“We're trying to incorporate fitness with play,” he said, explaining there is equipment for 3- to 5-year-olds as well as 5- to 12-year-olds.

The equipment, along with a new shelter that will allow the field to be a location for the free summer lunch program, came through an $83,000 Kate B. Reynolds Foundation grant and is part of an overall improvement plan for the park, Simeon said.

The playground equipment is available for use from dawn to dusk, he said, as well as any time there are ballgames at the field.

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Healthy snacks were served during Family Fun Day.

The improvements at the field, Simeon predicted, give it the potential to become one of the most highly used parks in the city. “It's heavily used during baseball games.”

“It's a great day for the county and city,” Roanoke Rapids City Manager Joseph Scherer said.

He said use of the equipment will not only improve the physical agility of the children who use it, but will help them with their social skills as they interact with other children.

Cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure screenings were performed.

“What a wonderful job the recreation department has done,” said Ed Liverman, chair of the city's recreation advisory committee.

Liverman said the improvements at the park should be seen as a source of pride in the community. “Never say anything is not fair. We can ride and say we don't have a big sports complex. Say you took things and made them better.”

Mayor Emery Doughtie said, “We might not have a Fenway Park, but we can be proud of what we have.”