The Friday Letter | September 27, 2013

Volume 2 ISSUE

34

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

September 27 2013

FridayLetter THE

this issue Park News P.1

In The News:

Enterprise Services P.2

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation wins 2013 Excellence in Youth Sports Award We are proud to announce that

Mecklenburg

County

Park and Recreation Depart-

Nature Preserves & Natural Resources P.4 Community & Recreation Center Services P.5

Park and Recreation— Park News Mountian Adventure Trip—Nature Preserves & Natural Resources

ment has been confirmed as a 2013 Excellence in Youth Sports Award winner! This National Award is presented

Staff from Reedy Creek Nature Center took a group to the North Carolina Mountains last weekend. The group hiked along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and went rafting on the Nantahala River.

to only 5 organizations in the Country each year. The Excellence in Youth Sports Award recognizes programs that are doing superior jobs of conducting diverse activities with a focus on providing safe and positive experiences for all youth sports participants - including children, parents and coaches.

Citizens learned about mountain habitats, shared experiences and then were amazed by nature at Cataloochee Valley where we had the opportunity to see and hear elk that has been reintroduced to North Carolina.

Tournaments & Adult Athletics

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!

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.

Highlights for the Past and Upcoming Week On September 21-22, there was a Youth Baseball Tournament at Nevin Community Park named The 8th Annual Triple Play Challenge and at Hornet’s Nest Park The Cheerwine Tournament. There were a total of 101 teams combined who participated in the tournaments. The teams consisted of players from North Carolina and Virginia.

Tournaments & Grady Cole/Memorial Stadium

Men’s 40 and Over started the Summer season playoffs on Tuesday September 24.

There are a total of 8 teams participating during the playoffs. Games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Grady Cole Center.

The 2013 Funk Fest was a success. There were a total of 8,000 people in attendance at Memorial Stadium. Special guest were Lisa Lisa, Rakim, EU, Dru Hill, Bell BivDevoe and Charlie Wilson.

Did You Know?

National Visit A Park Day 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 for More Information ~

Woodland Sprites Program Off To A Great Start: This week marks the wrap-up of the first session of Woodland Sprites, the Charlotte area’s first forest school program, at Latta Plantation Nature Center! Forest schools originated in Europe and are defined as “an inspirational process that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a local woodland or natural environment.” Each week children ages four to six years old spend three hours outside on our Habitat Trail engaged in learning through exploration and play. During this session, the sprites have constructed spider webs, modeled the life cycle of a butterfly, explored a stream, and much more! Staff have already begun to notice changes in the children’s social skills and attention span, and are excited to see each child continue to grow and develop as Woodland Sprites continues through November.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Albemarle Road Recreation Center Senior’s “Road Trip”: On September 17th, over 20 Seniors from Albemarle Road Recreation Center visited the Treehouse Vineyard in Monroe, North Carolina. This experience included a tour and an in-depth information session on the process of making wine at the vineyard. Afterwards, the seniors ate lunch at a very popular local family restaurant. “See Charlotte” is a senior trip program offering at Albemarle Road Recreation Center on the third Tuesday of every month, with a cost of $5.

Albemarle Road Recreation Center For more information on senior programming at Albemarle Road Recreation Center, contact Ivan Jones at 704-5671941 or AlbemarleRoadRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Second Annual Sugaw Creek NFL Punt Pass and Kick Local competition was held Friday, September 20. Over thirty children, boys and girls from the ages of six to fifteen had the opportunity to showcase their talent on the football field. Winners have been determined and will advance to the regional round of the competition on Sunday, October 27, at The American Legion Memorial Stadium.

For more information about other local competitions, contact Sugaw Creek Recreation Center at 706-336-7655 or PP&K.com

Mallard Creek Recreation Center Mallard Creek Recreation Center hosted its second class from the Aprendiendo Espanol series. This particular class focused on ‘numeros ‘ 1-10. The class begin with a review of 'colores’ - colors. Families had a fantastic time singing numbers in Spanish, playing hopscotch while saying the number they were jumping on, coloring a rainbow, and finger painting.

For more information, contact Erica.Espinoza @MecklenburgCountyNC. gov or (704) 548-8234.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Seniors Cruise at Sugaw Creek's Island Party

2014 Senior Games Effective in the Games there will be participant bracket on the Local and Level.

2014 a new added State

They will now be taking participants 50 - 54! So spread the word and let your friends who have been volunteers & spectators that they can now participate!

The District VIII Seniors "rocked the boat" as they sailed into an afternoon of fun during the Island Party on September 19. Participants were greeted by youth drummers and provided passports and party favors as they boarded the ship dressed in their fine Island attire. Entertainment consisted of the soothing jazz sounds of saxophonist Melita Peterson, upbeat Line Dancing, and a Hula Hoop demonstration by Jackie Ellis. As motivation to stay active, participants got a chance to get their passports stamped at various activity booths including bowling, coconut basket toss, and putt putt golf. Seniors with the most stamps qualified to win goodie bags donated by Sam's Club, Aaron’s Furniture Center, and Extravaganza Entertainment.

Special thanks to MCPRD Senior Club advisors, Sugaw Creek "Young at Heart" Club, and all of our sponsors and volunteers for their hard work and valuable contributions.

Also, Pickleball (Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles) will be added to the State Games in 2014 as well!

Young Athletes, in partnership with Special Olympics, started in the Mecklenburg County schools on September 23rd. Young Athletes is an innovative sports play program for children with intellectual disabilities, intended to introduce them to sports prior to Special Olympics. We are excited for a fun-filled school year!

If you would like more information about Young Athletes please contact: Abigail.Wilkerson@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or Ariel.Kliem@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Revolution Park Sports Academy 2013 Excellence in Youth Sports Award: We are proud to announce that Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department has been confirmed as a 2013 Excellence in Youth Sports Award winner! This National Award is presented to only 5 organizations in the Country each year. The Excellence in Youth Sports Award recognizes programs that are doing superior jobs of conducting diverse activities with a focus on providing safe and positive experiences for all youth sports participants - including children, parents and coaches. The presentation of the award will occur at the Athletic Business Conference on November 21-23 in San Diego, California. The award is a symbol that represents all of the hard work and tremendous effort put forth by the entire department. Way to go TEAM!

Volunteer Services Another productive week has passed in Volunteer Services and Special Events.

Tuesday was a beautiful day at Romare Bearden Park. The lunchtime crowd continues to grow as they come out to enjoy a break in their day with the Music Box Lunch Series. The series will continue through October on Tuesdays and Fridays from noon1:30pm. A little rain on Wednesday prevented us from ending the 2013 Party in the Park Series with a bang, but the program will be back in the spring of 2014.

Don’t forget to join in closing out the first month of programming and events at Romare Bearden Park with the Cajun Festival on Saturday, September 28th from 11am8pm with music, food and fun!

Volunteer Services Volunteer Services also welcomed two hardworking groups in the parks this week. Rain didn’t stop a group of 20 Charlotte Country Day high school students from getting the job done at Elon Park on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a group from Bank of America’s IT Department enjoyed a pleasant day away from a computer screen and helping out at Grayson Park. Both groups did excellent jobs mulching around the recreation centers.

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

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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.

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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 34• September 27, 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