The Friday Letter | November 21, 2014

The

Looking For Things To Do? There is no shortage of things to do in Mecklenburg County!

Throughout the year Park and Rec hosts many popular athletic events, activities, and programs that offer great things to do on idle weekends. You can even find and register for them online at eParks 2.0. Click on the icons below to find out more about the sports, activities, and programs that Park and Rec offers.

Eparks 2.0

'Get Fit' at Park and Rec's New Fitness Zone The workout area is free for the public and offers a unique way to stay active.

Park and Recreation is making it easier than ever to get in shape.

On Nov. 7, a dedication ceremony was held officially opening the County's first outdoor Fitness Zone at Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center.

The workout area is free for the public and offers a unique way to stay active.

More Fitness Zones are planned throughout the County in the coming years.

Mecklenburg County News

County Announces Closings For Thanksgiving Holiday Mecklenburg County Offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 27 and 28.

Charlotte, NC – Mecklenburg County government offices and agencies will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

This includes all units of the Department of Social Services, the Tax Office, Elections Office, the Register of Deeds Office, and the Land Use and Environmental Services Agency.

Mecklenburg County Substance Abuse Center (Detox) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Department of Social Services Care Line (704-336-CARE or 704-336-2773) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive reports of suspected abuse or neglect of children, the elderly or disabled adults.

The Health Department will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28.

The Main Library and all library branches will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26 and be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27.

Solid Waste's administrative offices and all facilities will be closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 27.

All Solid Waste field facilities will be open on a normal schedule on Friday, Nov. 28.

Park and Recreation administrative offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28. All Recreation Centers and Senior Centers will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 & 28. Ray’s Splash Planet and the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 & 28.

Nature Centers will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27 only.

As a reminder, CharMeck 311 remains open and available to the public on holidays and weekends. Enjoy your holiday!

Aquatics Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center Five hundred twenty-three (523) swimmers competed in an Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg (ATOM) hosted swim meet from November 14-16 at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. The event took place Friday evening from 4 – 8pm, Saturday from 12 – 6pm, and Sunday from 8am – 1pm. Six local swim teams participated in the weekend event.

Sports Programming, RPSA, GCC/ALMS Adult Women’s Basketball The Women Basketball league ended their league games this past Sunday, November 16th. Games were played at Tom Sykes Recreation Center on Sunday afternoons starting at 2pm. There was a total of 6 teams that participated in the league this season. Team “Pink Invasion” became the champions of the league this season. For more information on adult athletic leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Out of School Play Day On Tuesday, November 11, Revolution Park Sports Academy hosted an Out of School Play Day. The program was created to keep kids active while they were out of school for the Veterans Day holiday. Children participated in a variety of sports such as football, soccer and boxing. Also we visited the U.S. National Whitewater Center were we participated in the rope courses. For more information on this program and others contact Revolution Park Sports Academy at 704-432-4963.

Sports Programming, RPSA, GCC/ALMS Adult Softball Tuesday night D-I, D-II, and Co-Rec leagues finished off their fall season on November 18th. Games were played at Renaissance Park with total of 8 teams in the league who played on D-I, 8 teams that participated in D-II, and 7 teams that participated in Co-Rec. The champions for D-I is team “Brewers”, the champions for D-II is team “Brixx”, and the champions for the Co-rec league was Team “Centerfield”. For more information on adult athletic leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Adult Volleyball On Tuesday, November 18th the Co-Rec AA volleyball league ended their fall season. Games were played Tuesday evenings at Bette Rae Recreation Center. There was a total of 5 teams in the league this season.

Team “Muffin Mayhem” triumphed as champions for this season. For more information on adult athletic leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Community & Recreation Center Services Tom Sykes: Out of School Program On Veterans Day, we “Played the Day Away” at Tom Sykes Recreation Center. You know it’s a FUN day when the kids tell their parents to leave and come back to get them. The kids enjoyed various gym games, made fall coloring books, danced while playing musical chairs and used their creative minds building with Legos. We were also able to fit in a trip to Latta Park for a nature walk and some fun in the sun! For more information about out of school programs, contact TomSykesRecreationCenter@Mecklenburgcountync.gov .

Tom Sykes College Tour On Veterans Day, teens from Tom Sykes Recreation Center had an opportunity to visit two colleges, Johnson C. Smith University and University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC). The teens received valuable information from each University regarding admissions, financial aid and available degree programs. It was a great day walking around campus talking about career choices. For more information about future college tours, please contact TomSykesRecreationCenter@Mecklenburgcountync.gov .

Community & Recreation Center Services P.L.A.Y. Day at Ivory/Baker On Veterans Day, fifteen children took part in the Out-of-School PLAY Day held at Ivory/Baker Recreation Center. The day included a field trip to Freedom Park to play at the NFL Play 60 and the new playground. For more information about any of our Out-of-School PLAY Day programs, please contact, IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.Gov or call (704) 432-4580.

Teddy Bears Come to Party Ivory/Baker Recreation Center held its’ Crazy Play Day: Teddy Bear Party for 3-5 year olds. Many Teddy Bears showed up with their owners. The children introduced their favorite teddy bears, sang songs, learned of many types of bear (both real and cartoon), heard a story called “It’s The Bear” by Jez Alborough, color & decorated a bear picture and a stuffed bear to take home.

For more information about pre-school programs, contact IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.Gov or call (704) 432-4580.

Community & Recreation Center Services MDRC Invitational Badminton Tournament On November 8th, Marion Diehl Recreation Center hosted its 2nd Annual Badminton tournament in which 28 active senior adults took to the court in a round robin bracketed style tournament that paired players of various skill levels against one another with the ultimate goal of reigning supreme over their competitors and ultimately be crowned the tournament champion. Good fun and fellowship was the theme of the day. For information about this or other programs at Marion Diehl, MarionDiehlRecreation Center@mecklenburgcountync.gov .

“See Charlotte� at Albemarle Road Recreation Center On November 18th, seniors from Albemarle Road Recreation Center visited the Carolina Aviation Museum located next to the charlotte Douglas Airport. The group of savvy seniors showed special interest in" the miracle on the Hudson" display which included the plane that safely landed in the Hudson Bay after an onboard emergency. Afterwards, they had an opportunity to catch up over lunch on the campus of Johnson and Wales University . For more information about this or other senior programming, contact Ivan Jones or Tiffany Peterson at 704-567-1941.

Community & Recreation Center Services Woodcarving @ “The View” On Tuesday, November 18, the Charlotte Woodcarvers visited Southview Recreation Center to share their talents and woodwork with the seniors in the DSS Senior Nutrition Program. Ray Branch of the Charlotte Woodcarvers has been working with Mecklenburg County’s Leisure and Learn program for several years. The seniors at “The View” enjoyed watching them carve and asking about the pieces they brought. Woodcarving is a fascinating and non-expensive hobby for people of all ages. Our Crafty Crafters may start off with soap-carving to see if this could be a new hit program at “The View”. For more information on programs at Southview contact SouthviewRecreationCenter@mecklenburgcountync.gov.

Cooperative Extension Mecklenburg Revives Extension & Community Associations with New Focus On October 30th, the Mecklenburg Family and Consumer Sciences program hosted an Extension and Community Association (ECA) Interest Social. The purpose of NC Extension and Community Association is to empower individuals and families to improve their quality of living through continuing education, leadership development and community service. Prior to budget cuts in 2004, Mecklenburg county led the region with ECA clubs and volunteer participation.

Since that time, much has changed in the CharlotteMetro area, as well as within NC Cooperative Extension. The new Mecklenburg ECA brings a new perspective and fresh focus to a traditional volunteer concept.

The revived Mecklenburg ECA will focus on developing the following focus areas in club members and the community: local food & agricultural advocacy, health and wellness, environmental impacts through sustainable practices, leadership development, strengthen families, and cultural awareness.

Members will assist with co-teaching foods programs, providing demonstrations at local farmers markets, and building the vision of the Family and Consumer Sciences program.

During the event, Geri Bushel, NC ECA State Advisor, shared the rich history and vision of ECA. “We are excited about what is taking place in Mecklenburg and the new focus that the group will take!”, says Bushel. The Mecklenburg Club is the first of its kind to create an inclusive environment for male participants and focus on local foods and sustainability. During the meeting, a coed audience shared feedback on how they would like to contribute to Mecklenburg ECA. Their feedback will be incorporated into club activities and trainings for 2015.

“This is just great! The work that Kristin is doing and the Extension program is a great example of how to reach the community. The partnership between Cooperative Extension and Mecklenburg Park and Recreation provides so many opportunities,” says James Garges, Park and Recreation Director.

Membership registration is currently open for the new Health and Wellness ECA group. For more information about how to become involved in Mecklenburg Extension and Community Associations visit http://mecklenburg.ces.ncsu.edu/ecaclub/ or contact Kristin Davis, ECA Liason, at Kristin_Davis@ncsu.edu.

Cutline for first attached photo: Guests and Geri Bushel, ECA Advisor, get to know each other during an interactive icebreaker.

Cutline for second attached photo: Healthy dish options prepared with locally-sourced herbs and produce.

Therapeutic Recreation This past weekend a group of us braved the cold weather and camped at McDowell Nature Preserve for 2 nights. Wilderness Bunch is a camping trip for people with disabilities, and teaches the basics of tent camping and focuses on independence. We enjoyed a lot of hiking, campfires, programs at the McDowell Nature Center and s’mores! A BIG thank you to the folks at McDowell Nature Preserve for all of their help this past weekend!

Volunteer Services Despite the cold weather, Volunteer Season in Park and Recreation is still going strong. So far this fall, Volunteers Services has processed nearly 400 hundred new enrollments. These volunteers range from basketball coaches, TR volunteers, special events, etc., and are very much needed to improve our parks and facilities and assist with our exemplary programs.

Also in Volunteer Services, dedicated individuals are still coming in to donate their time in our parks.

This past weekend, a hardworking group from UNCC helped with clean up, mulching and landscaping at Briarwood Park. And on Sunday, Cub Scout Pack 9 spent their afternoon cleaning up the greenway at Freedom Park. We greatly appreciate all of our volunteers and their contribution to the community as well as our wonderful staff who provide meaningful projects in our parks.

Nature Preserves & Natural Resources McDowell Nature Center staff, Stacey Ulaszek and Chad Moore, will be introducing a new family program this winter called Fireside Fairytales. Participants will make s’mores, enjoy hot cocoa, and then enjoy a shadow puppet show. December dates will feature The Gingerbread Boy and incorporate a small animal talk about the red fox after the show. Program dates are Friday December 5 th and Friday, December 19th, 6:30pm-8:00pm. The fee is $3.00, ages 3 and up. Bundle up and enjoy the magic of this unique outdoor program!

Nature Preserves & Natural Resources Nature Preserve Operations The beautiful leaves that we have enjoyed in the past few weeks are now falling to the ground, and that means a lot of hours of leaf-blowing for our maintenance staff. Leaf maintenance activities peak in November. There is never a slow season in the nature preserves !

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840

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 The Friday Letter Team at Kier. Harrison @MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 3 • Issue 45 • November 21, 2014

Greenway Rules and Regulations             

Secure valuables out of sight in your locked vehicle Respect nature; Trail surfaces are slippery when wet Children under 16 years of age must wear helmet when riding bicycles, roller blades or skateboards Pedestrians have the right of way; Cyclists slow when approaching pedestrians Travel on right, pass on left; Give audible warning before passing Stay alert/listen for approaching traffic; Decrease volume of audio device Bicycle lights and reflectors are required from dusk to dawn Greenway is open at all times, except floods or repairs Do not block Greenway For your safety, please walk with a friend Pets must be on a leash 6ft or shorter Call 311 for non emergencies Call 911 for emergencies

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Jim Garges, Director 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 Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources