TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Not too far outside Merrill’s City limits, off of Hillside Dr., is a dead-end road named Snowflake Ln. In the last couple of years, Snowflake Ln. has become a magnet for neighborhood kids in search of outdoor fun and adventure. Derrick Simon, who lives right at the intersection of Hillside Dr. and Snowflake Ln. has been building fun activities in his yard, virtually creating his own playground.
Originally, it was to entertain his daughter, Ella Lou, but as time goes on, the projects have taken on a life of their own. More children are discovering the adventure. And Derrick might be having as much fun as the kids (or maybe more) thinking up and building new projects.
“It all started when it was just my daughter and myself here,” Derrick said. “First, she had a massive fort I made for her outside along with her timber swings, then came a couple of chicken coops.”
“Once my girlfriend (Kristy Kedrowitcz) and her two children moved in, it seemed as if I was [always] building something new, one project after another. Not long after she moved in, I was also awarded custody of two more of my siblings. So we had a total of five kids here in this trailer! Having things to play with or on makes going outside all the more interesting for them,” he said. “Most of today’s kids are too attached to screens in one form or another. That’s the last thing I want with our kids here. One of the rules here is, ‘If it’s nice out, you’re out.’”
Just a few weeks ago, the kids were still ice skating on the huge ice skating rink Derrick built in the yard. “This year’s rink was 40’x60’ and approximately 15,000 gallons of water I had hauled with truck and trailer,” Derrick said. The yard slopes a bit where he built it, so the ice was about 5 inches thick on the one end and 12 inches thick on the other, and this year’s rink was twice the size of last year’s, he added.
“Derrick’s projects have also included a huge teepee, a crazy sledding track with twists and turns, and one of the newest projects, the zip line between the tree fort and the pole by the house.
“We have all the neighbors’ kids that come over occasionally,” Derrick said, “and our kids’ friends. Any new kids that come over usually need some major persuasion when it’s time to leave.”
