Thirty years ago, Concord school kids designed the city’s beloved Monkey-Around Playground, a maze of wooden walkways and slides at the center of White Park. This week, some of those “kids” came back with their own children to say goodbye before the city demolishes the playground to make way for a modern, more accessible one.
Three-year-old Kaya Webb was struggling to decide which she likes more: the dragon slide or the rainbow bridge. She gets a lot of time on both because she and her dad, Kyle Webb, live across the street from White Park and its Monkey-Around Playground.
They’re there nearly every day. That’s about to change as the city starts dismantling the structure next week. Kyle and Kaya are looking on the bright side.
“There’ rebuilding it, right?” he said.
Yes, but with some changes.
The new playground, slated to reopen later this summer, will keep the walkways, slides, and swings. But it won’t be made from wood and it will be accessible to everyone. For example, a poured, level ground surface will replace the wood chips, which can be a trip hazard and barrier for people who use wheelchairs and walking aides.
Unclear is what will happen to one of the playground’s more touching features: the sign with a message for “Concord’s Children,” first erected in 1994.
“White Park and the Monkey-Around Playground are a gift of joy for all who come here,” it reads. “It’s your responsibility to pass it on to future generations.”
Jared Boyd, of Concord, has fulfilled that request. At 30, Boyd is nearly the same age as the playground. He spent his younger years there and has taken his daughters, Leia Boyd and Stevie Donovan, there their whole lives.
Like her dad, Stevie loves not just the playground and that rainbow bridge, but the way Monkey-Around connects kids.
“Like sometimes I don't even plan a playdate with my friend,” she said. “And then they just come and I'm like, ‘Oh, hey.’ ”
Dave Willis and his daughter Emma, 4, of Hooksett, have been regulars since hearing about the playground a little over a year ago because its affordable entertainment.
“I watch her during the day,” Boyd said. “I don't want to spend $20 every day on entertainment. So this became a great spot because you can play on the playground, you can feed the ducks, and go to the splash pad. It's just a beautiful place to come.”
Sue Hardt, of Concord, was one of the volunteers who built the playground. She and a friend built the popular dragon slide, and she returned with her own kids and their kids. She’d like to see the city find a place for the dragon on the new slide.
She’s not thrilled with the new design. “It’s a little too modern for my taste,” she said.
Alicia Shaw and two of her children came from Keene to say goodbye. She raised her older kids in Concord and brought them to the park many mornings, to climb on the playground, feed the ducks, and walk the park’s trails.
“It's just really sad to see it go,” she said.
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