COEUR d'ALENE - The day has finally come - a portion of the new McEuen Park opened Friday to hundreds of happy children and smiling parents.

"I'm really excited," said Jennifer Lamburth, who accompanied her child along with 250 other Sorensen Magnet School children to tour the park at lunch on Friday.

"They really needed to do something like this to service the locals and the tourists," Lamburth said. "When I come back next time, it will probably feel empty."

If Friday was any indication of popularity, former City Parks Director Doug Eastwood doubts the place will feel empty anytime soon.

"Before this started, I would drive by McEuen Field for years and years and never saw this many people ever," Eastwood said. "This spells success.

"This is spectacular with all of these young mothers and preschool children."

The scene before the Sorensen students arrived was bustling with dozens of young families and excited children.

"You know, you always wonder how something like this is going to be received," Eastwood said. "And wow, this has exceeded all of my expectations - even before it is completely opened."

Sandy Emerson, who sat on the McEuen Park steering committee, came down to check out the park. He was pleased with the turnout as well.

Emerson said he is excited that the city's two major parks will soon be connected with the Centennial Trail.

"This has the potential to attract national attention," Emerson said. "With these two parks connected, this is world-class."

Eastwood said the park is probably one of the most valuable pieces of land in Idaho, and to have two parks connected along this much waterfront is almost without precedent.

"This is a very regional draw," he said. "It should attract people from all over the region."

While critics have said the city was wasting tax money to build a park for tourists, Eastwood said Friday's attendance was largely local.

Critics have also taken issue with the brightly colored playground equipment at the park, saying it should have been done with more natural materials to fit in with the natural Tubbs Hill surroundings.

Emerson said that was discussed early on, but they ultimately decided that children like the bright colors more than the natural colors.

"Initially we were going to do replicas of tug boats and steamboats to reflect our heritage in the playground," Emerson said. "But then we realized that we weren't designing this for us, we were designing this for kids."

Emerson said there will be other amenities that reflect the mining and timber legacies of the city.

"I think the pavilion with all of those great timbers represent the forest products industry very well," he said.

All of the amenities at the park are hard to take in all at once, Emerson said every time he visits the park, he finds something new.

One new addition noticed Friday was a misting pole located at a watering station near the basketball and tennis courts.

"We put that in so the basketball players don't have to run all the way over to the splash pad to cool down," Eastwood said, adding it will be a nice stop for people riding bikes on the Centennial Trail as well.

"They can stop there and push the button, and stand in the mist until they cool off," he said.

Ben Drake, who participated in the early public meetings to design the park, said he is pleased with the outcome.

"I have a picture of my daughter sitting in a car seat at one of the very first meetings," he said, as his daughter started climbing up a rope ladder on the jungle gym. "Now here we are and my 3 1/2-year-old is playing at the park."