Children's Fairyland Raising Money Ahead Of Reopening

Bea Karnes
Updated ·2 min read

OAKLAND, CA — If you grew up in the Bay Area, especially the East Bay, chances are you went to Children's Fairyland in Oakland as a child.

On Lake Merritt, Children's Fairyland has "close to 60 storybook sets, kid-size rides, friendly animals, and 10 acres of gardens, our park is designed to delight visitors of all ages, but especially those under age 8. Come and stroll through our gates—or run through if you’re a child—and discover all that Fairyland has to offer."

The park stresses families and safety, and has a rule that no adults are allowed to enter without children, and no children may enter without an adult.

But coronavirus shelter-in-place restrictions have kept the park's gates locked since March. Fairyland's Rusty Blazenhoff has good news, "We will be announcing our reopening date soon.

Fairyland has animal mouths to feed, rides to maintain and other expenses, even though it hasn't sold an admission ticket in almost 6 months. A fundraiser to keep Fairyland vibrant for today's children and their someday grandchildren has just raised more than $300,000. If you would like to donate, here's the contribution page.

Another fundraiser has just launched. The park is selling 70 numbered Magic Keys in black metal. Here's how it works:

  • Because numbers one and 70 are extra special, they are each offered for a $7,000 donation. (sold out)

  • Until September 9, you have the opportunity to pick the number you’d like, from 2 to 69, for a $700 donation. (Friday afternoon, just 27 keys of 68 remain available)

  • Beginning September 10, any remaining commemorative Magic Keys will be available for a donation of $70 each and the number you receive will be random. Of course, if you still want to select a number, you can still do that after the first week, but understand that there will be fewer options available.

  • Once they’re sold out, they’re gone forever!

  • Only 70 keys have been produced, and each will be shipped with a Certificate of Authenticity.

  • Each key was hand-crafted by local Bay Area artisan, Jason Watkins.

  • Each Magic Key has subtle differences, which makes the one you choose a one-of-a-kind piece of history.

  • Yes, they turn on the park’s Talking Storybook Boxes, we made sure they fit!

And here's more news about a special upcoming event — Celebrity Storytime.

This article originally appeared on the Alameda Patch