Independence dedicates musical playground at City Hall Park

“We wrote a grant, thinking we probably won’t get it, and low and behold… In January, Betsy (Ottman, a representative with Ashley For the Arts Community Cares Grant) gave me a call to let us know that they awarded us $10,000... to date we have invested over $20,000 into this park,” Doreen Olson said, last week Tuesday during a ceremony dedicating the musical playground equipment in Independence’s City Hall Park. 

The musical playground features several instruments that are easy to play, mostly percussive, and fixed permanently in close proximity to each other so aspiring musicians can play together. 

Olson represented the Rainbow Community Club and the Volunteer Musical Playground Committee. She gave a special thanks to the following community leaders who represented various companies and organizations in the committee: Kayla Mathson, Independence Public Library; Lenice Pronschinske, city of Independence and Independence Lions Club; Jenna Sonsalla, Elk Rod and Gun Club; Cher Schaumberg, Rainbow Community Club and the Independence High School football team who helped with the physical labor of moving rocks to prepare the build site of the playground. She also thanked the donors who made it all possible, and directed everyone’s attention to plaques installed to commemorate those donors who gave $250 or more to the park for these additions. 

After the dedication, the band Blondie Blue took to the musical theme of the night with a concert in the park. The committee held a concession stand with the proceeds of all sales pledged towards further improvements of the park. 

“It was cool to see how the community could take that (the grant), come together, add to it, and build off of it,” Bailey Waldera, a representative for the Ashley for the Arts Community Cares grant, said.