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A trail for everyone: Thurmont adds sensory stations to Eyler Road Park

Frederick News-Post - 5/4/2022

May 5—Kids have some new equipment to try out at Thurmont'sEyler Road Park.

With funding from the Catonsville-based Foundation for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the Catoctin Area Civitan Club installed nine "sensory stations" around the park's paved walking paths last week.

Each play area is designed to stimulate children's senses through touch, auditory and visual elements.

Kids can climb through a short, textured blue tunnel at one station, balance on a circular springboard at another and spin a yellow noisemaker at yet another. The trail also features bongo drums, a balance beam and a set of parallel bars.

Even though the sensory stations were designed with children with autism and intellectual disabilities in mind, they're meant for all kids to enjoy, Thurmont Chief Administrative Officer Jim Humerick said.

It's a great example of how a project can meet the specialized needs of one group of children, but make sure there's no separation between them and their peers, he said.

"All kids should be able to play together," he said.

Ginger Malone, secretary for the local Civitan club and governor of the global service organization's Chesapeake District, walked through the new sensory trail on Wednesday afternoon. She's looking forward to showing the stations to her two grand-nephews, she said.

Her favorite play area includes five short colorful poles dug into the mulch, each topped with a big butterfly. Kids can run their fingers along the bumps that dot each butterfly or practice their balance on the platforms attached to each pole.

A long-time special education assistant for Frederick County Public Schools, Malone pitched the idea for a sensory trail to the Catoctin Area Civitan Club a few years ago.

Malone, who lives in Rocky Ridge, thought it would be a great addition to Eyler Road Park, which is a popular place for soccer games and practices to take place. She figured the stations would give kids something to do as their older siblings played.

Then, last year, Thurmont added a paved path to the park using money from Program Open Space, a grant initiative funded by Maryland'sDepartment of Natural Resources.

Civitan International is a volunteer organization focused on serving people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Thurmont's local chapter has also designed and helped fund inclusive playgrounds in the town's East End Park and Emmitsburg.

It received a grant for roughly $26,000 from the Foundation for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for the Eyler Road Park project. The club hired the Thurmont-based Playground Specialists Inc. to install the sensory stations.

"I like to keep things local," Malone said.

The company finished the project late last week.

From the first day the play areas have been open, Malone and Humerick have seen kids putting them to use.

"It's kind of cool, isn't it?" Humerick said.

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