Darrell’s Dream Boundless Playground at Warriors’ Path State Park will be closed Saturday, April 24 for a Day of Service as volunteers clean up the site. The workday is organized by the Friends of Warriors’ Path State Park in partnership with Tennessee State Parks and several community groups.

The park will remain open overall to visitors April 24, but access to the playground will be restricted from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. In the event of rain, the volunteer cleanup will be rescheduled for Saturday, May 1.

With the support of local businesses and community groups, the cleanup includes several maintenance projects, as well as replenishing rubber mulch in the play areas, pressure washing the playground equipment, weeding the playground and rain gardens, and restocking the sand island. Organizers hope to have nearly 150 volunteers participating.

Children of all abilities learn and play at the playground. Its first phase opened at Warriors’ Path in April 2007. In 2012, phase four, the Palmer Center Foundation Amphitheater, was completed.

“This is an important event for Warriors’ Path State Park, and we are grateful to all the groups who are pitching in,” Park Manager Sarah Leedy said. “The playground is a special experience for visitors to the park, and we want it to remain the highest quality possible.”

The park continues to maintain COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing. Masks, gloves, and sanitizers will be provided for volunteers.

Warriors’ Path was the first state park in the nation to provide a Boundless Playground for visitors. The playground complex includes an area for children ages 2-5, an area for children ages 5-12, a sand island, and the a-“MAZE”-ing interactive area. In addition, there is an eight-station interactive Braille Trail, with the theme of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and a Treehouse Trail, with a fully accessible tree house where children can learn about the history of Warriors’ Path State Park and the native wildlife there. Signs for those trails are being refurbished.

The Day of Service is made possible by many community partners. Sponsors who have donated time, goods and/or services include: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; ACC Community Workers; Celebration Church; Christ Fellowship Church; Celebration Church; the City of Kingsport; Hardee’s (Capstone Restaurants); Mycroft Signs; First Baptist Church Youth Group; Food City; Kingsport Jaycees; Kiwanis Club of Kingsport; Lions Club of Kingsport; Northeast Tennessee Master Gardeners; Palmer Center Foundation; Faris Properties LLC (McDonald’s); Dobyns-Bennett and Sullivan South Key Clubs; Tribal Members of the Remnant Yuchi Nation; Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Achieves students; and Walmart Super Centers of Kingsport. Food City is providing bagged lunches due to pandemic protocols with canned drinks and ice tea.

Neighbors, churches and community groups are invited to volunteer. To find out more about the project and get involved, contact Leedy at (423) 239-8531, sarah.leedy@tn.gov,  or Mary Steadman with the Friends of Warriors’ Path State Park at (423) 956-4330, mesteadman@aol.com.

Darrell’s Dream Boundless Playground at Warriors’ Path State Park draws over 165,000 visitors per year. Efforts have been underway over the last year to refurbish all the Braille Trail interactive signs.  Audio QR codes have been added to new signs so visitors can listen to the audio via an app on a smart phone.

Organizers are giving special thanks to the Kingsport Lions Club, the Kiwanis Club of Kingsport, and Palmer Center Foundation for their financial support. It has been 10 years since the Lions Narnia Braille Trail opened. The signs were beginning to deteriorate from the sun and weather. Without the help the improvements would not have been possible.

More information on the park can be found online, as well as more information on the playground.