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Brightwaters families took to Walker Beach on a sunny yet brisk Sunday morning to celebrate their brand-new playground on the Great South Bay.
They also celebrated the efforts of those who made the playground possible, while hosting a polar plunge fundraiser to help add a special needs-friendly swing set to Walker Park.
Last year the nonprofit Brightwaters Improvement Group, or B.I.G., appealed to village residents for donations to build a playground after the park’s old slide broke.
“We had one lone slide and it broke, and we thought this was an opportunity to not just replace the slide, but put something together that all different ages could use,” said B.I.G. committee member Bernadette Whitwell, also a village trustee.
“We started with a flyer, and told people what we wanted to do, and in six weeks we raised $24,000,” she continued. “People were talking about doing something like this for years. The park, it’s such a great place.”
Children from the village also had input on what features would be included in the playground, such as the zip line and other activities, Whitwell said.
Many of those same children then took to the icy waters of the Great South Bay after the morning’s ceremonial ribbon-cutting to help raise funds for the next B.I.G. project: the swing set.
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The $5,000 piece will contain six swings, which will include a swing for children who have special needs who otherwise would not be able to participate on typical swing sets.
The swing is called a Freedom Inclusion Swing.
“It’s a swing set for all abilities, which will be great,” Whitwell said.
“All the events we do are focused around building community, and having fun,” said Christian Sullivan, who is a B.I.G. committee member, as well as a village trustee — though the two organizations have no formal ties.
Village trustee and deputy mayor Laurie Elliott was also on hand Sunday to cut the red ribbon at the new playground. The playground came from Kidstuff Playsystems of Indiana with the help of company representative Asher Provda, who lives in Brightwaters.
“We’ve been looking for something like this for ages and ages and this particular B.I.G. group was just able to make it happen; they have a lot of energy,” Elliott said. “So many young families have moved into Brightwaters and that’s where this is coming from.”
As for the icy dip, Whitwell led the countdown as about 50+ kids and adults plunged headlong into the bay, then scurried to the beach even faster.
“For a second I was kind of having like a panic attack [before running into the bay],” said 11-year-old Collin Campbell of Brightwaters. “There was one thought in my mind and it was, ‘Do I really want to do this?’ I really wasn’t that sure. But I did it.”
Collin was thinking of bailing, though.
“Yes, the second I put my feet in the water,” he said, though he couldn’t recall exactly how far into the water he went. “I couldn’t even tell you; I closed my eyes.”
B.I.G. committee person Frances Voorhees said it was a delight watching all the children jump in — and then scream just about in unison.
“The expressions, the faces, it was adorable,” she said. “We didn’t expect such a great big turnout and we’re so proud of our community for supporting another event.”
