The Friday Letter | September 20, 2013

Volume 2 ISSUE

33

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK AND RECREATION

September 20 2013

DEPARTMENT

FridayLetter THE

this issue Park News P.1 Enterprise Services P.2 Nature Preserves & Natural Resources P.3 Community & Recreation Center Services P.4

In The News: Romare Bearden Park

Park and Recreation— Park News Gold Medal Department Continues National Recognition

Please Join Us at the Romare Bearden Park For Music Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in September

Party in the Park Series: WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 5PM -8PM Join us after work for weekly performances featuring new and upcoming talent. The series will start in September 2013 and pick up again for the 2014 series in April.

The series will take place on the Small Oval on Church Street.

ENJOY Great Music

and Beverages. September schedule 9/25 Natural Wonder (Stevie Wonder Tribute)

For me, it's like: What's next?"

That question is from Sandy Goodwin and it's her response to being part of a first-time effort for Mecklenburg County that is being recognized nationally.

The Center for Digital Government is awarding Mecklenburg County a 2013 Digital Government Achievement Award for "1 to 1, One Person, One Device." The category is Driving Digital Government County government. The ceremony is Friday, Sept. 13.

Goodwin is a senior information technology analyst for the County's Park and Recreation Department. Her excitement over "what's next" shows Goodwin's enthusiasm for what can be accomplished in customer service and employee efficiency through the help of technology. "Way cool," is how she describes what the effort is allowing her department to do now. "We've only hit the tip of the iceberg for Parks."

Goodwin's good feeling about the project is shared by three other County employees who talked recently about the effort. Read more here.

Photographer: Gary Black/ Pictured left to right: Meg, Cliff, Patti and Sandy

Join the ACC in Charlotte for the ACC Football Championship on December 7th!

Because you are associated with Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec, you have the ability to reserve tickets to the ACC Football Championship game for only $25!

Tournaments & Adult Athletics Highlights for the Past and Upcoming Week Co-Rec Grass Volleyball hosted its Summer Championship game on Tuesday September 17 at Nevin Community Park. The winners were Brandon and Jen (pictured below).

There were a total of 6 teams participating this season.

Your Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec ticket package includes: FREE ACC Championship

Hat FREE Chick-Fil-A chicken

sandwich Ticket to see the ACC crown its 2013 champion LIVE! This $46 value is only available in advance. A minimum ticket purchase of four tickets is required per order.

To reserve your seats at the special Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec $25 rate, please call Timothy Cole at 336-3313823 by October 25th and mention you are associated with Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec.

On September 14-15, there was a Youth Baseball Tournament at Renaissance Complex Softball. The tournament name was Sun Drop Ultimate Super Regional. There were a total of 133 teams participating in the tournament.

Did You Know?

National Visit A Park Day

Tournaments On September 14-15, there was a Youth Softball Tournament at Nevin Community Park.

The tournament name was Battle for the Bats. There were a total of 31 teams participating in the tournament.

Have you heard that October 4, 2013 is National Visit a Park Day? This is something that has been celebrated over the last couple of years to help promote the wonders of our natural and treasured resources out there – local parks.

In past Visit a Park Days, local and state recreation and parks programs, nonprofits, and related civic groups have united nationwide to support this initiative. See Back Page. ______________________

Rare Bird Found at McDowell Nature Preserve — A Western Kingbird was discovered and photographed (pictured in column) at McDowell Nature Preserve on September 17, providing a first record of this species for Mecklenburg County. Western Kingbirds are generally found in the prairies west of the Mississippi River in summer. This individual was migrating south to its wintering grounds.

Western Kingbirds typically spend the winter in Central America, but a few winter in Florida and along the S.E. coast of the U.S.

Did you Know?

The Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) is a large tyrant flycatcher. Adults are grey-olive on the upperparts with a grey head and a dark line through the eyes; the underparts are light becoming light orangeyellow on the lower breast and belly. They have a long black tail with white outer feathers. Western kingbirds also have a reddish crown that they only display during courtship and confrontations with other species.

Their breeding habitat is open areas in western North America. They make a sturdy cup nest in a tree or shrub, sometimes on top of a pole or other man-made structure. The name kingbird is derived from their "take-charge" behaviour. These birds aggressively defend their territory, even against much larger birds such as hawks.

Ivory/Baker Senior Nature Explorers Eight seniors traveled to Jetton Park in Cornelius as part of Ivory/Baker's Senior Nature Explorers program. This program is designed to give seniors exposure to the counties beautiful parks and greenways and also be able to fellowship and exercise on the walking trails. One of our senior participants is working with Natural Resources collecting different beetles at the different venues we travel to in addition to enjoying the fellowship and exercise.

For more information on programs happening at Ivory/Baker, call 704.432.4580 or email IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@M ecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Natural Resources is beginning plans for the Fire 5k set for February 15, 2014. The purpose of the 5k is to teach Nature Preserve neighbors and friends the benefits of prescribed fire in the ecosystem. February 15th marks the beginning of the North Carolina Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, as designated by the governor each year. This is the inaugural year for the 5k and it will be held at Latta Plantation.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities 34th Annual PDA Gathering at Marion Diehl: On Saturday, September 14th Marion Diehl hosted an event for more than 300 participants that was full of fellowship, good food, and fun family entertainment! Various agencies that provide services for persons with special needs were on hand to provide information about the community resources available to them and ways to access those resources. Master of Ceremonies, Larry Sprinkle from WCNC News Channel 36, gave away door prizes and lead a thrilling game of BINGO! For more information on special events and programs contact MarionDiehlRecreationCenter@MecklneburgCountyNC.gov or call 704-432-0237.

VOLUNTEER SERVICES

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Battle of the Rec Specialists: South Corridor PREVAILS! In an effort to build camaraderie among Recreation Specialists, the first ever Rec Specialist Teambuilding Competition was held on Thursday, September 12th at Southview Recreation Center. This competition pitted Recreation Manager Heidi Kitterman's North Corridor (Blue shirts below) against Recreation Manager Joey Grahl's South Corridor (Red shirts below) and featured a series of 12 "Minute to Win It" style games. The competitors came with their game faces on and decked out in their team colors! In the end, the South Corridor prevailed with a score of 27-13‌..however a great time was had by all! The next competition will feature the South Corridor versus Recreation Manager Terri Stower's Central Corridor. A big THANK YOU to Kiana Brooks and Brett Krizanik for coordinating the event!

Teen Night on Friday the 13th at Albemarle Road Recreation Center Albemarle Road Recreation Center hosted Teen Night on Friday the 13th. The night was highlighted by a very empowering message from Maurice Staley, a former football standout at West Charlotte High School and the University of Tennessee. Teens also enjoyed a free throw contest and 5 on 5 basketball tournament. Teen Night is held on the second Friday of each month from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Albemarle Road Recreation Center For more information on teen programming at Albemarle Road Recreation Center, contact Ivan Jones at 704-567-1941 or ivan.jones@mecklenburgcountync.gov.

National Day of Service & Remembrance To recognize September 11th, National Day of Service and Remembrance, Park and Recreation, the Town of Matthews and around 50 volunteers joined together to build a playground in Phase One of the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC. After only a few sunburnt faces and zero injuries, the playground will soon begin providing fun and joy to many children.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities After School Youth Basketball League Tom Sykes Recreation Center just began its 2nd annual after school basketball league.

The center is partnering with Dilworth Elementary School to offer a basketball program for 7-11 year olds. With this program, the school offers scholarships for families that need assistance. 25 kids are participating this year including 8 kids who took advantage of the scholarships. During this six week program we practice for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of scrimmage games.

Ivory/Baker's 4H Club Honors Our Flag On September 11th, nine kids participated in Ivory/Baker's 4H Club using the, "Our Flag", curriculum.

Kids learned about the significance of the flag and the events that happened on 9/11/01.

They were able to create their own flag and learned how to raise and lower the flag outside of the center.

For more information on programs happening at Ivory/ Baker, call 704.432.4580 or email IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCounty NC.gov.

Tom Sykes Recreation Center ________________________

For more information about Tom Sykes programs, contact Joel.Kent@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704-432-4806.

Ivory/Baker's Games Galore Sixteen kids participated in Ivory/Baker Recreation Center's Games Galore program. Kids were able to play different board, video, and team building games.

Ivory/Baker Recreation Center For more information on programs happening at Ivory/Baker, call 704.432.4580 or email IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Revolution Park Sports Academy Inaugural 1st Responders Charity Boxing: The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department in partnership with the Charlotte Boxing Academy held the Inaugural 1st Responders Charity Boxing event to honor the 9/11 tragedy at the Revolution Park Sports Academy. The Sheriff, Fire, Police and Highway Patrol Departments all participated in the boxing event. Prizes from the bouts went to each of their local charity organizations. A crowd of over 250 supporters came to cheer each of the team of officers. 1st place went to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Department , 2nd place to CharlotteMecklenburg Police Department, 3rd Sheriff's Department and in 4th place to the NC Highway Patrol - See News 14 story at http://youtu.be/_YH57xL0Oe8 . More pictures of the event can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlottefd/. For more information on this and other boxing programs call the Revolution Park Sports Academy at 704 432-4963.

The XVIII Annual Ray Bowl: The 18th Annual RAY Bowl was held at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 14, 2013. The RAY Bowl is the Pop Warner Mid-South Football Classic that brings in four teams, two from Eastern North Carolina and two from Western North Carolina. This year’s teams were the Havelock Rams out of Havelock, NC, the Capital City Steelers out of Raleigh, NC, the Greater Asheville Panthers out of Asheville, NC & the Mint Hill Panthers out of Mint Hill, NC representing Mecklenburg County. The winners of these semi-final games (Capital City Steelers & Havelock Rams) will advance to play in the 18th Annual Sir Purr Bowl, which will be an exhibition football game played as the pre-game entertainment. This game will be on October 20th when the Carolina Panthers play the St. Louis Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mecklenburg County Commissioners, Trevor Fuller and Matthew Ridenhour were the guests of honor for the RAY Bowl bringing greetings to the teams, coaches and fans on behalf of Mecklenburg County and to do the ceremonial coin toss! The RAY Bowl is coordinated with the Carolina Panthers, the Mid-South Pop Warner Association and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department. For more information, contact Youth Sports Development @ 704-432-4963 or YouthSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov

Track and Field: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation in partnership with Charlotte Flights Track and Field Club, hosted their second Facilitating Excellence and Enrichment Development (FEED) workshop on Saturday, September 14 at the Revolution Park Sports Academy. Participants were given test taking strategies in math and vocabulary that will prepare them for the upcoming SAT/ACT and PSAT exams. In addition to helping with math equations and word definitions, the participants were challenged and competed as groups in a game of Jeopardy. All participants found the workshop helpful as well as fun and are looking forward to the next session scheduled for October 5, 9:00am – 12:0pm at Revolution Park Sports Academy. The free workshops are open to all middle and high school students in Mecklenburg and surrounding Counties. For more information, contact Anthony James at the Revolution Park Sports Academy at 704-432-4963.

Volunteer Services September has brought many new and exciting things to Volunteer Services and Special Events! The month started with the Grand Opening of Romare Bearden Park. Thousands of Park and Rec supporters joined us throughout the Labor Day Weekend to Experience his Legacy with art, music, food and family activities. Despite a little rain, the Grand Opening Weekend was a big success.

Programming at Romare Bearden Park kicked off immediately after the opening with the Music Box Lunch Series on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:301:30, Party in the Park Series on Wednesdays from 5-8pm and Fitness Classes throughout the week.

These programs will continue through October.

Join us Saturday, September 28th from 11am-8pm at Romare Bearden Park for the Cajun Festival. Bring your family and friends to enjoy the sights, sounds, tastes and activities of many popular Cajun and Zydeco regional attractions. Children’s activities will begin at 11am with music performances starting at noon.

Park and Recreation News: 5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840

Submissions for the Newsletter

Recreate All Year!

Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to learn of new and exciting way sto continue recreating during the spring and summer months. Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to stay up to date on activities that may be available to you.

www.parkandrec.com

Please submit all news for the Friday Letter to your Division Director for review and routing.

Park Partners may contact Kesha Meads at Kesha.Meads@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov

for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 2 • Issue 33• September 20, 2013

Visit A Park Day (Cont’d) Park and recreation agencies can leverage Visit a Park Day as way to engage the community in their local parks and foster future enjoyment, visitation and advocacy support. Not only that, the beauty behind this initiative is that it provides the opportunity for parks and recreation professionals, along with community advocates to educate the public on the benefits of parks and open space in an unlimited capacity.

Visit a Park Day is pretty easy to celebrate too! Visit a Park Day has included events such as nature hikes, grand openings for new trail segments, athletic field days and fitness in the parks. Here are some other ways you can celebrate:

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Jim Garges, Director

   

Work in partnership with a local teacher, school or preschool and host a tour of one of your parks Hold an open Zumba class or other popular fitness program and encourage your community to come out Invite local college students or high school seniors to shadow your staff for the day to learn more about careers in parks and recreation Or simply support the initiative on social media and encourage your community to “visit” with you in any capacity on October 4; have them submit photos on social media of themselves out in your parks and facilities. Use the hashtag #VisitaParkDay.

Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director James Alsop, Enterprise Services Renea Barber, Human Resources Mario Chang, Budget Administration Lee Jones, Capital Planning Lola Massad, Community and Recreation Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations