Kids will get to experience a life-sized Candyland board game

By Robert Williams

Editor

Feedback received by the Frazee Area Community Club stated members of the community are very interested in building a splashpad for children. The pad is tentatively slated to be added to Hank Ludtke Park, but is likely a plan that is three years out and will take close to $1 million to complete.  ¶  That fundraising begins in early April with a weekend of fun for children ages 3-7 at the Event Center where they can experience playing a life-sized version of the popular board game Candyland.  

¶  The full-size board game is the creation of Nelaina Daggett, owner of The Preschool Academy of Detroit Lakes.  ¶  “When the call came out for people to join the Splashpad committee I thought that was a great idea, so I joined, but I have no strong opinions on the design, the location, the budget, the timeline, so I didn’t know what my role would be,” Daggett said. “This is my way of contributing to this awesome project for our town.”

Daggett has been creating a life-sized Candyland and also a life-sized Chutes and Ladders with her students for a decade.

The projects began with a committee of preschool moms to create the first life-sized Candyland.

“I’ve been doing it, alternating with Chutes and Ladders, all these years,” Daggett said.

In her current preschool setting, Daggett doesn’t have room for either life-sized game, but she has many of the pieces from past games. She got in contact with Karen Pifher offering the game as a fundraiser for the Splashpad to put the pieces to use for a good cause.

“It’s kind of morphed into more than that now, there’s going to be a food component,” she said. “We’re also adding in some additional kids’ activities, as well.”

Some of the other kids’ games include bingo, a coloring station, a Play-Doh table and a Lego table, along with temporary tattoos.

While much of the game was in storage, making it a fun event for the community made Daggett want to create a team to complete what was missing and spruce up the board’s design for the kids.

“The really fun part has been working with this awesome group of people,” she said.

The group of contributors is lengthy, beginning with Sharon Trieglaff Jons and Kat Torgerson, who were utilizing space at Daggett Truck Lines on Wednesday, March 26, to create more art for the game. The trio have been joined by volunteers Heather Ware Nelson, Summer Johannsen and her daughter Aynslee, Marnie Larsen and her daughter Bristol, Melissa Lawrence and her daughter, among others.

All have a connection to Daggett, either as former fellow students, employees or Daggett having taught their children. 

“And then a few people who I didn’t know before the project like Joy Herbst and Andrea Froeber,” Daggett said. 

Daggett also has a student intern helping the project from Instructor Amy VanValkenburg’s Child Development Class in Detroit Lakes.

Miss Frazee Madison Olson is spearheading fundraising efforts for both the Splashpad and Pickleball projects. Olson spoke about both at the Frazee Community Club’s annual meeting two weeks ago. Olson and Miss Teen Frazee Neveah Wirth will be helping out over the weekend.

“It’s not just a Frazee contingent either, there’s people getting involved who maybe aren’t as connected to the project as some of us might be,” said Daggett.

Along with the volunteers, Daggett hopes children from surrounding communities also come to the Event Center to have a day of fun.

“We would love to have a large draw from other communities, as well,” she said. “Everyone is welcome.”

The event is sponsored by Daggett’s Preschool Academy of Detroit Lakes, The Frazee Area Community Club and Creating Community Consulting.

Life-Sized Candyland at the Frazee Event Center

Friday, April 4 4-7 p.m.

Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Sunday, April 6 Noon-3 p.m.

Free will offering for kids ages 3-7

$10 per child suggested donation