Fun in the
Medford Summer Solstice event celebrates season and dedication of playground project
After nearly a decade of work, on June 17, the city of Medford celebrated the dedication of the final phase of the Our Village accessible playground project.
The Our Village Playground Committee first met in November 2016 and since that time they have helped build inclusive and new playground areas in Phase 1 of Medford City Park opened in 2019, Medford Area Elementary School opened in 2020, Medford Area Middle School opened in 2021, Stetsonville Elementary School opened in 2022, and Phase 2 in Medford City Park which was officially dedicated this week.
Committee members included: Joseph Greget, Mike Daniels, Chuck Prihoda, Sarah Faude, Jen Buskerud, Malinda Gumz, Carol Wieman from Medford Schools, Joe Harris of City of Medford, Hunter Hill, Amanda Lange of Aspirus, John Lange of Nicolet Bank, Patty Krug and Shirley Lemke of area Lions Clubs, Brian Wilson of the Medford Kiwanis Club, and Mike and Judy Brandner of Gowey Abstract & Title Company, Inc.
“We remember in 2004 Medford Schools hiring a young Director of Special Education named Joseph Greget. The first phone call he ever received was from a parent named Cathy Mayrer who told him about her son Jack
with autism and how he would need a village of family, school, and community to raise him. What all of us have learned since that time is it is does take a village but it also takes our children in our village to raise us up and make us better. This is why we refer to this as Our Village Playground area inside Medford City Park because it has taken our whole village to make this happen,” Greget said.
Greget also took time to recognize the youngster who inspired the playground projects, but who passed away before seeing them completed.
“We remember our special friends who did not get a chance to play here like Gabe our Superhero, Chase, and Emmersyn may your friends and families come here to play and think of you,” Greget said. He also gave a special recognition and remembrance of Anne Fleegel who died earlier this year after a battle with cancer. “One of her last wishes was to finish the fundraising for this playground so her own children and future grandchildren, nieces and nephews, her friends’ kids, and our special education and all students could all come here and play. We recognize the Fleegel Family Memorial for their contributions,” Greget said. “We recognize each and all of you who are here today and those who will come to play. Thank you for being a part of our community and family,” Greget said to the crowd of several hundred families and children.
Following Greget’s presentation, Saige Fettes sang the National Anthem. Greget noted that in 2019 Fettes, then a third grade girl in Jacque Grunewald’s classroom, “gave Mr. Joe two quarters for new playground equipment at MAES in memory of her friend Emmersyn.”
Following the ribbon cutting, those in attendance participated in a number of activities including chalk drawing, oversized games, open swimming in the city pool, pizza courtesy of Nestlé Pizza Company, a stilt walker and a magician.
Kiwanis Club members were on hand to give out bike helmets and provide information on bicycle safety. The helmets were made possible through the help of Aspirus.
There were also a number of resource tables at the event with information for parents and youth.
