GET OUTDOORS

Page 6 At Home in Edmond Summer 2020

Get outdoors with Edmond Parks & Rec

By Rose Drebes

Residents of Edmond are again enjoying the great outdoors and taking part in a variety of classes in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Diane Self is the city’s recreation program manager.

“People are back out on the golf course, enjoying the lake, playing tennis and giving their dogs some exercise at the dog park,” she said. “The public has continued to use

the green space and trails in the park throughout the entire time. “And we do have people registering for classes.”

When the virus first hit Edmond, Self said her department hit the ground running – virtually.

“We worked to have a virtual presence,” she said. “My coordinator would do ‘Live @11’ and update residents every Monday on what was going on -- what was open, what was closed, if there were any regulations, etc.” On other days, the Recreation Department would offer some type of class or informative live video on Facebook. “We did a lot of art, we had coffee making with Wilder Coffee, we had a photography video, etc.,” Self said. “We also would set up a kayak in different parks with a fabulous view and posted those on Instagram.

“We would have anywhere from 1-2k views of our videos.” The city hosted a movie night in June.

“It was well-attended with 200 -250 in attendance,” she said. “We have had some good sized (meaning not too big) crowds, keeping distance, at our Concerts in the Park on Thursdays.”

There has also been some distanced group exercise in the parks, Self said. People are enjoying the Farmers Market as it opened in early May.

“We encourage social distancing and offer hand sanitizing stations,” Self said.

Play has resumed at Kickingbird Golf Club. Masks are required in the clubhouse and one person per cart is allowed.

The park playgrounds are back open, but pavilion reservations are accepted by taking group sizes into account, Self said.

Dogs are running around the Dog Park again, while the pond there remains closed due to algae which is harmful to pets. Tennis is being played at the city’s Tennis Center and people are enjoying the sun and water this summer at the Pelican Bay Aquatic Center.

Arcadia Lake has operated as normal all along, although people are asked to follow CDC guidelines.

Edmond is now offering limited summer camps and classes.

“We first spoke with instructors and checked to see who wanted to offer classes and who wanted to cancel,” Self said. “For the camps that wanted to go on, class numbers were limited to no more than six. We worked with instructors to offer classes in the safest environment possible.”

Social distancing is being practiced as it is possible during classes. Only one group is allowed in a room and if capacity warrants, only every other room is used.

“We take temperatures of everyone who enters the building and we encourage mask wearing,” she said. “We also offer hand sanitizer at the front desk and in the rooms. We do clean after a room is done for the day.”

The Edmond Recreation Depart

PHOTOS BY SAJACKSON62 YouTube Kayaking class with Edmond Parks and Rec and Steve’s Adventures.

ment plans to forge ahead.

“We hope to continue on with plans, operating like we are currently until we start to see a decrease in cases,” Self said. “We are currently working on a Fall/Winter Activity

Guide that will only be available online. The print version will come back when cases warrant.”

For more information, visit www. edmondok.com/337/Parks-Recreation.

6

20

18 Contents

30

6GET OUTDOORS Enjoy the outdoors anytime with Edmond Parks and Rec.

9HOW TO EFFECTIVELY FREEZE VEGETABLES Great tips for garden surplus and meal-planning

11 BUSINESS AS USUAL AT THE YMCA Smaller classes and social distancing

12 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 15 SIMPLE PAIRING POINTERS FOR WINE NOVICES 16 HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHEN YOU CAN STOP MOWING 18 DESIGN SECRETS 19 OVEN-FREE SUMMER DINNER IDEAS 20 STAYING FIT AND STAYING HOME 23 GET THE SPA TREATMENT AT HOME 24 WHEN TO USE SOAP AND WATER, AND WHEN TO USE HAND SANITIZER

25

TAKE-OUT TIPS WHEN DINING AT HOME 26 REMOTE LEARNING 28 WAYS TO BRIDGE THE GENERATION GAP 30 COOKING TOGETHER

31

ADVERTISER’S INDEX