RACINE, WI (CBS 58) -- In 2003, more than 2,000 volunteers came together on the shores of Lake Michigan to build Kids’ Cove Playground at Racine’s North Beach—a project led by community champions Bob Oertel and Stephen Smiley with strong support from Leadership Racine, city partners, schools, donors, and volunteer organizations. Constructed in just one week after two years of planning, Kids’ Cove quickly became a treasured, community‑built gathering place for families. More than two decades later, Leadership Racine has returned to Kids’ Cove to help complete an important piece of unfinished history. The playground’s pavilion murals—originally planned as part of the 2003 build—were never completed, leaving blank walls that have since attracted graffiti despite ongoing volunteer maintenance efforts. Now, a new Leadership Racine team is leading the effort to finish the murals in the same community‑driven spirit that built the playground. Working closely with Racine architect and artist Maria Welch, along with original art volunteers Mark Hyde, Debra Karp, and Stephen Smiley, the project includes completing eight mural panels, relocating a memorial stone honoring Bob Oertel, and hosting a community celebration to unveil the finished artwork. The memorial rock relocation was completed in October with support from CASE Construction. The murals will be installed in mid‑May, culminating in a public unveiling event on Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Kids’ Cove Playground near Racine’s North Beach. The unveiling event will celebrate the new pavilion art, officially honor the legacy of Bob Oertel—who passed away in 2024—and invite the community to help shape the next chapter of Kids’ Cove. Organizers hope the event will reconnect families, welcome a new generation of volunteers, and recruit sustainability partners to help care for the playground for the next 20 years. Since 2004, a volunteer group known as Friends of the Playground has worked with city staff to keep Kids’ Cove safe, welcoming, and well‑maintained. As those longtime volunteers age, project leaders
see this moment as an opportunity to inspire renewed community stewardship and ensure the playground remains a vibrant, beloved space for future generations. The unveiling event is free and open to the public. All of Racine is invited to attend, celebrate this milestone, and see firsthand how a community’s commitment—past and present—continues to shape one of its most cherished spaces. May 30, 12-4 pm at Kids Cove Playground at Racine North Beach.