Celebrating a playground in Canandaigua where 'everyone has a voice'

CANANDAIGUA — Don't tell the kids this, so try to keep the following a secret among parents. 

The Motion Junction playground near Outhouse Park in Canandaigua — the Motion Junction name comes from the all-inclusive playground’s inspiration, MJ Bentley — isn’t quite done yet. 

Sure, the playground, described as a far-fetched, crazy dream at times over the last several years, celebrated a grand opening Saturday of the play area, drawing hundreds of kids of all abilities to swing on swings, slide on slides and well, zipline on zip lines. 

A large, open-air pavilion that will have a concession stand, charging station for electric wheelchairs, scooters and communication devices, an accessible picnic seating area, and four large family restrooms with adult changing tables – and weatherproof posters created by a Victor third-grade class with messages of inclusion and kindness – is still to come. 

So is a mindfulness pathway around the perimeter of the playground, which already boasts all sorts and styles of play equipment atop a rubberized surface accessed by large, over-sized ramps. 

Such amenities are for another day. Dylan Zaryk, an 8-year-old from Fairport, is happy the way it is now. 

“It’s really cool,” he said. 

MJ, 11, was diagnosed at age 6 months with Pallister Killian syndrome and as a result has epilepsy, mobility challenges and cognitive delays. 

MJ’s mother, Nanci Bentley, thanked her son for leading the community on a journey — design work began in 2017 and fundraising is continuing — in developing a place to play for all kids regardless of abilities and their families.

“He’s opened our minds to think, feel, listen, love and see life in a way that has challenged us to be better and do better," Nanci Bentley told a crowd Saturday. “MJ has taught us that everyone has a voice. We may not hear that voice at times, but if you stop and you look and you listen and you feel, you will hear that voice." 

Sonya Smith, co-founder of the committee that took on the project and MJ’s physical therapist, said five years ago the playground was a vision, one shared not only by those who know and love MJ, but a community that took on the project, including members of the Kiwanis Club of Canandaigua. Donors large and small — including someone who earlier this year donated anonymously $400,000 — took the playground to heart, as did the town of Canandaigua in helping convert an empty field to a go-to spot for fun.

“This vision became our mission for change,” Smith said. “This continues to be the most incredible journey.” 

The playground, MJ's dad Mike Bentley said, breaks down visible and invisible barriers. 

And that is "huge," because this brings the disabled community closer to the people who are not disabled in one place, said Daniel Fonda, of Canandaigua, who is in a wheelchair. This playground is great because “anybody and everybody” is included in the opportunity to have fun. 

“I think it’s going to make our community closer and I think it’s going to be here for years to come,” Fonda said. “A lot of the kids are going to be able to enjoy it.”