Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 1, 2017 7A
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Makynzie Rowell, 1, plays on the slide at the Dallas Indoor Play Park at Dallas First Presbyterian Church on Friday morning. The play park is open Tuesday through Friday
from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and offers a place for kids to play — and parents to socialize — without dealing with the winter weather.
Dallas Indoor Play Park lets kids, parents mingle
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
ALLAS — The Dal-
las Indoor Play
Park at Dallas First
Presbyterian Church rings
with the sound of children
playing.
The chorus of cheerful
voices — well, mostly —
may sound like controlled
chaos to the uninitiated, but
to the grandparents, parents
and caregivers who belong
to the playing children, it’s
like music to their ears.
Dallas Indoor Play Park is
open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. Tuesdays through Fri-
days.
It fits in perfectly with
Veronicca Stuller’s schedule,
who has been using the
park for almost two years.
She brings her daughter,
Aubrie, and the two children
she watches, Dylan and
Delilah.
“It keeps me sane,” she
said. “It’s really nice because
I do daycare, so I have two
other kids who are here. It’s
nice because they eat break-
fast. They come here, they
play and we go home have
lunch.”
After that, it’s nap time,
and all the play helps with
that.
“They go down so much
easier,” she said, smiling.
“It’s so nice.”
Children pre-k and
younger are welcome to use
the park, which features a
variety of slides, playhouses,
tricycles and play cars, toys,
games and craft projects. A
$1 donation is asked, but
children are welcome to
play free. Parents or care-
givers are required to super-
vise while their children are
there.
Open during the rainy
months of the year, the park
offers another benefit.
“Here in the Willamette
Valley with all the rain and
muckiness, sometimes the
park outside isn’t ideal to go
out and play, so this is a
D
Playtime!
What: Dallas Indoor Play Park.
Where: Dallas First Presbyterian Church,
879 SW Levens St.
When: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Contact: 503-623-3397.
Of note: $1 donation is requested, but
children 5 and younger are welcome to
play free. Children must be accompanied
by an adult at all times.
place for kids to run a little
energy out,” said Jennifer
Hasbrouck, a parent.
Stuller added it’s
a stress-free en-
vironment
where par-
ents can
trust
their
chil-
dren
are
safe.
“It’s
nice for
moms
to be
able to
hang out
with other
moms and
know that our kids
can’t get into something,”
she said. “I don’t take her
(Aubrie) to other houses
that I know are not baby-
proofed, because you don’t
get to spend any time talk-
ing. Here they run free and
you can actually sit and
enjoy mom time.”
Tawnya Kreft, the church’s
secretary, said the play park
has several families who
come regularly and is trying
to organize to serve more.
“It changed from a club
format where people were
paying dues to more a gift
to the community from the
church,” she said. “It’s not a
church event; it’s space
that’s available that the
church would like the com-
munity to be able to use for
their children.”
Kreft said the park tries
to help families
with other
needs be-
yond a
well-
earned
break
for
par-
ents.
“We
do try
to
con-
nect
people to
the re-
sources in
the communi-
ty,” Kreft said. “If
there is a problem or an
issue about homelessness,
we are able to direct them
to different agencies in the
community and resources.”
Hasbrouck said parents
are forming a board and
working on outreach via its
Facebook page and advertis-
ing. In January, the group
hosted its first family activity
night at the church, celebrat-
ing the legacy of Martin
Luther King Jr. The play park
offered child care and activi-
ties during the event.
She said they would like
to host events monthly.
“We would like to have
more opportunities like that
to help the community,” she
said.
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Delilah, left, and Aubrie, right, are regulars at the play park, accompanied by Aubrie’s
mom, Veronicca Stuller. As a daycare provider, she said the park “keeps me sane.”
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Toy cars, tractors, tricycles, play houses and slides are among the toys available at the play park. Children can explore their creativity at a craft table, too.