Kid Country Park opens on schedule with ribbon cutting

Written by Phil Cerroni

By Sissy Courtney

Despite the cold and blustery wind, blisters from swinging hammers and aching muscles from hauling lumber from a low pile to above their heads, the wide smiles on children’s faces and their exuberant squeals warmed the hearts of volunteers who had spent hours and hours from early morning until late at night Oct. 2 – 7 rebuilding Kid Country at 260 East Parkway Boulevard in Coppell.

At 5:15 p.m. Oct. 7, right on schedule the official ribbon, a chain of paper loops made by children, was cut by city officials and waiting children streamed into the park.

“Wow it’s amazing,” Coppell resident Juliet Odima said. “There’s so much to do, the ropes the slides; I think it’s not like any other park. You can accommodate so many children. I love the fact that they had the community come together and own a piece of this by working hard. I enjoyed bringing my family here. The kids felt so bad because they couldn’t volunteer because my girls are 9, 7 and 3.”

Odima said she and her husband got to work and to watch it all come together.

“What a joy now to play together in the same place I got to meet high school students, and they got to tell me all about their schools. They were so proud of being a part of this work,” Odima said.

Co-chairman of the park project Ed Guignon agreed.

“It’s fun, and it really brought the community together,” Guignon said.