More than 400 people grabbed a bite to eat and played on the region’s first all-inclusive playground during a community appreciation cookout in Northeast Park Thursday. Kellan’s Kingdom opened to the public right before Labor Day weekend, and Alie and Pat Tigges, parents of the playground’s namesake and driving force behind the project, say their family has spent a good portion of their free time there in the last month. According to Alie, the park almost always has a few kids playing there but not in the numbers seen on Thursday.
Last night’s (Thursday) event was meant to be a thank you to the residents of Carroll and the surrounding communities that helped make the Tigges’ vision for an all-inclusive playground a reality. Alie says Kellan’s Kingdom was one of those rare projects that almost everyone supported.
Leah Lechtenberg, a Carroll resident and speech language pathologist at St. Anthony Regional Hospital, says the community should be proud to be home to a project that will benefit so many people.
The final piece for this phase of construction is the completion of a sidewalk on the playground’s south side. Pat and Alie are not finished advocating for updates at Northeast Park and have already set their sights on what comes next.
They are also advocating for increased parking space closer to the playground and proposed site for the Miracle Field. Fundraising is underway now. Visit www.kellanskingdom.com for more information or to donate.
