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Recreational

Started on a_ Shoestring”

By Agnes Hornblo

Like the success story of many
multimillionaires is the story of the
University’s summer playground.
Although the recreational facilities
of the quadrangle may not have to
pay multimillionaire taxes today,
they too were started on the prover-
bial “shoe string.” :

Three years ago this spring, Phog
Allen was laughed at for his play-
ground idea. “Summer School stu-
’ dents come here to study,” he was
told by the powers-that-be. But Dr.
Allen was persistent. He’d seen the
plan work in the East. He didn’t see
why it wouldn’t work here.
_ Unaided financially, he began.
Without lights, the playing hours that
year had to be set during twilight
from 6 to 8 o’clock each evening. Dr.
Allen started with the idea of a cool
spot for mothers, children, and wives
of school teachers. But benches, a
monkey maze, and a sandpile set far
back from the street soon proved not
mess

His community recreation class
added one thing after another. Shuf-

Program

mop handles and wooden discs. The
group got ropes out of the attic—
bought many things second hand.
Badminton was made possible when
the class bought rubber balls at ten
cent stores and added feathers picked
up at local poultry houses. “Some
just like to sit and watc ,” said Dr.

basketball and football benches.”
Last year the budget committee
gave the “little Olympics” lights—
four of them. Dr. Allen was satisfied
—temporarily. But this year he had
to have more lights. With the aid of
some of his “boys” he brought) the
stadium lights used at Commence-
ment time up from down the hill.
This year archery is taught by one
of the community recreation class
members. Archerer Davis, an Indian
lad, not only teaches how to handle
a bow and arrow, but how to make
them as well. Material for a bow
costs the student about a dollar.
When he’s through, he has a product
worth three to five times that much.
Fourteen cents will make a bow
string selling for two dollars on the

 

fleboard made its debut with cedar

Allen, ‘so we got more benches—|

 

retail market.

Play Program _
Proves Success

According to Dr. Forrest C. Al-
len, director of the community rec-
reation program, this year’s enthus-
iasm has eceeded that of any pre-
vious seasons. It was said several
years ago that a program of this
type would not succeed. Dr. Allen,
however, assuming that summer
school students would appreciate
this type of activity has proved ifs
success.

Equipment suitable for a typical
playground has been supplied by
the physical education department
and a great deal of it has been turned
out in the Kansas University shops.

The idea of the playground is to
offer summer school students and
their families a chance to relax and
participate in non-strenuous games
in the cooler part of the day. The
period is long enough to offer the
‘proper amount of exercise and yet
short enough not to interefere with
the evenings study.

Everyone is invited to attend these
recreation periods in the evening.
They will find almost any type of
game which they care to play. In
addition, there are frequent dances,
picnics, band concerts and com-
munity sings for those who do not

care to play.

The dance. which was to be held
last night has been postponed be-
cause it was felt by Dr. Allen that
students would rather study after
the Fourth of July vacation. This
feature will be held in about two
weeks.