Did you know that it’s been almost a year since Mt. Merrill officially opened?! Every Saturday, it is teeming with children running up the hills and zooming down the slides, thoroughly enjoying the outdoors. Even on weekdays, families play there with home-schooled children or teachers with groups of children from nearby schools or the YMCA. They love it, as you can see here on our Flickr page.
The success of the play area has brought to our attention the need for some additional enhancements. We want to share them with you in the hopes that you would consider making an “anniversary donation” to Mount Merrill. Our needs include:
- Benches for parents and grandparents to sit and watch their children
- Permanent fencing to protect children from rolling into the creek
- Water fountain to keep everyone hydrated and happy
Our goal is $20,000.00 and we hope you will consider making a gift to keep Durham Central Park a place where everyone can enjoy the great outdoors. Donations can be made online at Durham Central Park’s secure web site www.durhamcentralpark.org/donate/ or by mailing a check to PO Box 1526, Durham, NC 27702 with Mt Merrill in the memo line.
Mt. Merrill was built on community support. It is named in memory of Merrill Davis, the son of George Davis from Stone Brothers and Byrd. During his lifetime, Merrill loved and supported DCP. He got the grass to grow in the terribly hard soil after the Pavilion was built, he got married in the Park, and was always willing to pitch in and help build the park you know and love today. After Merrill died tragically in a car accident in 2012, the community came together, through donations large and small, to build this one-of-a-kind play area in his honor.
If you haven’t had a chance to visit and enjoy Mt. Merrill, we hope that you will visit sometime soon. It’s fun for kids of all ages! Even our Executive Director is known to run up the rocks and slide down the slide from time to time. Thank you for considering supporting and enhancing Mt. Merrill and Durham Central Park. Play on!
