The city of Bedford unveiled a new outdoor space for families Saturday — a musical playground designed to give children and their parents a safe place to play outside, all while sparking musical interest.
The ADA-accessible outdoor play area features a variety of life-size musical instruments, bringing a fun, new addition to the grounds adjacent to the historic 1915 Old Bedford School.
“This is a great addition for the arts here in the city of Bedford,” said resident Tracy Madewell. “My daughter is four and immediately took to it and just loved it.”
The project is part of Sparking Ice’s Cheers to You Town Beautification Projects. The company chose three cities around the nation with parks in need of restoration.
Bedford city leaders are especially pleased with the location of the play area.
“I think this park is in the perfect spot because Old Bedford School has always been about children and families so having something like this here just further galvanizes families and our kids to get together,” Mayor Michael Boyter said.
Rosako Bailey, owner of Rosako’s Soul Food and BBQ, was nominated as a “Hometown Hero” for Sparking Ice's Cheers to Heroes Program. Out of 3,000 nominees, he was awarded the grand prize of $10,000 and said he’s proud of what the project means for his community.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
“I think it’s wonderful to have a park where they can come and play music and have fun and play a little nursery rhymes and have fun with their families– that’s huge,” he said.
The kids and families who got a chance to enjoy the park for the first time said they’ll be coming back often.
“I think it’s going to be a regular occurrence for us to come out here and play at the park,” Madewell said.
The other 2020 Cheers to You Town Beautification projects include the restoration of a youth baseball league field in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and the installation of pickleball courts at a city park in Summerville, South Carolina.
