Reside, leaders gather to celebrate the offficial opening of Castle Park following a months long community effort from fundraising to rebuild efforts
The sounds of laughter and children playing returned to one of Folsom’s most iconic play places Tuesday morning as Castle Park officially reopened, drawing a large crowd of residents, volunteers, city leaders and community partners to celebrate the completion of the long-anticipated rebuild of one of the city’s most cherished playgrounds.
The ceremony, hosted by Folsom Parks and Recreation, marked the culmination of a multi-year effort that combined public input, city investment, private fundraising and a community-driven construction effort that brought the historic park back to life. Families filled the grounds ahead of the 10 a.m. program at 201 Prewett Drive, with children eager to return to the newly rebuilt play structures as speakers reflected on the significance of the milestone.
City leaders took the stage to recognize the scope of the project and the broad support behind it. A ceremonial ribbon cutting officially reopened the park, and within moments, children flooded the play structures, climbing towers and crossing bridges as the park returned to life for the first time since its closure.
Parks and Recreation Director Kelly Gonzalez opened the ceremony by framing the moment as both a celebration and an investment in the future.
“Today, we celebrate more than the transformation of Castle Park. We are celebrating our investment in our children, our families, and the future of our community,” Gonzalez said.
Mayor Justin Raithel highlighted the scale of community involvement that made the project possible, noting that 54 community organizations and local businesses contributed more than $260,000 through donations, sponsorships and in-kind support.
“This project was truly built by the community,” Raithel said, recognizing partners including Wood Rogers, Granite Construction, Kaia Group and Leathers & Associates — the original builder of the playground that returned to help lead the 2026 rebuild.
Raithel also acknowledged a wide range of city staff and project leaders who played key roles in delivering the project, including Gonzalez, Communications Director Christine Braddard, Public Works Director Rebecca Neves, Library Director Tom Grunisen, Community Development Director Pam Johns, and members of the park planning and volunteer coordination teams.
Vice Mayor Anna Rohrbough emphasized the role of community input in shaping the new design, particularly the addition of inclusive features and the broader significance of the project.
“We listened to families of children with disabilities,” Rohrbough said. “Because of their voices, this park includes safety surfacing, a therapeutic swing and accessible play experiences so many more children and families can enjoy.”
She also reflected on the long path to reopening, recalling the period when the park sat closed and inaccessible.
After seeing the playground shut down and covered in caution tape in 2020, Rohrbough said the absence of the space was felt across the community, particularly by families who relied on it as a place for children to gather and play.
That experience, she said, helped drive efforts to prioritize the project in future city planning, including advocating for its inclusion in the city’s 2024 budget and ensuring the rebuild would reflect both community input and long-term needs.
Rohrbough noted that the project was shaped directly by residents, including more than 100 community members who participated in outreach efforts and children who shared drawings of their vision for the park.
She also emphasized that the community build was intended to create a sense of ownership, with more than 1,600 volunteers contributing to the construction effort.
“They didn’t just build a playground. They built memories before the park even opened,” she said.
Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Matt Hedges offered a personal reflection on the park’s impact, sharing how Castle Park influenced his family’s decision to move to Folsom.
Hedges recalled visiting a nearby home about a decade ago while considering relocating to the area. After the home tour, he and his family stopped at Castle Park, where they spent time playing and exploring the space.
He said that experience ultimately shaped their decision to move to the community, describing the park as a defining feature that made Folsom feel like home.
“This park is magical, and we wanted our daughter to grow up here,” Hedges said, noting that the park has held a special place in his family’s life ever since.
Tuesday’s reopening marked the completion of the Castle Park rebuild project, which moved from early planning discussions to full construction earlier this year and concluded with the community build and final site improvements. The milestone represents the end of a process that began several years ago as the original structure reached the end of its lifespan.
As previously reported in Folsom Times’ continued coverage, Castle Park was originally constructed in 1996 through a large-scale volunteer effort led by playground designer Robert Leathers and built by more than 1,000 community members. The castle-themed wooden playground quickly became one of the most recognizable and heavily used parks in the city, serving as a central gathering place for families and creating lasting memories for generations of residents.
After closing in the early 2020s due to safety concerns and structural deterioration, the park’s absence was widely felt across the community. Sections of the playground were eventually removed, leaving behind an empty space that became a focal point for future planning and a reminder of its importance to local families.
That closure set in motion a multi-year effort to rebuild the park in a way that would preserve its identity while meeting modern safety and accessibility standards. City leaders committed early on to maintaining the castle-themed design rather than replacing it with a conventional playground, shaping the direction of the project and reinforcing its connection to the past.
In 2025, the city launched a public outreach process inviting residents to help shape the next version of Castle Park. More than 100 community members participated, offering ideas, priorities and feedback. Children contributed drawings of their vision for the playground, while families emphasized the importance of maintaining the castle theme while improving safety and accessibility.
Input from families of children with disabilities played a significant role in shaping the final design, leading to the inclusion of accessible features such as poured-in-place safety surfacing, a therapeutic swing and expanded inclusive play elements. The community also overwhelmingly supported formally naming the site “Castle Park,” solidifying a name that had long been used informally.
The project moved forward with a combination of city capital funds, Measure A funding and a significant fundraising effort led by the nonprofit Folsom Kids Play for Generations. More than $260,000 in community contributions came from 54 organizations and businesses, along with additional in-kind support that helped advance the project.
Key partners included Wood Rogers as landscape architect, Granite Construction and the Kaia Group for construction support, and Leathers & Associates, which returned to design the new playground and lead the community build — creating a direct connection between the original park and its successor.
Prior to construction, the city completed extensive site preparation work, including grading, utility installation, ADA improvements and infrastructure upgrades designed to support long-term use.
Earlier this year, the project entered its most visible phase with a multi-day community build designed to mirror the original 1996 construction effort. More than 1,600 volunteers participated, assembling major portions of the playground structure in a matter of days and significantly accelerating the construction timeline.
Volunteers worked through rain, mud and challenging weather conditions during the build, including periods of steady rainfall and a temporary halt due to severe storms, before returning to complete the effort. Their contributions played a critical role in bringing the structure together while reinforcing the community-centered nature of the project.
Following the volunteer build, city crews and contractors completed final construction elements, including safety surfacing and finishing work leading up to Tuesday’s reopening. While the playground structure is now open to the public, additional landscaping and improvements across the surrounding park grounds are still being completed.
With the ribbon cut and the park reopened, families quickly filled the playground, marking the beginning of a new chapter for a space that has long been part of Folsom’s identity. The rebuilt Castle Park retains its signature character while incorporating modern materials, improved durability and expanded accessibility, positioning it to serve future generations.
The project reflects a combination of city investment and community participation that defined both the original build and its replacement, continuing a tradition that remains central to the identity of the community.
Copyright © 2026, Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Copyright © 2026, Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
