MONMOUTH – A busy group of volunteers hopes to replace a few swings, a couple of basketball hoops and an asphalt surface with a new playground at the middle school.

The Monmouth Community Playground Committee is holding a benefit golf tournament Aug. 20 at Springbrook Golf Club in Leeds to raise money for the playground.

A dozen volunteers so far have raised about $30,000 – through a capital campaign, a father-daughter dance, a mother-son bowling tournament, and other fundraisers over the past two years, said Kristy Vickerson, treasurer of the playground committee. The committee needs to raise $80,000 for the new playground structure, which will include new swings and slides and new basketball hoops. The group is still looking at estimates for the surfacing, which could be bark chips, rubberized material or grass, Vickerson said.

“We’re just trying to do something to help the kids,” she said. “We have a strong group of parents involved.”

The golf tournament, a four-person scramble format, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start. The fee is $75 for adults and $50 for children under 18. The price includes a light breakfast, a luncheon, and prizes.

Contact Vickerson at 933-3680 or Doug Beck at 933-5241.