Silent auction to benefit Tree House Indoor Playground begins Nov. 12

HOUGHTON -- The Keweenaw Family Resource Center (KFRC) will hold a silent auction to support the Center's Tree House Indoor Playground beginning at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, during the Hot Peas N' Butter performance at the Rozsa. The auction ends between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Portage Lake District Library.

Over 75 baskets will be auctioned off. Items include restaurant gift certificates, jewelry, toys and books.

Contact Cathy Benda at 482-9363 if you would like more information or if you would like to view or bid on items by appointment.

KFRC’s winter park concept, "The Tree House," will offer indoor exercise opportunities for area children ages infant to 5 years old. Finlandia design students are designing some of the toys, displays, accessories and playground equipment. The Tree House is hoping to open its doors for play this winter in the Razorback Center in Houghton.

Christine Westrich, a third-year Interdisciplinary Design student at Finlandia University's International School of Art and Design (ISAD), with her eye on a career in toy design, is developing a four-seat bicycle carousel. Using 95 percent reusable resources, Christine is also fabricating the unit in the ISAD model shop.

Christine Westrich, Finlandia design student, is pictured here with the four-seat bicycle carousel she is developing for the Keweenaw Family Resource Center's Indoor Playground. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)

Combining old tricycle parts donated by BHK, the wheel bearing from a Ford Taurus and part of a truck tire rim from Julio’s Salvage yard, the designer has managed to get all the mechanical elements complete and operational and is doing conceptual studies for the visual effects, which are an important part of this piece of Tree House playground equipment.

"I want to make this unit more fun than just riding it," Christine says. "Maybe with parts that move or animate or even light-up when the kids are pedaling."

Other Finlandia design students working on projects for the Tree House include Vanessa Lipson, who is working on Infant Corral/Seating modules; Abbi Zablocki, who is exploring fabric Cloud concepts; and David Goodman, who is making Big Lincoln Logs from cardboard carpet tubes.

To learn more about the KFRC Tree House winter park community project or to view a list of the items to be auctioned, visit Monica Aho's blog: http://houghtonwinterpark.blogspot.com.