BILLINGS — A new fully inclusive playground has opened in Billings, built in memory of a local teenager and designed to ensure that children of all abilities can play together, connect, and feel included.
Watch the grand opening of Billings' newest inclusive park:
Dozens gathered at Poly Vista Park on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of Landon’s Inclusive Playground, a $1.3 million project created through years of work and private donations. The playground, located at 38th Street West and Colin Drive on the Billings' West End, features equipment and design elements that make it accessible for children with a wide range of physical and developmental needs.
The new space is the latest initiative by Landon’s Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Scott and Marcie Smith.
“It's been a long road, you know, 12 years later. Here we are today," said Scott. "It's a big goal for us. We're so blessed that the kids get to have a good time here now and play with all the other kids.”
Their son, Landon, was born with spina bifida and passed away in 2013, just two days shy of his 18th birthday. They created the foundation to honor his love for baseball, a sport he dreamed of one day playing, and make it more accessible for children with disabilities.
“I would go to parks, and he would just have to sit and watch everyone play, and that breaks your heart. And I said, 'No other kid, if I can help it, will go through that,'” said Marcie. “I'm sure Landon is looking down on this sunny, beautiful day, and I’m sure he’s happy."
The nonprofit now includes 12 board members and has helped lead a three-phase inclusivity project in Billings. In 2022, the organization opened Landon's Miracle Field, the city's first fully inclusive baseball field. The field introduced the Miracle League, which gives children with disabilities the opportunity to experience the sport as part of a team.
“These kids today now are on a team. They've never been able to be part of a team, and so now they come, they've got teammates, they're doing stuff socially together, going out to movies, pizza, and just being part of a team and having some friends," said Scott.
Related: After nearly decade of work, Landon's Legacy elated about Miracle Field's opening in Billings
The features of the new playground were planned by an out-of-state expert specializing in disability equipment. Each piece was designed with intention, including flat, specialized surfacing, sensory elements, and a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round and swing. The surrounding area includes full fencing and ADA-compliant restrooms.
"Basically what it comes down to is the amount of funding that it takes to build this to the right specifications so it can be inclusive, not (just) ADA, fully inclusive. It takes a lot more," said Kyle Jordan, president of the Landon’s Legacy board. "The surfacing is specific. Each one of the pieces of equipment is specific. All of it has to be made so it can help kids with differing levels of abilities to play on it and have a good time.”
According to the capital campaign director, DeAnn Visser, the playground was funded entirely through private donations but was built on public grounds.
"I raise money for a beautiful project that makes kids happy, and people in our community want to give to that," said Visser. "We want to make sure that there's money available for when the surfacing needs repaired or replaced. We want it to always be something that honors Landon, and that's important to everyone that it always stays looking nice.”
The final phase of the project will add a nearby splash pad and a three-season pavilion, which will bring the total cost to more than $3 million. Fundraising is already underway.
Parents in attendance were excited to see the new addition, including Amy and Brad Kahler, who visited the playground with their four-year-old daughter Abby.
"She's excited to play on any playground, but there's some kids that don't really have that opportunity, so this was fantastic," said Brad.
"It's a good starting point, so hopefully Billings can follow suit with more parks, or at least snippets of this park at their other parks too," added Amy.
The mission behind Landon’s Legacy goes beyond hardware, but the nonprofit hopes that spaces like this will help build empathy and understanding.
"I believe it helps build compassion in our community as people that don't have a disability understand how fortunate they are and can reach out and help others. It changes the community to have a playground like this," said Visser.
"It's important for a community to service everyone, and it's going to just allow us to be stronger as a community as a whole," added Jordan.
Grief is something that never gets easier, but it evolves. For the Smiths, Landon's name will live on in the joy of every child who can come to the playground and just be a kid.
“We never forget him. We talk about him every day still at our home. We still celebrate his birthday," said Marcie. "It makes it easier when you can come out here and see this and see the joy, so then we find the positive in losing Landon, if that's even possible, but you find joy where you can ... We're all the same. We all just want to be loved and play.”
Miracle League games will run Saturdays through early October at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. To learn more about Landon's Legacy, click here.
