Oakland’s cherished amusement park, Children’s Fairyland, turns 75. Can it go 75 years more?

OAKLAND It is typical to see kids running around at Children s Fairyland the longstanding attraction at the city s Lake Merritt on a weekday afternoon But instead on Friday a dedicated staff of adults were the ones scurrying around the amusement park Kymberly Miller the park s executive director since had a bowl of steel-cut oats with blueberries waiting for her fuel to put the finishing touches on a milestone event just days away A parade to celebrate the th anniversary of Children s Fairyland is planned for Labor Day on Monday with the festivities starting at th Street BART Station and ending at the iconic destination at Grand and Bellevue avenues A number of new displays will await the kids attending with accompanying adults including circus acts a live performance by DJ Lance Rock from Nickelodeon s Nick Jr configuration and the park s first-ever bilingual puppet show T o Conejo s Big Wish The whimsical park s anniversary a testament to Oakland s cultural flavor and society venture is also purely a flex as Miller puts it The reason I think Fairyland endures is that it s got this through line that appeals to everyone she explained The minute you walk through the gates you feel the simplicity of entering a different universe leaving behind whatever world you had on your shoulders Everything is built in a child-sized point of view Miller continued As an adult you re following your little person around as their imagination grows and changes with these storybook themes The sensory experience of being a child those first interactions with the physical world is often what Fairyland s ardent fans bring up when they reflect on their relationship to the park It stands out in a world that increasingly has become digitized where even a McDonald s in Tennessee went viral because its play place had no slides or ball pits but rather two chairs facing tablet screens mounted on a wall The estimated visitors at the Oakland park each year has counted City Councilmember Carroll Fife who would bring her home-schooled kids there on Fridays Fife recalled how they moved through open spaces where their imaginations would go wild As the councilmember who represents the -acre park Fife knows first-hand Fairyland s challenges years of deferred maintenance on the nonprofit s weathered facilities It could use an improved front gate seating for people with disabilities and new piping Surviving another years will require completion of a long-term sustainability plan at the moment in the works explained Karen Boyd a member of the park s board of directors What Fairyland necessities majority is a society who believes in its magic Boyd commented of the outdoor park whose lawns require regular maintenance Longtime park enthusiasts are quick to run off classic tidbits of the park s legacy recalling how its rides and retellings of Northern European fairytales helped inspire Walt Disney as he explored creating his own amusement park June - Child-sized flags presented to Children's Fairyland by the Daughters of the American Revolution and Native Sons of the Golden West are raised by members of Brownie Troop No Leo Cohen Oakland Tribune Teagan Davis of Fresno rides the Merry-Go-Round while attending the Fairy Winterland event at Children s Fairyland in Oakland Calif on Thursday Dec Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group