The Honesdale People's Playground Project

In the fall of 2025 all of the playground equipment in Honesdale’s Central Park was suddenly removed. Startled and saddened by the sudden loss of a beloved family gathering place, a handful of Honesdale residents began to organize as the People’s Playground Project. Our goal quickly grew from simply replacing equipment to reimagining the playground as an accessible and welcoming space that would invite people of all ages and abilities – not just families with young children – to relax and enjoy Honesdale outdoors together.  

More than fifteen hundred community members of all ages have participated in a series of surveys and design sessions to help create an inclusive, shared vision for this space that celebrates the unique character of Honesdale. With this vision in hand, we hope to begin installing equipment this year!  

Your NEPA Gives donations will support Phase I of the installation: a corridor of swings. Swings were the most popular choice of playground equipment in our surveys, but a playground is more than swings and slides. It’s a symbol of a town’s growing life, a place where memories are made, friendships begin, and childhood thrives.

Money collected for the People's Playground Project will be held in a safe account by the Wayne County Community Foundation and can legally only be used by the borough of Honesdale to establish a playground in Central Park.