DeKALB – DeKalb Park District leaders have figured out where to move memorial bricks from Adventures in Barbland playground, but now they need to answer another question that surfaced during demolition.

What’s inside a time capsule from 1993 found at the site?

“I think it’s plans for the park,” project manager Todd Bex. “and a couple things from 1993.”

Bex said crews found it under a section of benches they removed. The originally thought it was a drainage tile, but uncovered a cylinder with ‘Time Capsul 1993” written in black maker on the side. The label was, indeed, spelled incorrectly.

Park District Director Jason Mangum is planning an event to open the time capsule, but it will sit in his office until then.

He’s trying to find people involved in burying the capsule 21 years ago, and encourages people who were involved to call him.

Meanwhile, they plan to install about 600 bricks from the playground at the nearby flagpole in the spring.

They’ve removed all the bricks from the area for now because people were starting to take them, Mangum said.

“We want to re-purpose them and create something really nice,” he said.

Crews in late October removed the playground at 900 Garden St., near the former Chesebro Elementary School because the wooden structure was outdated and not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The demolition came as a surprise to Sycamore resident Arlita Simon, who bought a brick for her mother, Rita Kirk, when the playground was built in 1993.

Kirk lived in DeKalb from 1993 until she died in 1999. Simon said she used to take her children to the playground at 900 Garden St. to show them "grandma's brick."
She hasn't visited the brick in a few years, but she said it was a comforting thought to know it was there.

“I suppose it would be fine if it’s going to be put into some other project in DeKalb,” Simon said. “I just thought if it was just going to be piled up somewhere, I’d rather have it in my garden.”DeKALB – DeKalb Park District leaders have figured out where to move memorial bricks from Adventures in Barbland playground, but now they need to answer another question that surfaced during demolition.

What's inside a time capsule from 1993 found at the site?

“I think it's plans for the park,” project manager Todd Bex. “and a couple things from 1993.”

Bex said crews found it under a section of benches they removed. The originally thought it was a drainage tile, but uncovered a cylinder with 'Time Capsul 1993" written in black maker on the side. The label was, indeed, spelled incorrectly.

Park District Director Jason Mangum is planning an event to open the time capsule, but it will sit in his office until then. He's trying to find people involved in burying the capsule some 21 years ago, and encourages people who were involved to call him.

Meanwhile, they plan to install some 600 bricks from the playground at the nearby flagpole in the spring. They've removed all the bricks from the area for now because people were starting to take them, Mangum said.

"We want to re-purpose them and create something really nice," Mangum said.

Crews in late October removed the playground at 900 Garden St., near the former Chesebro Elementary School because the wooden structure was outdated and not compliant with the Americans with Disability Act standards.

The demolition came as a surprise to Sycamore resident Arlita Simon, who bought a brick for her mother, Rita Kirk, when the playground was built in 1993. Kirk lived in DeKalb from 1993 until she died in 1999. Simon said she used to take her children to the playground at 900 Garden Road to show them "grandma's brick."

She hasn't visited the brick in a few years, but she said it was a comforting thought to know it was there.

“I suppose it would be fine if it's going to be put into some other project in DeKalb,” Simon said. “I just thought if it was just going to be piled up somewhere, I'd rather have it in my garden.”

How to Help
To contact DeKalb Park District Executive Director Jason Mangum about the time capsule discovered at Adventures in Barbland, call 815-758-6663 ext. 124 or e-mail jmangum@dekalbparkdistrict.com.