The Abington Lions Club raised more than $40,000 for the new equipment at Hillside Park in South Abington Township.
SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — It’s a new place for kids to play here at Hillside Park near Clarks Summit, and a new community project backed by the Abington Lions Club.
“When we go over and take a look at it, you’ll see it is an absolutely phenomenal playground,” said Joe Skinner.
Past district governor of the Lions Club, Skinner, helped raise a majority of the $40,000 for the updated playground project.
“The Lions Club, what we do is we just raise money and give it away,” said Skinner. “I love spending other people’s money.”
After over two decades’ worth of playtime, Skinner says the original set, which was donated by a local family, had served its purpose, and it was time for something new.
“This whole park is an absolute gem because, I mean, this is a credit to our community, no matter how you look at it,” said Skinner.
Several slides, a bridge, and soon-to-be swing sets were built and now sit idly by, waiting for the ice and snow to melt so the rest of the work can be done.
“When they put this together, the weather was terrible,” said Skinner. “I mean, it was windy. It was cold. Every piece of bad weather you could come up with hit them in the three days it took to build this playground.”
With warmer seasons ahead, Skinner hopes to see families enjoying the playground this spring.
“The snow, the ice, the cold, and the rain right now are our enemies, but once this thing is up and totally functional, this will be phenomenal,” said Skinner.
A new place where families can continue to play for decades more.