10 million pennies collected for park

PICAYUNE, Miss., April 15 (UPI) -- Residents of a Mississippi town collected more than 10 million pennies to raise funds to refurbish a community park, organizers of the project said.

Allen Hickman, organizer of Pennies For Your Park, said Picayune residents raised more than $100,000 for the Friendship Park project, WLOX-TV, Biloxi, Miss., reported Thursday.

"We're rebuilding a park we built in 1995. We're adding to it, we're doing some new things and refurbishing the older parts," Hickman said. "There's going to be a new tree house with a slide going out. Over on that side is going to be a splash pad where water squirts out. There are several other things, there are more wheel-chair accessible things."

Hickman said about 700 volunteers are expected to participate in Saturday's community build and a grand re-opening ceremony for the park is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday.