Folsom's Castle Park set to close for rebuild, will reopen in 2026

A Folsom favorite is about to get the royal treatment. Castle Park, the wooden playground built by the community 30 years ago, will close the first week of September for a long-awaited refresh.

The community came together on Friday at the park, also known as the Folsom Kids Play Park, for a final farewell and fundraiser. 
The park is on Prewett Drive, south of Oak Chan Elementary School in the Willow Creek Estates South neighborhood.

The project is being led by the nonprofit Folsom Kids Play for Generations, which is fundraising at least $300,000 to go with $800,000 from the City of Folsom, to complete the $1.1 million rebuild. The goal is to bring the playground up to modern safety and accessibility standards without losing the magic that made it special for decades.

"There's something special here, it's not just wood and slides. There's life and excitement," said Joanne Brausch, president and community coordinator for Folsom Kids Play for Generations.

The project is personal to Brausch, who helped build the original Castle Park, along with other community members, 30 years ago, while she was eight months pregnant.

"It was very important to me that this not become a standard metal and plastic, but a legacy for the next 30 years," said Brausch.

The community event marked one of the final days the park is open before construction begins. It was also a fundraiser for the nonprofit and the rebuild.

Pieces of the Folsom park are being sold and will be repurposed for community members, along with bricks available to purchase, as a donation, that will be included in the new design of the park. The current footprint of the park, just over 2 acres and roughly 13K square feet, has two separate play areas, including the "Tots Lot" and the playground for children 5-12 years old.

The updated design has not been announced, according to Brausch, but there were inspiration designs available for community members to show the overall ideas.

The original park includes commemorative wall and pillars with hand-painted ceramic tiles from donors, which will be incorporated into the new design, with additional community-designed donated pieces to mark the future.

Parents who grew up in its wooden structures are now bringing their own children back.

"I went to school right here at Oak Chan, I used to play at this park," said Farbod Zamani, "I signed up to volunteer to rebuild the park as a Dad, which is kind of funny. I used to be a little troublemaker in this town myself. It's just kind of like giving back."

Another Folsom resident said the rebuild reflects the community spirit that makes the city feel like home: "It makes me feel like how my parents grew up, just more hometown and community. Nowadays it's not like that as much." said Kyle Murphy, a parent who came to the event with his family.

At a final farewell event, families had the chance to purchase pieces of the park to help fund the rebuild and preserve its legacy.

"We love this park, we live right around the block, we feel like this park is a staple in our neighborhood," said Jennifer Sorenson, a parent who lives nearby, "When we rebuild it, I just really want our family's name to be a part of it."

The new design plans will incorporate some of the park's current staples, like the dragon and the green spires. Plans also call for more accessibility and sensory-friendly additions.

"This is a labor of love," Brausch said. "It's very important to me that we keep this alive and going."

Castle Park will close the first week of September. Construction, including taking down pieces for rehabilitation, will start in October. After the first of the year, there will be a community build event, and reopening is set for April 2026.