The 150 children, parents and grandparents who gathered at Silvermont Park for two Friday afternoon play dates raised a total of $900 for a new playground at the park.
“It was quite evident that all the kids who came out to Silvermont had a lot of fun playing with their friends,” says Heather Layton, one of the parent organizers.

“Two mothers said to me that we should do this every Friday and one commented that she had never thought of playing at Silvermont, and had no idea what it had to offer.”
The play dates were organized to support an effort by the Silvermont Centennial Committee to raise $25,000 for a new playground. Transylvania County Commissioners have agreed to match that with $25,000.
Bracken Mountain Bakery donated cookies for the second play date to help with the fundraising, which included a silent auction of several donated items.
A new playground is the first of many grounds improvements planned for Silvermont Park, as part of a strategic plan developed by the Silvermont Centennial Committee.
So far, community-wide donations to the playground project total a little over $15,000. The committee’s goal is to raise the $25,000 by Mother’s Day, May 12.
Anyone who would like to support the new playground project can donate online at http://www.silvermont.org, or by mailing a check to: Transylvania County Historical Society, c/o Gene Baker, 50 Ridgewood Place , Brevard, NC 28712. Please note in your check memo line: “Silvermont Playground.”
“We definitely raised lots of awareness, and a bit of money,” says Layton. “We all are looking forward to the future of Silvermont!”