
View the Preliminary Design for the new Idlewild Playground.
Leathers & Associates Playgrounds
99 Eastlake Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
Toll free (877)564-6464
www.leathersassociates.com
leathers@leathersassociates.com
Volunteer for a committee, donate your time, materials, food or money, get your civic organization involved, spread the word, help with the build... there are innumerable ways you can help make this playground a reality! Visit the Donations and Volunteer pages to learn how you can become involved with Project Idlewild.
Pickets and tiles are some of the materials that will be used to construct the playground. Everyone who purchased a picket before April 30, 2007 or a tile before May 7, 2007 will soon see their contribution become a permanent feature of the new park!
Fence Pickets (Deadline: Closed)
Our new playground will be surrounded by a fence to 
promote a safe area for children to play. Everone who purchased one or more fence pickets ($30 each) and was able to have a personalized message or family name (up to 17 characters and spaces) engraved on them. Look for your picket in the park!
Paint a Tile (Deadline: Closed)
Project Idlewild, in cooperation with The Clay Bakers, 
provided a unique opportunity for artistic expression; ceramic tiles, hand-painted by members of our community, will be displayed withing the new park. The tiles represent individuals, families and groups who have purchased and taking the time to paint these tiles. The tiles ($25 each) will be a permanent part of the new playground.
Sponsorship
Thank You to everyone who sponsored a picket or tile for an underprivileged family or child!
Project Idlewild is a group of citizens devoted to creating a safe, unique new space for children to play within Idlewild Park.
Many local businesses and organizations currently are planning on hosting events that will help raise money for the project. All of the funds raised will go directly to, and be managed by the Town of Easton. You can learn more about the upcoming events by visiting the project’s Events page or by joining our private mailing list.
The project is being modeled after the Ben's Red Swings public playground 
recently erected in Salisbury, MD in memory of Benjamin Layton. Sponsors of and donors to Project Idlewild will be publicly recognized for their support in a fashion similar to that in which supporters of the Ben's Red Swings park were recognized. If you have not had a chance to see the new playground in Salisbury, take a moment to stop and check it out; it is impressive to see (and fun to play on)!
Continue to visit our site to learn more get more details on and to see drawings of the new children’s play ground at Idlewild Park.
Our Eastern Shore of Maryland is as rich in tradition and history as it is in natural beauty. 
Offering the relaxed pace of small town living combined with activities for all ages Easton is a focal point of the area and a perfect place for families. It is a commonly held belief that green spaces and parks add to the charm and attraction of an area-drawing people to settle there and fostering a sense of community content. A casual drive or stroll around town will reveal that Idlewild Park serves a crucial role in the community of Easton. It is a place for everyone-attracting adults and children as a destination for picnics, parties, tennis, basketball, a walk around the track or as a place to let our children run and make friends.
If you have little ones in your life, you have no doubt spent time at the park running, climbing and engaging in all sorts of play. 
It is vitally important to have a place where children can explore, play, interact with others and let their imaginations run wild. While our current park offers a great deal it is in need of much improvement. The children's playground is in poor condition with missing and rusted hardware, swing sets that no longer swing and ground cover that provides inadequate protection. Additionally, it is not age appropriate for younger children who tend to be the most frequent park visitors. As important, the play structure is not handicapped accessible and does not meet ADA playground accessibility standards.
What an opportunity we have! A beautiful park with tennis and basketball courts, a track, an outstanding Children's Discovery Garden, an outdated play structure and lots of space-we have the chance to improve our park and create a showplace of what a small town can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal. 
Let's make Idlewild Park an exciting place that makes us proud! We need to come together as a community to build a play ground that will delight us all for many years to come. Members of the community are already hard at work toward the goal of improving the playground structure to make a safer and more enjoyable park.
Project Idlewild is a completely volunteer-driven project to create a new, innovative playground designed by children and built by volunteers. Parents, educators and civic-minded citizens have all joined the effort to raise the money, secure the materials and assemble a volunteer-based team to make this vision a reality. 
Still, this small group cannot do it alone. This project needs the support of all Easton citizens-not just those with young children.
We invite everyone to get involved in some way. Project Idlewild has raised $35,000 toward its goal of $200,000 but we need more in order to build our playground in the summer of 2007. No donation is too small-or too large! But, as importantly, we need your time and talent to make this project a reality. If you have a skill to donate, please do. Also, Project Idlewild needs tools, equipment, food for volunteers, ideas from children young and old and more. In the end, a playground will be built but along the way friendships will form as neighbors work together towards a common goal.
Frequently check our "Events" page for upcoming auctions, fundraisers and other events that will provide exciting ways for you to become involved in Project Idlewild.
Contributions toward the revitalization are being collected at the Town Offices in Easton. Checks may be made out to the Town of Easton wit Project Idlewild in the memo section and mailed to 14 South Harrison Street. Together we will build a park that will make us proud!
Megan Cook (meganjmcook@msn.com) and Jill Judd (mgjudd@goeaston.net), co-chairs of Project Idlewild, are happy to answer your questions or direct your donations to the Town. You can also visit www.projectidlewild.org.
Click the links below to read the full articles.
Project Idlewild Set to Begin Redesign of Easton's Primary Play Structure
Easton, MD, January 19, 2007
Project Idlewild
The Star Democrat, November 13, 2006; Provided courtesy of Chesapeake Publishing
