Squirts and sprays keep kids giggling

Published 9:53 pm Monday, June 1, 2009

LYNNWOOD — Never mind her jeans, her socks or her sneakers, Maddie Leonard wanted to get wet.

Her timing couldn’t have been better.

As the sun beat down Monday on Daleway Park, 3-year-old Maddie stood in the middle of a new water playground that had opened only hours before.

Above her, cool water flowed into a yellow bucket. Soon enough, Maddie knew, the wobbly bucket would fill — and spill. She was right.

“Here it comes!” she yelled to her mom, Becky, who was watching from a nearby picnic table.

Suddenly, the bucket tipped, splashing water everywhere, and drenching Maddie. She stared at her mom, shocked and silent.

“She’s probably freezing,” Becky said, laughing.

Finally, a huge smile broke across Maddie’s face. “Whooooaaa,” she said.

Daleway’s new water playground is one of two that Lynn­wood unveiled Monday, thanks to nearly $350,000 in state grants. North Lynn­wood Neighborhood Parks is the second park to get a grant.

Both water playgrounds are free and will be open daily this summer from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sept. 30.

At North Lynnwood Neighborhood Park, water sprays from the tail and head of a green dragon. At Daleway, the colorful buckets dangle from a quirky red toy. Both parks also feature water that squirts from jets in the ground.

Official ribbon cutting ceremonies are scheduled for later this summer, but the city wanted to turn on the spigots as soon as it could, said Lynn Sordel, the city’s parks director.

“It’s pretty cool stuff,” he said.

Go get wet

New water toys are installed at Daleway Park at 19015 64th Ave. W. and North Lynnwood Neighborhood Park at 18510 44th Ave. W.