T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Local kids had fun running through the sprinkler on a hot July afternoon in Gilman as part of a Sunday Funday event to raise money for park improvements.

GILMAN — The good people of Gilman came together at the city park on Sunday afternoon to relax, listen to music and support a good cause — upgrades and improvements for the park where the event was held.

Laray Gunderson of the Gilman Betterment Committee said the “Sunday Funday” was the first formal fundraiser, with ice cream, lemonade, bluegrass music from the County Line Band and an opportunity to run through the sprinkler on the street with supervision from Gilman Fire and EMS. Free will donations were accepted, and a raffle for a 65″ smart TV donated by Partner Communications is ongoing, with tickets being sold until July 31, when the winner will be drawn.

According to Gunderson, conversations about potential improvements started about a year ago, and some key focus areas include the bathroom, repainting the park, a handicap-accessible sidewalk, new benches and “just making things look nice.” During the Sunday Funday, attendees had a chance to submit two ideas for how they would improve the park, and one of the members of the County Line Band joked that she hoped the committee could raise enough money to install a splash pad.

They don’t have a hard and fast fundraising goal at this point, but Gunderson said the plan is to keep holding periodic events like this one and see what kind of donations they receive. For those who aren’t able to physically attend, the Gilman Betterment Committee has an account set up at the local bank.

“Our library, our fire department and the park, we’re all trying to work together and keep the town going,” Gunderson said.

Anyone interested in getting involved or making a donation is encouraged to call Gunderson at (641) 750-3229.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.