Originally published Saturday, February 26, 2000

By RACHEL JOY LARRIS
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

In the shadow of the largest buildings at The Boeing Co.'s north plant is Kasch Park, Everett's premier athletic complex. Walking trails and a wetland area can be found there, but most of the park's 60 acres are dedicated just to the enjoyment of baseball, soccer and a variety of other sports.

Artist Georgia Gerber is known for her whimsical, interactive sculptures and is the creator of the famous and beloved Pike Place Market bronze pig. When Gerber was commissioned to create a piece of sculpture for Kasch Park by the Everett Parks Department and looked at all that organized play, she realized that sometimes children just need a place to horse around and created "Child's Play."

The bronze sculpture, tucked into a small incline near one of the park's tennis courts, catches three life-sized children in a game of leapfrog. A bronze puppy and pile of discarded sports equipment sit nearby.

"Kids will be kids and they can always entertain themselves," Gerber said as she explained the inspiration for the piece. "I was playing around with the idea of the ball court. I thought about kids putting down their stuff and just playing a game."

The playful statue offers stark contrast to Kasch Park's previous use as a missile test site for the Air Force until the early 1970s when the hardware was removed and it became Peace Park. In 1985, the park was rededicated to honor the late Bill Kasch, a local who helped to start Everett's Little League in the 1940s and '50s.

Ardell Brandenburg is the cultural arts coordinator who oversaw the sculpture's dedication in 1994. "It had a real positive response when it was installed," she said. "People interact with it, and it's a popular photo opportunity."

Gerber said that she created "Child's Play" with the hope that the piece would be worn down and made shiny by hundreds of small hands. It is intentionally placed close to a jungle gym, itself a play set intended for use.

The sculpture's figure of a girl crouched and waiting to be leapfrogged over, actually modeled on Gerber's then-11-year-old daughter Laura, has deep indentations worn into the ground where small feet have leapt. They are much like the grooves under a swing set, for many a flesh-and-blood child have taken the bronzed girl up on her invitation to play.

Kasch Park is located at 8811 Airport Road in Everett.