STRONG – According to her mother, 6-year-old Sammy Crockett couldn’t wait for the new playground to open behind the elementary school in Strong. She and her siblings wasted no time arriving there Friday on opening day.

There was no fanfare, no ribbon cutting and no dignitaries but that didn’t mar the enthusiasm of area children who climbed, swung and slid on the intricate structure with delight.

Loriann Crockett watched several of her children enjoy the playground Friday. Her husband, Larone Crockett, is a custodian at the school and spent many hours constructing the maze-like structure. It was a family affair really. Both their 13-year-old boys and some of their girls were volunteers.

Larone Crockett estimates that there were more than 75 volunteers who helped with the construction and land preparation. He said he couldn’t begin to guess the number of man-hours that went into the project but all were gratis. The school’s principal, teachers and community members spent many hours on the project as did Quenten Clark, the district’s superintendent who brought his own tractor to haul wood chips that were spread below the entire structure.

Crockett said that the cost of the playground was minimal. Only the wood chips and equipment incurred any cost, he said. He said he was impressed with the community’s involvement citing 20 volunteers who showed up recently to assemble the structure.

He was doubly impressed with the involvement of the district’s superintendent.

“He’s a special guy,” he said.

Clark said that he was all for the playground understanding that it would be constructed entirely by volunteer labor.

“I just didn’t know that I’d be the one digging the post holes,” he said laughing.

Crockett said that the school’s principal was also there every day occasionally bringing her husband.

According to Kevin Crockett, 13, there are 12 inches of wood chips spread below the entire playground. A tractor-trailer filled with the chips delivered them to the site. Volunteers used tractors, shovels and rakes to spread the soft, injury-reducing material.

T.J. Crockett, the other 13-year-old volunteer, said it went well, in reference to the construction process.

“It rocks and funner than the last playground,” said his 13-year-old brother Kevin.

As for 6-year-old Sammy, “It’s good and it’s fun,” she said hanging from a handhold.