Windward Beach Playground Reopening, Time Capsule Burial Planned

A long-awaited, new playground at Windward Beach Park will make its debut next week at a ceremony that will also include the burial of a time capsule.

The playground will have a tree theme, said Mayor John Ducey, allowing children to simulate climbing through trees. The playground is also interactive and makes sounds as kids run, jump and climb through.

The playground will officially open July 22 with a ribbon cutting ceremony that will also include the burial of a time capsule 14 years in the making.

"It’s just been sitting down in our archives department," said Ducey, of the capsule, which was supposed to be buried in 2000.

The capsule was originally buried near the old Steinbach's department store (now Bon Ton) at Brick Plaza in 1964, and was dug up in 2000 at a ceremony that included the mayor and council at the time.

It was supposed to be repacked and reburied for a 2050 opening, but for some reason no one seems to remember, it never happened.

"I don’t know why it wasn’t buried, but it’s sat there for 14 years and it’s finally going in the ground," said Ducey.

The capsule won't be reopened to account for the leaps in technology over the last 14 years, as it is still designed to symbolize the year 2000. The opening date of 2050 won't change either, Ducey said.

Details on the exact time of the playground reopening and burial ceremonies will be posted on Brick Patch as soon as they are officially announced.

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Editor's note: The time capsule was buried at Steinbach's in 1964. An earlier version of this story said it was buried there in 1950.