Celebrate Spring

in Woodstock

The Woodstock Parks and Recreation Agency has planned activities for area families to enjoy. For more information, contact Jamey Snyder at jsnyder@woodstockga.gov. Register for the following events at www.WoodstockParksandRec.com.

Aroundabout Local Media would love to see photos from your outdoor excursions! Let us know how you’re spending time around Woodstock with your family. Send your favorite pictures to candi@aroundaboutmagazines.com to be considered for future photo features.

April

Visit the Towne Lake Pass Trail during April for Trailstory, which combines the healthy activities of walking and reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. Created by Sequoyah Regional Library System and Woodstock Parks and Recreation, TrailStory is a project aimed at giving elementary school aged children and their families a fun, active and socially safe way to enjoy reading and Woodstock’s trails.

Along the trail from Woofstock Park toward Woodstock High School, 15 signs will feature pages from the book on one side, and interactive/QR code questions about the book on the other side. Children and their families can enjoy reading those pages and the trail at their own pace, anytime, as many times as they like throughout the month.

Essential Herb Gardening

10 am.-noon at the William G. Long Senior Center extension, 223 Arnold Mill Road. Join Cherokee County UGA Extension Agent Josh Fuder to learn how to grow and incorporate common and unique culinary herbs into the garden, deck and landscape. Registration required.

April 11

Discovering Disc Golf

2-3:30 p.m. at Prodigy Par 2 Disc Golf Course in Dupree Park. Participants will learn a basic level of the sport of disc golf so they can walk away from the class and be able to play a fun round. Each session of Discovering Disc Golf will cover the basics and, in addition, April’s session will focus on the technique for tee shots and long drives. Equipment for the class is provided. In addition to learning what equipment is necessary, participants will learn stance, throwing and scoring. The official rules also will be discussed. Registration required.

April 17

Discovering Gold Panning, 1-3 p.m., at the William G. Long Senior Center extension, 223 Arnold Mill Road. Led by Woodstock resident Rob Kelly, a longtime recreational gold panner, and his team from Allatoona Gold Panners Association, this activity will be a historical and functional introduction to panning for gold. Participants will learn about the history of the Georgia Gold Rush, the geological origin and properties of gold, the gold mines of Georgia, and how to locate an authorized gold creek that may be in your backyard. Also discussed will be how to “read” a gold creek to spot potential pay streaks and, finally, the steps of panning the gravel for flakes of Georgia’s 23-karat, placer gold, some of the purist in the world. Participants will be panning in troughs salted with gold in order to practice the skills required for panning in authorized creeks in North Georgia. Registration required.

April 23

Discover Rucking

6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater. Learn about rucking (walking with weight). Participants wear a weighted backpack (or better yet, a rucksack) and hike a course. Discovering Rucking is an introductory ruck led by an instructor in a Woodstock Park or on a Woodstock Trail to help participants learn the basics of rucking and its health and social benefits. With a goal of a 20-minute mile, the ruck will include a few light physical training components to get the sweat flowing. Your weighted rucksack (backpack) should be between 10 and 20 pounds. Weighted rucksacks are encouraged, but a limited number will be made available. Bringing your own reflective clothing and safety lights are encouraged as well. Registration required.

Participants in a past session of AMPED in the Park.

April 24

AMPED in the Park

Get ready to work out with the folks from Strongside, at 9 a.m. at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater. Part of a free, monthly fitness series presented by Woodstock Parks and Recreation. All workouts are fitness friendly (meaning you don’t have to be super fit to participate). Participants will adhere to social distancing guidelines and restrictions from the office of the governor and the CDC. Registration required.

April 24

Storytime Live! With Cinderella

Cinderella will be at the Park at City Center gazebo at 11 a.m. to read a story and pose for photos. Presented by the FoxTale Book Shoppe and Woodstock Parks and Recreation. Free admission and socially-distanced.

Other Activities

Disc Golf

The Prodigy PAR2 Disc Golf Course is a full 18-hole short course located in Dupree Park. This course is perfect for practicing your short game or playing a round with the family.

Mountain Biking

The Taylor Randahl Memorial

Mountain Bike Trail system consists of three trails providing more than 14 miles of single track: Explorer (Intermediate), Avalanche (Intermediate) and The Mill Trails (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced). Avalanche opened in 2010, Explorer in 2011 and The Mill in 2015. Woodstock partners with Sorba Woodstock for the management and maintenance of this trail system. Information and current trail status are available at www.sorbawoodstock.org/olde-ropemill-park

Dupree Park is home to a series of mountain bike trails that are perfect for beginner biking and hiking. Come to the park to perfect your riding on one of several trails: Lions, Tigers and/or Bears, and learn new skills on Oh My!

Fitness Station at Dupree Park

The Dupree Park outdoor fitness station is located adjacent to the walking path. This equipment utilizes body weight as resistance, providing a great, full-body workout. Please inspect each piece of equipment before use and contact the Woodstock Parks and Recreation office immediately if you find any issues. Remember to take two minutes of rest between exercises and stay hydrated.

Fishing

Olde Rope Mill Park has several opportunities to fish from the banks or docks along the Trestle Rock Trail.

Little River and Lake Allatoona are known to have bass, catfish, bream, crappie and other species. For a fishing forecast, search for Lake Allatoona at www.arcgis.com.

Dupree Park has a pond that is stocked for fishing and includes a boardwalk and fishing pier to cast from.

Events Reimagined In Downtown Woodstock

BY STACY BROWN

Staff members of Visit Woodstock GA, the city’s official destination marketing organization, have been brainstorming and planning a series of fun new events for 2021. The events are intended to help participants move through the city, enjoying Woodstock’s thriving business community, while remaining safe and distanced.

Past events, such as Friday Night Live, will not take place this year, and will be replaced with less congested, more purposeful programming. Be sure to follow Visit Woodstock GA, Downtown Woodstock and the Woodstock Visitors Center at Historic Dean’s Store on social media, or go to visitwoodstockga.com to learn more about these events as details are released throughout the year.

Sip + Shop

Aug. 19, Back to School Nov. 18, Holiday Preview

This is a late evening ticketed shopping event, where participants receive specials and goodies offered by downtown retailers. The visitors center will help promote shopping and service establishments, and create a lively atmosphere, by booking sidewalk musicians. Food establishments will offer to-go or quick-service specials for participants, so they can keep moving and maximize their deals.

Saturday Afternoon Pub Crawls

May 1, Cinco de Mayo July 3, Independence Day

These themed Saturday events will feature food and drink specials at downtown food establishments. Participants are encouraged to visit all of the participating restaurants.

Walking Tours

Dates to be determined

Free small-group tours, focused on a particular topic of interest (history, trail system, architecture/ development, ghost tour, etc.), will be hosted by the visitors center. Tours are under development, and will be announced on visitwoodstockga.com and Downtown Woodstock social media.

Top, Funk Cake performed for pub crawlers earlier this year. Photo courtesy of Prime 120. Left, shoppers look for Christmas treasures during December’s Sip + Shop.

Events Reimagined In Downtown Woodstock

Taste of Woodstock

Target date is Fall

This event, held on the Elm Street Event Green at Market Street, is being reimagined in a new way, to ensure social distancing measures.

Farm. Fresh. Market.

Mid-April through December

Located on Market Street in downtown Woodstock, this year’s market will include occasional chef demos from local restaurants.

Oktoberfest

Sept. 18-Oct. 3

Look for a multi-week celebration for Oktoberfest, occurring at the same time as the traditional celebration in Germany.

Stacy Brown is the marketing and communications manager for the city of Woodstock. She can be reached at 770-592-6056 or sbrown@woodstockga.gov.

Earn College And High School Credit At The Same Time

@ CHATTAHOOCHEE TECH

The Dual Enrollment Program allows eligible high school students the opportunity to maximize their education and career training by taking courses that earn college and high school credit at the same time!

www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu/deadmissions I 770-528-4545

A Unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.