New Britain herald., 1927-08-11
new PLAYGROUND
PROVES A SUCCESS
About 100 Children PatroniZe
Recreation Place Daily
WINS LARGE CONTRACTS
A. DiNIarco Has $4,000 Jobs
Factory League Tonight-Alumni
Reunion Committee to Meet
Blues Ready for Serie-Briefs.

Reunion Committee to Meet
Blues Ready for Series-Briefs.
The playground established at the
Broad street school grounds this
summer by the Plainville Graded
School Alumni association has prov
ed itself success, the director and
playground committee believe, about
100 children patronizing the place
on an average day. At first there
was a great rush OF youngsters to
the newly opened place, but the
! novelty wore off and the second
| week was very hot one. attend
ance falling off sharply. Since then
| it has built up again steadily, and
at one time yesterday afternoon 70
| children We're counted on the
grounds. There are number of
| children who come every day. some
! being on hand when the gates are
opened and leaving only when they
are driven out at the end Of the day.
! Others come once and are never
seen again. The majority are of
I neither type. but come fairly regu-
larly. Friday afternoon. movie aft
ernoon." is always bad, but the other
| days are usually good, and the
| weather has been such that the
playground has seldom been fore
! ed to close by rain.
The children are said to be OF a
better class than those who frequent
the city Fairgrounds. They cause al
most no trouble in the maintenance
of discipline, but they have not TAX
en- much interest In organized play.
The apparatus appeals to them and
they use the swing, slide, seesaws,
and jungle gym. but the odd thing is
that an old apple tree in the yard
is better liked for climbing than the
maze of bars in this jungle gym. In
cidentally. this tree has been the
cause of worry. for the children per-
sist in eating green apples. but so
far none of them have been taken
ill.
Eolley ball with a somewhat
makeshift ball is popular, and the
older boys and girls engage in this
sport almost all day long. alternat-
ing with quoits This Is the real odl-
fashioned variety. the contestants
tossing horseshoes procured from a
blacksmith shop. A peanut hunt
made a big hit last week and drew a
large number OF entrants. 1t has
leaked out now that the winner did
not find a single peanut himself, but
followed other boys around and
picked up those they dropped or left
in the caches they discovered. A
balloon game is being planned for
next Saturday if balloons can be
secured.
There Is sandpile for the small
est children. shovels for this hav-
ing been provided by the EDWIN
Hills Co. The most faithful attend
ants are two tiny pickaninnies who
sit in one corner OF klis sandpile
from one days end to another and
built their sand houses with hardly
a word between them.
Next year 1t is hoped that Junior
Achievement club can be started.
The novelty of the apparatus will
have worn off by then. but such Il
club would give them something to
work on and would keep their inter-
est at a high pitch.
Thus far there has been only one
accident at the playground. This oc-
CURED to a girl who was pushing
swing and did not back away, the
swing coming back and hitting her
in the face. The injury did not prove
serious.
The grounds will be open during
the alumni reunion on the 10th,
when those who sponsored the
recreation place will have chance
to see it In operation. 1t is believed
that the alumni will vote to continue
the playground under their auspices,
as 1t has been successful in keeping
large numbers of children off the
streets during the vacation period.
Awarded Large Contracts
A. DiMarco of West Main street
has been awarded three large con-
tracts, aggregating ss75.0O0. for the
laying of sewer mains In Westches-
ter county, New York. The contracts
are for sewer construction in the
towns of Port Chester. Rye, and Mr.
maroneck. Mr.. DiMarco is at present
finishing up a large job in White
Plains, n. Y, and will start on the
new contracts as soon as this is fin
ished. He plans to take up his resi-
dence In White Plains and will be
there for more than a year while
fulfilling these contracts.
Factory League Game
The Trumbull Electric and Peck
Spring baseball teams will face each
other against tonight at the high
school field in an effort to make
some progress in deciding the win