Issue 3
May , 2015
A Walk In The Park Asheville Parks and Recreation In This Issue
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When encountering the contestants of the 2015 Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and SilOut and About With Parks and Rec
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Parks and Rec Association News
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Nature center news
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What Day Is This?
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ver Arts, one can’t help but say “I hope I’m like that when I’m that age!” Coordinated by Dee Black and the always amazing Senior Services staff, events included cycling, golf, swimming, track and field, Pickleball and much more. Top competitors in each category became eligible to go to the North Carolina Senior Games in Raleigh. Silver Arts is a statewide arts program that celebrate the accomplishments of Buncombe County’s senior artists and provides a showcase for local talent. Well...what are you waiting for? Get it in gear for next year!
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The Sporting News
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NRPA Conference...Are You Going? Our Mission The Asheville Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to enhancing your quality of life by providing diverse cultural and recreational experiences.
Whether you have never had a chance to attend, or you are one of those people who has an overwhelming collection of conference badges from over the years hanging on your office wall, the 2015 NRPA Annual Conference is the one you don’t want to miss! Every year, the NRPA Annual Conference is where more than 7,000 park and recreation professionals come for energetic networking activities, inspirational education sessions and an inside look at the latest products for the field. But this year is extra special because NRPA is celebrating its 50thAnniversary and we aren’t holding anything back! You don’t want to miss out on the NRPA Annual Conference on September 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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SAVE THE DATE!! It’s time for the annual Parks & Recreation Summer Kickoff Picnic! Grab your sunscreen and meet us at the Carrier Park Pavilion on Wednesday, May 27th. 12—2pm Music Food Friends And a much anticipated speech by Roderick Simmons!
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Nature Play at the Nature Center By Eli Strull Remember summers filled with playing outdoors? Many kids today won’t. Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago.1 The Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids between the ages of 8-18 spend over 7 hours on average every day in front of screens.2 There is a growing movement to provide creative and natural outdoor play opportunities for children, based on a range of studies that show measurable health benefits. Children who do play outside were found to be more physically active, more creative and imaginative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration.3 The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 60 minutes of daily unstructured free play as an essential part of children’s physical and mental health.4 The WNC Nature Center is poised to help! We have been adding multiple play elements on our grounds. Children can paint with water at our slate wall down by the barn, or rearrange chutes to make a track for rolling wooden balls, acorns, etc. by the block building station near the otters. Since October, we’ve added these new play elements around the park thanks to funding awarded through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund as part of the Nature Play Begins at Your Zoo & Aquarium collaboration with the Association of Zoos a n d A q u a r i u m s (AZA). Through this award, the WNC Nature Center is now an official AZA Nature Play Site. And we’ve got more improvements on the way! Thanks to additional support from the Asheville Rotary Club, we’re developing a whole new nature play area on your way up to the raccoons. This area will become a place to practice your poise on natural balance beams and stump jumps, get in tune with nature with some musical elements, and put your survival skills to the test in our new fort building area. This new space will open to active explorers, young and old,
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this summer. We are also building a living willow hut – a fort with a connected tunnel, all constructed of living plants. The structure will continue to evolve as the plants grow. It is located next to the slate water wall and scheduled to open this summer. As an additional part of the AZA/ Disney nature play project, the WNC Nature Center is collaborating with The NC Arboretum and Kids in Parks to launch Asheville Outdoor Families – a new, independent family nature play club. Looking for families to go hiking with? Want find the best places to play in a creek with kids? Or just looking for support and encouragement to play outdoors? This will be the club for you! Join the Asheville Outdoor Families group on Facebook for resources, event postings, and networking, or follow the club on Pinterest for lots of ideas you can do at home! Whether you play at the Nature Center, join Asheville Outdoor Families, or go out on your own - take some time this summer to slow down, explore, and have fun in the wondrous natural playground that is the Southern Appalachians! 1 Juster et al 2004; Burdette & Whitaker 2005; Kuo & Sullivan 2001 2 http://kff.org/other/event/generation-m2-media-in-the-lives-of/ 3 Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007 4 http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Kids-and-Nature/Why-Get-KidsOutside.aspx
Come take a “Wild Walk” behind the scenes at WNCNC; check out the animal habitats, watch enrichment activities, etc...very cool experiences await you! The “Wild Walk” occurs monthly. The next will be on May 9th, Saturday, June 20th and Saturday, July 18th. They run from 1:45-3:15pm. Prices are $30 per adult ($25 for Friends members), and $15 for youth under 16. Pre-registration is required and folks can sign up by calling 259-8092. Don't forget-city of Asheville employees get 50% the cost of a Friends of the Nature Center membership!
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As I write this, it’s “Scrabble Day”, and I really wish I was playing Scrabble. Did you know that , each month is filled with holidays , from silly to somber, that we don’t acknowledge? We’ve missed “National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day” (April 2nd), and “National Don’t Go To Work Unless It’s Fun Day” (April 3rd).
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June 20: Ice Cream Soda Day June 23: National Pink Day June 27: Sunglasses Day June 29: Hug Holiday July
July 1: Canada Day, Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, International Joke Day Maybe your center can benefit from a little goofiness each month, a day for everyone to celebrate in their own way. July 2: I Forgot Day, World UFO Day So with that in mind, here are some suggestions: July 3: Compliment Your Mirror Day, Disobedience Day, Stay out of the Sun Day July 4: Independence Day (U.S.), Sidewalk Egg Frying Day May - Hmmmm, I wonder why!?! July 5: Build A Scarecrow Day - first Sunday in month May 1: International Tuba Day July 6 National Fried Chicken Day Mother Goose Day July 7: Chocolate Day, National Strawberry Sundae Day May 3: Lumpy Rug Day July 8: Video Games Day May 4: National Candied July 9: National Sugar Cookie Day Orange Peel Day July 10: Teddy Bear Picnic Day Star Wars Day July 11: Cheer up the Lonely Day May 5: National Hoagie Day July 12: Different Colored Eyes Day, Pecan Pie Day May 6: No Diet Day July 13: Embrace Your Geekiness Day May 8: No Socks Day July 15: Tapioca Pudding Day May 10: Clean Up Your Room Day July 15: Cow Appreciation Day- Go out and give a cow a hug July 16: Fresh Spinach Day May 11: Twilight Zone Day July 17: Peach Ice Cream Day, Yellow Pig Day May 14: Dance Like A Chicken Day July 18: National Caviar Day- something's fishy here May 16: National Sea Monkey Day July 19: National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday of the month) May 18: No Dirty Dishes Day July 20: National Lollipop Day, Moon Day, Ugly Truck Day May 31: National Macaroon Day July 21: National Junk Food Day July 22: Hammock Day, Ratcatcher's Day June July 23: National Hot Dog Day, Vanilla Ice Cream Day July 24: Amelia Earhart Day June 3: Repeat Day (I said “Repeat Day”) July 25: Threading the Needle Day June 4: Applesauce Cake Day July 26: All or Nothing Day, Parent's Day - fourth Sunday in Hug Your Cat Day July June 5: National Doughnut Day July 27 Take Your Pants for a Walk Day July 28 National Milk Chocolate Day (always the first Friday in June) July 29 National Lasagna Day June 7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day July 30: National Cheesecake Day June: 9: Donald Duck Day July 31: Mutt's Day June 15: Smile Power Day
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Did you know that you can nominate a coworker or team to receive an award? It can be someone in your division, someone in another department, heck, it can be an entire department. Vehicles for employee recognition, The Asheville Way, and the Quality of Service award, are being revised to make them more user friendly and more accessible. There are 9 categories for nomination: Recognizes the employee who has improved service delivery most significantly by balancing customer and/or departmental needs, resources and innovation. He or she consistently performs above and beyond the requirements of his or her position.
Recognizes the employee who most consistently demonstrates the characteristics of courage, honesty and pride.
Recognizes the employee who most thoroughly promotes diversity in the community and workforce through his/ her ideas, behaviors, and actions.
Recognizes the employee who acts most deliberately with regard for the safety and welfare of our employees and the citizens we serve.
Recognizes the employee who strives most diligently to address customer needs with courtesy, compassion, timeliness, efficiency and commitment.
Recognizes the employee who most effectively demonstrated outstanding leadership (regardless of position), and who, in this role, assisted the City of Asheville to live up to The Asheville Way.
Recognizes the employee who, through their daily work over a significant period of time, best typifies quiet devotion to
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We Appreciate You To be acknowledged feels good. It boosts self-esteem. I lets you know that someone noticed.
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public service. The employee recognized for this award has frequently performed tasks other than and in addition to his/her own normal job duties, has shown enthusiasm, self-motivation and initiative, and has displayed a customeroriented attitude.
Recognizes the employee who, within the initial year(s)) of his or her tenure, has enthusiastically incorporated the tenants of the Asheville Way into his or her job performance. To be eligible for this award, nominees must have been hired between the dates of January 1st, 2011 through December 31st, 2013.
Recognizes the team that most excelled in the areas of communication, efficiency, and commitment to exceed expectations on a given project or assignment, and thereby exemplified the City’s motto: “Our Quality of Service is Your Quality of Life.”
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Harvest House— As always, things are hoppin’ at Harvest House
2015 regular season game, except Thursdays, 6/23
Line dancing every Tuesday afternoon!!
Parks and Recreation Night, May 15, is also $1 hot dog
Absolute Beginner Contemporary Line Dancing
and 7/3. 1:30
night. We are selling tickets now!!
-2:30/ Beginners 2:30-3:30
And the congregate dining site is also booming with What’s better than a movie under the stars? Nothing! new people coming daily! Activities and meals! Dona- So bring your family and friends to Pack Square for tion accepted but not required. 60+ Call 350-2062 for registration information. 5/15/15 Discount Tourists Tickets! NCRPA Region 9 will be selling discounted tickets for
Movies in the Park beginning at 630pm. Bring your blanket and popcorn, we’ll do the rest! Friday, May 8—Big Hero 6 Friday, June 12—Goonies Friday, July 10—Surf’s Up
all Parks and Recreation Departments across the state.
Friday, August 14—Despicable Me 2
Tickets are $6, and with every ticket sold, $3 goes back
Friday, September 18—Into The Woods
to NCRPA. Tickets are valid for any Asheville Tourist
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Nicole Teale Scott Lloyd
Josh McClure Kahlani Jackson Melinda Polites
Kevin Haney Basil Punsalan Dwayne Walker
Ross Prezant Joanne Willoughby
9 Years Stuart Martin
10 Years Sandra Travis
Hilarey Camuso 6 Years Josh Darty
7 Years Roger Anders
Connie Muse Alice Dougherty
Jesse Paden
12 Years Lee Dansby Phillip Snelson
13 Years Mischa Trinks
William Hoke
15 Years Candy Hensley Shaw Clara Harrison
17 Years LaTanya McDowell Kim Turner Kim Isley
18 Years Tameka Crudup
19 Years Paul Sherrill
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Saturday, May 30—Let the fun commence at the Summer Kick Off at Grant Recreation Center Designed to get parents and kids excited about all that Parks and Recreation has to offer when it comes to summer camps. (cont’d next page) Love to dance? On Saturday, July 25, come to the Burton Street Recreation Center Community DJ Block Party. Come listen to some top notch DJ’s spin some sweet beats!
On Saturday, June 27 from 2-5pm come celebrate the Burton Community at the Burton Street Community Reunion, with a day of fun, inflatable's, food, face painting and so much more.
( c o n t ’ d ) H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !
April Charles Smart, Caleb Whiteside, Hilarey Camuso, John Edmonds, Paul Becker, Roger Anders, Chris Gentile, Sarge Luke, Richard Bowden May Debbie Ivester, Keith Mastin, Roger Tweed, Phillip Snelson, Christopher Webb, Mark Halstead, Frank Connelly, Shateisha Lenoir, Robert Williams, Max Cherry, Michael Soesbee
Before you know it, it’ll be time for the Burton Street Flea Market (Saturday, August 1, aam-2pm) and the ever popular Community Yard Sale at Montford Recreation Center (Saturday, September 12 8am-1pm)
June Sheila Lindsey, Dickey Gentry, Sandra Travis, Jesse Paden, Pete Wall
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Did you know...that July is National Parks and Recreation Month? To celebrate, we are offering special discounts throughout the end of the month, so tell your friends and family o check our Facebook page weekly from June 29 to July 31. You never know what’s in store!
Get out the sunscreen and tuck in your tummy because…
IT’S ALMOST POOL SEASON!! It begins with the Memorial Day Pool-a-Palooza May 25th from 12-6pm Swim Lessons—first session registration will be on Monday, June 8 Second session registration will be on Monday, July 8 Remember that all lessons are provided free of charge Recreation Park, Walton Street, and Malvern Hills are waiting for YOU! Interested in competitive swimming? We have just the program for kids 8-14. The Recreation Swim Club is a great way to introduce kids to competitive strokes, endurance building, kicking, turns, and stroke specific drills. Is your child the next Michael Phelps? Could be, and what a fun way to find out!
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