As Stella's Playground plans advance, Northwestern Mutual inclusive park welcomes all to lakefront
When Sarah Pancheri visits the grounds of Summerfest, it's not uncommon for her to hear a child shout, "I want to go to the rainbow park!"
Pancheri is the president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, which hosts Summerfest and ethnic fesivals along the lakefront each year. Northwestern Mutual Community Park opened in 2021, and can be used every day, weather permitting, not just when a festival is going on. It opened for this season on March 10.
And yes, rainbows are part of its design.
Pancheri and others wanted families to know about the park as plans advance for Stella's Playground.
That playground, planned to open at Resevoir Park by summer 2026, would give the City of Milwaukee its first universally accessible and inclusive playground. The playground's name honors Stella Schneider, now 8, who was 6 years old when diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her brain. Dozens of life-saving surgeries required her to relearn how to swallow, walk, talk and smile.
In recovery, Stella found she was unable to play on a typical playground, and that set in motion a series of steps that led to this month's announcement. Technically, all Milwaukee parks are accessible, but the standards are not particularly high, city officials said.
The city will be working with Play By Design, a company focused on all-inclusive playground structures that has worked on Possibility Playground in Port Washington, Burnstad's Adventure Playground in Tomah, Dream Playground at Petzke Park in Kenosha, and Kayla's Playground in Franklin.
More: The story behind Stella's Playground, which could be Milwaukee's first inclusive playground
Pancheri said the vision behind Northwestern Mutual Community Park took shape during the COVID pandemic, when families struggled to find outdoor opportunities for their children. As ideas for developing that part of the grounds took shape, accessibility became central.
"We wanted to make sure that families with all types of children could enjoy the space," Pancheri said.
Amenities include enhanced play equipment on soft terrain that is wheelchair-accessible, sensory rooms for attendees who get overstimulated, and family restrooms with full-size changing tables for babies, children and adults requiring an assistant.
In partnership with Northwestern Mutual, four family fun days are set for the coming months.
June 8: It makes sense that the kickoff family-friendly event is themed around Summerfest. Activities and programming will feature Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, TBEY Arts Center, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Club SciKidz, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Discovery World, Wellpoint Care Network, Pretty Girls Are Educated, and more.
July 13: July's theme will revolve around family health and wellness. Activities and programming will feature Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club, Playworks, Milwaukee Flyers, American Cancer Society, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, TBEY Arts Center, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Wellpoint Care Network, Pretty Girls Are Educated, and more.
August 3: August is all about celebrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM. Families can expect activities and programming from Club SciKidz, STEAM Milwaukee, UWM Planetarium, Gearbox Labs, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, TBEY Arts Center, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Wellpoint Care Network, Pretty Girls Are Educated, and more.
September 7: For the final event, the theme is performing arts. It will feature activities and programming from TBEY Arts Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Studio K Flamenco, Skylight Music Theatre, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Wellpoint Care Network, Pretty Girls Are Educated, and more.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A not-so-hidden gem on Summerfest grounds is its accessible park
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