Shade Canopy Hoisted Over Blue Hole Playscape

Sunny days just got a lot more pleasant for kids and parents at the Blue Hole Park Playscape.

Thanks to donations from scores of Wimberley citizens – boosted by a $5,000 grant from the Pedernales Electric Co-op and a $10,000 anonymous gift – the Friends of Blue Hole “Shade By the Square Foot” launched a beautiful double-layered canopy last week, protecting the Playscape and all under it from fierce midday rays.

Since the Playscape was installed in 2012 many moms and dads often found the equipment was too hot for kids to comfortably use in Wimberley’s hottest months. Even the planting of donated shade trees around the Playscape offered little protection from direct sun rays.

Now a 36-foot square canopy sails above the play area and a cooler welcome awaits kids and families next summer. With the canopy overhead, the slide at the Blue Hole Playscape, usually “hotter than a 2-dollar toaster” for young arms and legs, will be a lot more welcoming.

Friends of Blue Hole, which led the “Shade by the Square Foot” campaign, collaborated with park staff and contracted with T.F. Harper and Associates. The campaign was launched after earning the unanimous approval of the 2017 Wimberley Parks Board and Wimberley City Council.

“This was a truly local collaboration,” said Friends Executive Director Susan Nenney. “We could not have done this without the support of the people of Wimberley, who saw the need and donated more than half the funds. Anyone who has brought their kids or grandkids to the park found the Playscape a wonderful play area. Now it’s even better.”