If you’re a frequent visitor of William A. Bush Park, you’ll be excited to hear its getting an updated play structure soon! The City of Lacey has partnered with Gateway Rotary to fund the project. “We’re thrilled to partner with Gateway Rotary on the Bush Park playground replacement project,” shares Jenny Wilson, senior parks planner with the City of Lacey Parks, Culture, and Recreation.
The project will replace one of the current play structures at William A. Bush Park. It’s the oldest in the Lacey parks inventory, and at almost 30 years old, it’s ready for an update. The new structure will be geared toward 5- to 12-year-olds.
Gateway Rotary has been instrumental in funding the new structure. “Gateway Rotary has pledged $110,000 to support the new playground,” shares Wilson. The City also secured a $220,000 grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office’s local parks program for the project.
Help Pick Out the New Play Structure for William A. Bush Park
“Bush Park is one of our most highly used neighborhood parks, with frequent events in the picnic shelter and kids playing sports in the field,” shares Wilson. “A new playground will provide a more engaging and fun play space for kids, encouraging outdoor play that supports health, and provides opportunities for social connection.”
While they are still fundraising, the City already has designs for the new playground at Bush Park. Careful consideration went into the designs of the new playground. Things like improved play, a fun theme to make the space more inviting, and improved accessibility are at the top of the list. Wilson notes they want features that will provide an engaging play experience and will replace the wood chips with highly-accessible rubber surfacing for those with mobility challenges.
But the design is not set in stone yet! The City of Lacey wants park users to have their say. “Community feedback is central to this project,” shares Wilson. “We’ve developed four design concepts and are inviting the public to help select the final design.”
Attend the following two events at Bush Park (4400 Chardonnay Drive SE) to ask questions, check out the designs and vote for your favorite. (Plus, free ice cream!)
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Be sure to bring the kids – they will be the ones using the structure and the City wants their opinion too! “At upcoming events, families can view the options, learn about the features, and vote for their favorite by placing a sticker on large display boards,” shares Wilson. “Kids especially enjoy weighing the choices and having a real say in the outcome. This is an exciting project, and we can’t wait to see the community help shape its future.”
Can’t make it to one of the events? The City has drop-in voting at the Parks, Culture, and Recreation Office (420 College Street SE) from September 22 through October 1, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The City hopes to break ground on the project Spring 2026 with a tentative opening Summer 2026.
Gateway Rotary President Nita Sell says their original goal for the project was $125,000, including signage. “We have $17,000 to go,” she adds. People can donate to the project by giving to the Gateway Rotary Foundation. Mail checks to: 700 Sleater Kinney Road SE, Ste B-237, Lacey WA 98503.
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While you see many male riders in equestrian sports like racing and the Olympics, for some reason, they are mysteriously missing from lower-level events, such as open shows and 4-H. Kylan Thulin is used to being one of the only, if not the only, guy at horse Thurston County 4-H events. But that doesn’t stop him from winning. Kylan qualified for 4-H state this year and has big plans as he enters his sophomore year at Avanti High School.
“Getting ready for Fair requires a lot of work, especially showing both my riding horse and my pony,” Kylan shares about his experience at the Thurston County Fair. “That’s the hard part. I was also a little nervous about showing my Azteca gelding, Apollo, for the first time at Fair. He has a lot of energy and can be unpredictable. Rosie, my pony, is much more dependable. It’s fun showing both of them, even though Apollo can be challenging.”
On top of that, Kylan is one of only two boys in Thurston County Horse 4-H. The other boy is in the same 4-H Club, Blazing Saddles. Kylan was the only male who competed in performance classes this year.
Thurston County 4-Her Qualifies for State in Horse Events
Kylan had his ups and downs at the County Fair. Apollo is young, and the pair had some challenges. “I only did dressage and hunt seat equitation (flat and over fences) with Apollo,” Kylan explains. “He was spooked by the cattle in the barn above the horse arena, so we didn’t do as well as I hoped. We had one refusal in our jumping class, so we only got a red ribbon and second place.”
Apollo and Kylan also competed in the costume class, which they won. “Apollo seems like a horse a pirate would want,” shares Kylan on why he chose this costume. “I love the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies. And my dad bought a pirate coat, hat and sword at a Renaissance fair, so it just seemed perfect to put it all together. What really helped us to win the contest was playing the theme to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and Apollo has a fancy talent: he can Spanish walk!”
His pony Rosie is an old hand when it comes to showing. At 20 years old, she knows her job and does it well. With 4-H scoring, kids receive either a blue (excellent), red (good), or white (fair) score, as well as a class placement, explains Patricia Thulin, Kylan’s mother. Rosie received blues in every class, placing third in dressage in-hand, fourth in trail in-hand, fifth in rail in-hand and seventh in showmanship. They took home the hunter in-hand grand champion as well.
Kylan says he enjoyed riding Apollo at the Fair, even though they didn’t do as well as he hoped, and knows the young horse has potential. “The judge said we had the best extended trot, just not a lot of control,” he explains. And even when you have a “perfect” pony like Rosie, things can still go wrong. “Rosie is really the perfect pony, but it’s still hard to get everything right in a class,” he adds. “When things work out, it’s of course satisfying to get a grand championship. I just like the experience of being at the fair and hanging out with other 4-H members too.”
Although Kylan qualified for state, he decided not to attend. Partly because Rosie is getting up there in age. “We were the state champions for hunter in-hand last year (you really can’t do any better) so maybe it’s best to end on a high note,” he says. “Also, we decided to lease out Rosie to a little boy who has really bonded with her.”
But that doesn’t mean he is done with horses. In fact, another reason he decided not to compete at the State Fair is that he is focusing on things with Apollo, including joining the Washington High School Equestrian Team (WAHSET) and competing at the Woodbrook Hunt Club. “I’m hoping that it will be a better fit for Apollo,” Kylan says about the decision. “We’ll be focusing on dressage and hunt seat equitation over fences. I plan to do a hunter pace and a couple classes at Woodbrook’s hunter trails, plus a jumping show and gymkhana this October.”
This spring, he is hoping to compete in both WAHSET and 4-H, as well as continuing jumping with Apollo. His goal is to compete at the Pony Club’s tetrathlon (Tet), which includes swimming, running, shooting and riding. If he qualifies for the National Championships in Kentucky, he will borrow a horse there to compete.
As for more boys in the sport, Kylan is sure he will see more as he enters higher-level events. “I’m sure at nationals there will be lots of guys,” he says. “Actually, in Tet, there are some boys that compete, and at the hunt club, there are a few guys.” He says the boy leasing Rosie may do 4-H, so there might be one more next year at fair.