MONROE - The Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour rolled into town Thursday, May 16 to build and donate a new $40,000 playground at Lincoln Park.
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, along with current players Randall Cobb, Jarrett Bush and Alex Green, and retired players Frank Winters, Aaron Taylor and Santana Dotson, stopped in Monroe as part of the Tailgate Tour to put the finishing touches on the playground. The tour began with a visit in Beloit, then stopped by the Behring Senior Center to play bingo before the playground work. From there, it headed to Dubuque, Iowa.
The Packers funded the entire playground. The city provided the wood fiber for the surface and concrete to set the posts. The city parks department worked with Minnesota and Wisconsin Playgrounds on Wednesday, May 15 to prep the site.
Cobb was excited to be able to give back to a community that has supported him and the Packers.
"I'm so thankful I get this opportunity," Cobb said. "There are a lot of kids in this area. For them to have somewhere to go to play is very important."
The NFL has an initiative called Play 60, which is a national health and fitness campaign focused on increasing the wellness of young fans. Its goal is to encourage children to be active for 60 minutes per day in order to combat childhood obesity.
Getting 60 minutes of play time on the new green and gold playground should be a lot of fun for young users - the playground features four slides, a rock climbing area and monkey bars.
"This has been something my husband (Paul Klinzing, the city's park director) has wanted the last 30 years," said Marge Klinzing, Monroe's recreation supervisor. "Finally, he got his dream to come true."
Bill Bethke, park commission president, said the older playground at Lincoln Park needed to be replaced - and he's a big fan of the park upgrades the Packers made possible.
"We knew they were coming and wanted to do something for us," Bethke said. "It's fantastic. When you see it being built and put together, it's a great addition to the park. I'm sure there will be people coming from all over town to use this park."
After finishing the work on the park, the Packers had a picnic lunch and posed for photos.
Winters, Dotson and Taylor were all part of the 1996 Super Bowl XXXII champions. Winters was excited to pitch in for the community service project.
"That is what it's all about," Winters said. "It's about coming out here and giving back to the people who have supported us all of these years."
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, along with current players Randall Cobb, Jarrett Bush and Alex Green, and retired players Frank Winters, Aaron Taylor and Santana Dotson, stopped in Monroe as part of the Tailgate Tour to put the finishing touches on the playground. The tour began with a visit in Beloit, then stopped by the Behring Senior Center to play bingo before the playground work. From there, it headed to Dubuque, Iowa.
The Packers funded the entire playground. The city provided the wood fiber for the surface and concrete to set the posts. The city parks department worked with Minnesota and Wisconsin Playgrounds on Wednesday, May 15 to prep the site.
Cobb was excited to be able to give back to a community that has supported him and the Packers.
"I'm so thankful I get this opportunity," Cobb said. "There are a lot of kids in this area. For them to have somewhere to go to play is very important."
The NFL has an initiative called Play 60, which is a national health and fitness campaign focused on increasing the wellness of young fans. Its goal is to encourage children to be active for 60 minutes per day in order to combat childhood obesity.
Getting 60 minutes of play time on the new green and gold playground should be a lot of fun for young users - the playground features four slides, a rock climbing area and monkey bars.
"This has been something my husband (Paul Klinzing, the city's park director) has wanted the last 30 years," said Marge Klinzing, Monroe's recreation supervisor. "Finally, he got his dream to come true."
Bill Bethke, park commission president, said the older playground at Lincoln Park needed to be replaced - and he's a big fan of the park upgrades the Packers made possible.
"We knew they were coming and wanted to do something for us," Bethke said. "It's fantastic. When you see it being built and put together, it's a great addition to the park. I'm sure there will be people coming from all over town to use this park."
After finishing the work on the park, the Packers had a picnic lunch and posed for photos.
Winters, Dotson and Taylor were all part of the 1996 Super Bowl XXXII champions. Winters was excited to pitch in for the community service project.
"That is what it's all about," Winters said. "It's about coming out here and giving back to the people who have supported us all of these years."