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Recreational opportunities
abound
P
awnee County Communities offer much in the way of recreational opportunities. Larned, Burdett, Rozel and Garfield all provide diversions for residents and visitors. Burdett, known as the home of the man who discovered the planet Pluto, offers a fun Solar System themed miniature golf course. The Burdett Community Pride club maintains the course, with balls and clubs available at the city office. New playground equipment was installed at the park next to the golf course. The Rozel Community center includes meeting space and an indoor fitness center. Community members meet there to mark major holidays, including Halloween with Trunk-or-Treat and Christmas with a parade and visit from Santa Claus, hot-dog feeds and 5K fun runs. It is also available for private events. Rozel park includes a playground, basketball courts, and a picnic shelter. A ballpark is also available through the community center. Garfield is home to two parks located right on the US 56, Downey Memorial Park on the east end of town, and Camp Criley park on the north. Be sure to get a close-up look at the tiny chapel located at Downey Memorial Park. Larned, the county seat, is home to the only public pool and splash pad in the county, drawing many from around the area each summer. The large 92-year-old pool and bathhouse is located at Schnack/ Lowery Park, W. 1st and Carroll. Although the pool didn’t open last
year due to COVID-19, extensive updates to the pool’s filtration, lighting and sound systems began in 2020. They were completed in the spring of this year, and the facility opened on May 28. Each year, the season opens Memorial Day weekend, and ends the weekend before backto-school. During that time, the pool is staffed by local high school and college students, providing meaningful summer employment and patron safety. Other Schnack/Lowery Park features include a duck pond and a 75-year-old mechanical train, the Schnack Express. Local civic groups partnered with Larned Community Pride and the city recently to add lights, sound and renovate its mechanical function to keep it running for years to come. Kids and parents alike delight in the train. In 2020 the splash pad located at Doerr Vernon Park, 620 Fort Larned Ave., provided an option for water-based recreation as work continued on the pool. The pad provides yet another way
area youth can enjoy water play and stay cool during the summer months. Typically, it remains open after the pool shuts down, for as long as temperatures remain warm enough and autumn leaf fall doesn’t threaten to clog drains. The Larned Recreation Commission can be found at the Larned Community Center. A variety of team sports are organized through the rec, and play is coordinated at playing fields
throughout the city. Located next to the Pawnee County Fairgrounds, there is also an outdoor fitness walking track available for the public. The Larned Municipal Golf Course, located on the far east side of city with access from the highway, provides ample opportunity for golf lovers around the area, and is also a frequent stop for college golf teams around the state looking for a spot to warm up on their way to tournaments in neighboring Barton County. In 2020, the city partnered with the course’s board of directors to completely revamp the parking area next to the clubhouse, and other updates are also being considered. Public and private tournaments are a given on most weekends. Together, the county and the cities work hard to provide a wide variety of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.
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