THANK YOU to all our Playground Sponsors!

Grateful for our generous sponsors for donating to our accessible playground project!

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

NORTHERN LIGHTS DONOR - $50,000 AND UP

• DNR Partnership Match Program

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund

LAKE MICHIGAN SUNSETS DONOR - $10,000 TO $49,999

• Manistee County, ARPA Fund

• Minger Family Endowment Fund of the Manistee County Community Foundation

BEECH-HEMLOCK FOREST DONOR - $5,000 TO $9,999

• Goody's Juice & Java (and their generous customers) 

APPLE BLOSSOMS DONOR - $1,000 TO $4,999

• Courtney & Ryan Gilmore

• Geoffrey Roland Paine Family Charitable Fund of the Manistee County Community Foundation

• Karen & Daryl Goodman

• Linda & John DeVries

• Meijer Inc., Manistee

• Raini & Mark Gilmore

• Roger Deno in Loving Memory of Donna Gayle Livingston Deno

• Sandra & Don Pelarski

• Sheila & George Culbert

• Specialty Engineering LLC - Lorrie & Phil Manthei

ROLLING LIMESTONE DONOR - $100 TO $999

• Anita & Dale Preister

• Amanda & David Messman

• Amy Hagerman

• Cathy & Gary Sonneville

• Chris & Ed Kolanowski

• Colleen Berns in memory of Laura Stacey

• Donna & Ervin Kowalski

• Family Fare Corporation 

• Kathy & Dennis Cromer in memory of Laura Lynn (Cromer) Stacy

• Howard Gilmore in honor of Andrew & Hannah Gilmore

• In loving memory of Ellen & Gordon Heins

• Jane & Max Lawler

• Janice & Timothy Sapak

• Janie & Dominic Saltarelli

• Kate & Dan Perry

• Kathy Bernaciak

• Kathy & Jim Berish

• Kelly & Tim Griffin

• Kendra & Mike Thompson 

• Margaret & Daniel Lockman

• Maryann & Mike Falardeau

• Mary Kay & Steve Gould

• Mikki Pieper

• Lakeside Club 

• Linda & Melvin Kruse

• Linke’s Body Shop

• Lisa & Tom Heins

• Lori & Tom Perri

• Lynn Marie Williams

• Manistee Lions Club

• Pat & Rich Cederholm

• Rebecca Young 

• Sports Ink - Sharon Monnot

• Susan Wagner

• Susan & Robert Zalupski

• Suzanne & John Riley

• Theresa O’Leary

• Tom Culbert

• Unsalted Vacations

• Anonymous

CAMPFIRES AND S’MORES - CASH DONATIONS UNDER $100.00 

• Amanda Shumaker

• Ann & James Makowski

• Annette & Thomas Swanson in Memory of Harvey & Mary Swanson and family

• Annie & Jim Miller

• Catherine & Sam Cinquegrani

• Cynthia & Ron Netzky

• Deb & Bernie Pieczynski

• Ellen & Ron Judd

• Farrah & Craig Merges 

• Ginny & Paul Bosschem

• Gwen & Mike Daar

• Jennifer & Mathew LaMore

• Judith Tabaczka

• Juliana Fancher

• Kalli Reid

• Karen & Art Fredericks

• Kathleen Saurbier 

• Linda & Duane Young

• Linda & Ken Kuk 

• Mary & George Thayer

• MaryLynn Wrzesinski 

• Molly & McBride

• Nancy Holstad

• Ruth & Ken Cooper

• Schwaiger Appraisals

• Sharon Marie 

• Sheila & Thomas Brunner

• Susan & Michael Wrzesinski

• Tammy & Timm Smith

• William T. Parker

• Anonymous

SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR OBTAINING GRANTS

• Sanders & Czapski Associates - Bill Sanders

• Past & Present DNR OBSP Supervisor and Rangers

• Past & Present Manistee Township Board Members

• Past & Present FOBSP Board Members

Want to join the sponsors above to build an ADA compliant playground? You can donate to our 401C via check, credit card or PayPal! Contact us via email Administrator@orchardbeachfriends.org and we will help you, help us!

Please email "Administrator@orchardbeachfriends.org" if you know of a name that is missing from this list or is in the wrong category. 

June 2026 playground progress! Photo credit: Raini Gilmore

May 2026 playground progress! Photo credit: Raini Gilmore

Funding came from sources including the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Manistee County Community Foundation’s Minger Family Endowment Fund, an American Rescue Plan Act grant approved by the Manistee County Board of Commissioners and individual donors. Manistee Township acted as fiduciary for the project. 

Park supervisor Dan Young said accessibility was only part of the challenge. Because the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the design needed to reflect its 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps structures.

“A traditional red, white and blue playground would clash with the historic character,” Young said earlier this year. “Extra care went into the design to help it blend with nature.”

Friends group treasurer Sandy Pelarski said the project has grown well beyond what the group first envisioned in 2019.

“It really has expanded, and it’s been five years since we started,” Pelarski had said in a prior interview. “From what we have been told, there isn’t another one in northern Michigan with this many things for (accessible) access.” 

Additional fundraising is underway to support enhancements such as shade structures, musical instruments and kinetic art pieces that could be added once the playground is open.

Good news is out there if you look for it

By Ken Grabowski 

Opinion Page, News Advocate from 2/2/2023

Sometimes it’s hard not to be depressed when we hear about all the negative things taking place in the world today.

Probably the best way to fight off some of those depressing thoughts is to search for one “good news” story or event every day. You may have to search for them some days, but they are out there if you take the time to look.

The amazing part of it is once you locate a “good news” story taking place right in our own backyard it can really lift Your spirits twice as much. More importantly, it can make us forget a lot of the depressing details of what is going on elsewhere, which is just good medicine for our mental health.

A story that put a big smile on my face recently was how the Orchard Beach State Park Playground Fund Committee has surpassed its goal. Orchard Beach State Park offers so many wonderful things the public can enjoy at the park, but one area that was in need of upgrades was a playground.

The story also was yet another of how positive teamwork between different groups can take a great idea and turn it into amazing results. The project is a joint effort of the Friends of Orchard Beach State Park and local parents with children who have disabilities who both had the single goal of doing something great at the state park for kids.

When fundraising efforts began, the plan they came up with was calling for $450,000 of improvements. It was an ambitious goal, but many times great ideas and dedicated volunteers can pull off amazing things.

Step one was put in place when the group of dedicated volunteers began raising funds to turn it into a reality. However, it was in December when the group was blessed with a holiday gift by being awarded a $300,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. It just goes to show good things happen to people doing great things for their community. In this instance it raised the total number of funds for the project to around $600,000 surpassing their goal and more importantly giving them the opportunity to add items to their plans.

Does it get any better than that? I really don’t think so, but more importantly it reminds all of us there is “good news” stories happening all around us every day. The world isn’t all negative or at least it isn’t in Manistee, Michigan.

You just have to love that it will be an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) park meaning “all kids,” including those with disabilities, will have the opportunity to “just be kids.” If reading those words doesn’t put a smile on your face then I don’t know what will.

More importantly opening additional doors to those kids facing challenges in their lives is something needed for quite some time in this area. Having people in this area working hard to see those dreams come true is something we all can look to with great pride because it makes us a better community.

It is good news of the best kind as Orchard Beach State Park ranks up there in significance with all of Manistee’s other historic landmarks. The park has been around for many years and is something to be treasured for what it brings to this area.

When the playground is completed it will include things like a climbing wall, hill slide, balance logs and basket swing among other things. All will be designed with ADA compliance in mind.

From an overall park perspective it is another feather in the cap of Orchard Beach State Park. A lot of money has been invested in the park in recent years and every addition is a good one adding to what it has to offer the public.

The recent relocation of the shelter house away from the edge of the shoreline where it was close to falling into Lake Michigan to the front of the park has opened the door to make it one of the great gathering spots in this area. It is now a perfect location for picnics, gatherings, family reunions, weddings and so much more.

Even better is where can you hold an event of that nature with a “Million Dollar View” of Lake Michigan right in front of you. The playground is going to be located right next to the shelterhouse which isn’t just good — it’s perfect.

Right across the street are fantastic hiking trails currently being utilized by many Manistee County residents adding to what the Orchard Beach State Park has to offer.

The best part of it all is the Orchard State Park has become a point of destination both for the visitors of this area and to the ones who call it home. Organizers of the playground invite everyone to check out online at orchardbeachfriends.org .

So don’t be despondent when hearing the news of the day and keep searching for the good news stories to stay positive because they are out there if you look for them. More importantly it will put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart long after when I see you again on Monday.

Ken Grabowski is the retired associate editor at the Manistee News Advocate who spent more than 36 years in the newspaper business.

Playground project surpasses funding goal

By Scott Fraley

STAFF WRITER News Advocate from 1/19/2023

MANISTEE – A proposed playground at Orchard Beach State Park is one step closer to becoming reality now that sufficient funds have been secured for the project to move forward.

A $300,000 trust fund grant was awarded in late December by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the construction of a universally accessible playground at Orchard Beach.

Doug Barry, DNR Parks and Recreation Division supervisor for Orchard Beach State Park, said the grant, along with money already raised for the project, means around $600,000 will be available — $150,000 more than is needed according to initial estimates. With additional funding available for the project, Barry said an immediate next step could be to revise plans which were drawn up around a goal of $450,000.

“I think the original plan … was for $450,000 for the playground, so we have to redesign that, which is a good thing,” he told members of the Manistee Township Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Jan. 12.

“It’s a good problem to have.”

The playground project is a collaboration between groups like the Friends of Orchard Beach State Park and local parents with children who have disabilities.

“A lot of the playground designs, they call them ADA where you can back somebody up to a slide with a wheelchair and it has thicker steps and then the kids can just push their way up the stairs of the slide, and they can call that ADA (accessible),” Barry had said in a prior News Advocate interview in September.

Conceptual plans for the playground include features such as a climbing wall, hill slide, balance logs and a basket swing. The playground is planned to be located adjacent to the park’s shelterhouse. It is unclear at this time when development of the playground may begin. Barry said that he and members of the friends group received word that the grant application had been accepted by the DNR shortly before Christmas.

According to the DNR ranking system for parks and trails, a majority of the trails, parks and beaches across Manistee County rank in the low to moderate American with Disabilities Act accessibility category, particularly the farther one gets from the city of Manistee. The playground will be accessible for all age groups and located within the day use area, according to the Friends of Orchard Beach website. It will include “ADA transfer points” for users with limited abilities and accessible play surfaces.

The friends group is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to promote the use of the park by all residents and visitors. For more information on the playground project, visit orchardbeachfriends.org.

What does "inclusive" mean for this future playground? 

Inclusive and barrier-free means that the play space, playground or open space set aside for play must be accessible and usable, without restriction, for all children, adolescents, adults and older people. Everyone, with or without disabilities or with special needs should be able to play together on the same footing.