This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Summer Playground Program Begins At Covered Bridge Park, Schools

South Whitehall's free summer program offers a variety of activities and entertainment for Parkland residents at three locations.

For youngsters wondering how to spend their summer days, South Whitehall Township has a cure for their boredom -- its six-week playground program.

Funded by South Whitehall Township, the nearly 40-year-old program is open to children in the Parkland School District, providing opportunities to play sports, make crafts, play games and more, both outdoors and indoors.

On Monday, June 27, at Covered Bridge Park, children took advantage of the sunny day with a picnic lunch on the playground. They burned off energy on the swings and jungle gym and by playing games.

Find out what's happening in South Whitehallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Afterward they headed into the pavilion to cool down before their parents picked them up. The fun continued as they sat on each other in a game of musical chairs and called each other out for talking in a game known as "Silent Ball."

Today, the children played ball games in the parking lot. Sidewalk chalk artwork covered the ramp leading to the pavilion entrance. Youngsters ran in and out of the building trying to decide which of the many activities they wanted to do.

Find out what's happening in South Whitehallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We vary the program,” South Whitehall Parks and Recreation Director said. “You go from day to day. You never know what we’re going to be doing because sometimes the sillier the better. The kids seem to enjoy it.”

The free program got under way Monday at Covered Bridge Park and Cetronia and Parkway Manor elementary schools, with more than 60 youngsters participating at the three sites. It continues through Aug. 5.

Former South Whitehall Park Director Doug Bilheimer began the summer playground program. Derricott along with her late husband, Bill Derricott, stepped in to open a program at . Derricott soon became in charge of the daily crafts and, now, the entire operation.

The program has ever since been a part of Derricott’s life as well as the lives of many local child campers and college-age counselors.

“It’s not like all the other camps,” said Avery Cope, a seventh grader at who has been attending the summer playground program since the end of third grade.

“You can kind of be free for a bit, like you don’t have to stick with one activity and you don’t have to go with everyone to do one activity. You can kind of go off on your own.”

Casey Fager, a junior at Millersville University and resident of Upper Macungie, has been a counselor in the program for five years. She is now the Head Counselor at Covered Bridge Park.

“I just like working with the kids, they’re a lot of fun,” Fager said. “I look forward to them coming back every year and planning our different tie-dye day and the pizza party.”

The program gets children away from the television and outside to play on the playground, compete with each other in organized sports games, make crafts, and more. The counselors organize activities such as sports tournaments and junk food day.

“We discourage the kids from bringing electronic games and phones and all of that with them, because they can play by themselves with those things anytime," Derricott said. "And this is a time for them to get outside, play with their friends, and actually sit down at a board game and play it, or do something that they have to think about like arts and crafts.” 

Orefield Middle School seventh grader Cameron Laudenslager has been attending the playground program since the end of second grade.

He said he likes “hanging out with my friends and doing stuff I wouldn’t get to do over the summer basically, like playing pool, playing four square outside, and going to the playground.”

“You can go outside and eat lunch on the picnic tables,” said Jackson Beman, a second grader at Kernsville Elementary School.

Derricott said, “Kids need time to relax just the same way we do, but when they relax they want to have some activity, so we try to plan a real active and varied program for them.” 

The program is held Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Covered Bridge Park, Cetronia Elementary, and Parkway Manor Elementary.  Any Parkland resident that has completed kindergarten through sixth grade is welcome to attend. The program is of no cost to campers.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from South Whitehall