Twenty-seven years of scraped knees, slides, tag and swinging. Twenty-seven years of first girlfriends, summer afternoons and meeting friends. Twenty-seven years of playground fun will be reset this Friday when trucks pull up, all the way from Levis, Quebec, carrying Centennial Park’s new playground.

But before the new playground is ready to go, the Slide for Pride Playground Society will need adult volunteers from the community to help with unloading and putting the playground together.

Four shifts, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, need to be filled with 15-20 people, says Slide with Pride founder Tony Carlton.

The not-for-profit organization, that has been at work raising funds for the project since April 2008, will have new slides and a climbing structure, worth $100,000 when it’s all said and done that will compliment the bouldering wall, sandbox, amphitheatre and other structures that will be put in place by the town and the Rotary Club.

Carlton said he’s already got five volunteers from Atco gas, as well as seven per shift from the Jasper Rotary Club, but still needs another dozen. Volunteers will help with unloading and installation of the playground and will receive complimentary lunch, dinner and refreshments. Carlton said volunteers don’t need any experience. “Sockets and ratchets are all we’ll really need,” he said. “Once they call me to book it (a shift), I’ll tell them what they’ll need.”

According to Carlton, Slide with Pride had two standards it had to meet: One, that it was Canadian-made, and two, that it meets not only Canadian, but North American playground standards. After looking at pricing, quality and service, and utilizing connections from Carlton’s business as a trucking insurance broker, Slide with Pride chose Canadian playground manufacturer Jambette, based out of Levis, Quebec.

Carlton said the new playground will be constructed by a stringer system, which means it will have 90 per cent less concrete in the foundation than the old one, and like most new playgrounds, it will have much more of an emphasis on climbing, with fewer platforms.

“Platforms have become much more expensive, and now the emphasis is to get kids moving and climbing, on chains, rock walls,” said Carlton.

He said the price and service with Jambette has been outstanding, and that they’ve already had people out here about five times for the project. 

Carlton also mentioned that Slide with Pride still appreciates donations, as they are still short $15,000, which, he said, is pretty good, considering what the total project is costing.

People wishing to volunteer can email Tony Carlton at tony@houstoninsurancebrokers.com or call 780-852-0139 to confirm the shift.