SCRPA Magazine Spring 2019

SOUTH CAROLINA

SPRING 2019

RECREATION & PARKS ASSOCIATION

Helping Kids Find Power in Produce Playful Trends: Inclusive Fun is Here to Stay

High to Low Tech: Meeting Newberry in the Middle

Move & Play

YALP: Challenging a New Generation

Drive a Train

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS

Summer 2017 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 1

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MULTI- PURPOSE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOUTH CAROLINA

RECREATION & PARKS ASSOCIATION

2019 Board of Directors EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Doyle Best Town of Summerville

Secretary Laurie Helms City of Rock Hill

Eastern VP Nathan Dawsey Florence County

President Elect Kevin Stiens Spartanburg County

Treasurer Amy Evans Charleston County

Southern VP Shaniqua Simmons City of Orangeburg

Vice President Randy Woodard Charleston County

Past President T.J. Rostin City of Goose Creek

Western VP Ted Lambrecht Greenville County

The Association Report.................................................................................................. 6 Start Smart: Move and Play Targets Two- and Three-Year-Olds............................... 7 Playful Trends: Inclusive Fun is Here to Stay.............................................................8-9 YALP: Challenging a New Generation........................................................................ 10 StoryWalk: A Delightful Merging of Literacy & Exercise......................................... 12 High to Low Tech: Meeting Newberry in the Middle............................................... 13 Worlds of Creativity in Columbia................................................................................ 14 Energy Management is Heating Up in the City of Charleston................................ 15 Enhancing Success: The “Drive-a-Train” Exhibit in Aiken.................................. 16-17 Helping Kids Find Power in Produce.......................................................................... 18

ADVERTISER INDEX Barrs Recreation............................................................................................ Back Cover Berliner Seilfabrik Play Equipment.............................................................................. 17 Carolina Parks & Play....................................................................................................... 6 Clemson University Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management.......................... 5 Cunningham/Yalp...........................................................................................................11 Most Dependable Fountains, Inc....................................................Inside Front Cover R.J. Thomas / Pilot Rock............................................................................................... 15 SealMaster/ SportMaster............................................................................................... 3 Wood + Partners Inc....................................................................................................... 4

Central VP Shane Duncan Kershaw County

On the cover: The Yalp Sutu Wall is an interactive soccer wall containing impactsensitive panels which measure and react to ball impact.

BRANCHES - 1 YEAR COMMITMENTS ELM Branch Jessica Campbell City of Aiken

RAP Branch Justin Steele Lexington County

PRM Branch Adam Scull City of Rock Hill

SCAP Branch Shawn Taylor City of Orangeburg

SC PRT Representative Matt Elswick South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Student Branch Kristen Miller Charleston County

Photo courtesy of Cunningham Recreation

Creating Great Places!

SCRPA EXECUTIVE Executive Director James E. Headley jim@scrpa.org

Membership Services Coordinator Melissa Williams melissa@scrpa.org

SCRPA MAGAZINE/MARKETING COMMITTEE Bethany Doman Chair City of Charleston

Russell Price Central Rep Fairfield County

Pamela Davis Southern Rep City of Barnwell

Kristen Guilfoos Vice Chair Spartanburg County

Carlos Cue Eastern Rep Cheraw

Madeline Armstrong Western Rep Greenville County

South Carolina Recreation & Parks Association P.O. Box 1046, Lexington, SC 29071 (p) 803-808-7753 • (f) 803-808-7754 www.scrpa.org • info@scrpa.org To advertise in SCRPA magazine, contact Todd Pernsteiner at todd@pernsteiner.com or (952) 841-1111.

4 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

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Guide Your Career Path Clemson University is a National Champion in more than just football!

A Leader in Online PR T Education Clemson University is one of the nation’s top universities in graduate education in the fields of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and related disciplines. This includes well-established online programs that help working professionals purse their passion, reset their careers, and advance professionally.

Clemson University offers the following online graduate degrees: • Master of Science in Youth Development Leadership • Master in Public Administration (MPA) – with specializations in Local & State Government, Non-Profit Management, Sustainability & Public Administration, Emergency Management, and Homeland Defense & Security

Your home is your classroom.

Our online programs are taught by world-class faculty and leading practitioners. Faculty and students meet online in the evenings and interact every week.

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Want more information?

To learn more about our online programs, please email us at PRTMOnline@clemson.edu or visit www.clemson.edu/prtm/prtm-online.html.

To apply go to www.grad.clemson.edu.

Limited time SCRPA member offer…

Well-qualified SCRPA members may request a wavier of the $80 application fee. To do this, please include your resumé in an email to the address above and mention code #SCRPAFREEAPP.

• Master of Science (non-thesis) in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management – with specializations in Community Recreation, Parks & Conservation, Travel & Tourism, and Recreational Therapy • Ph.D. in Recreational Therapy

Why Choose Clemson?

Ranked as a top-25 national public university, Clemson is one of the country’s most selective public research universities. It serves a uniquely driven and highly accomplished student body of over 23,000 students. Clemson’s retention and graduation rates rank among the highest in the country for public universities. We’ve been named among the best public college values by Kiplinger magazine in 2017, and Princeton Review named us among the “Colleges that pay you back” in 2017.

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• SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 5 Pursue your passion, reset your career, Spring and2019 advance professionally!

THE ASSOCIATION REPORT Doyle Best

Jim Headley

2019 Off to a Great Start for SCRPA! On behalf of the Board of Directors, I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season to close out 2018 and usher in 2019, and that the New Year is going well for each of you thus far. Throughout this issue, we’ll be looking at trends and innovations throughout our state and the parks and recreation field as a whole. From the Association’s perspective, one exciting trend we are seeing right now is incredible attendance at our continuing education conferences and institutes. We wrapped up 2018 with a record number of delegates at our SC Annual Conference in Greenville, SC and at SCAP’s Sports Management Institute in Myrtle Beach.

We continued that success as we kicked off 2019 with record attendance at PRM’s Park Maintenance Institute at Saluda Shoals.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the Southern Leisure Management and Trends Institute (SLMTI) in Columbia and the Programming Summit (TPS) in Myrtle Beach! SLMTI promises to be incredibly informative, as we hear from numerous agencies, as

well as the world of academia, on trends across our area. Topics of discussion will include concussion protocol, SCRPA’s salary study, and more! TPS will provide diverse opportunities for programmers, as they look at programs ranging from summer day camp to murder mystery theater, STEM robotics to rainy day plans. A big thanks to all individuals and agencies involved with each of these events, as your dedication and efforts are not only appreciated, but also go a long way in helping us achieve a big part of our Association’s mission – being dedicated to the professional development of our members.

If you should ever need anything, SCRPA stands ready with each of you as we all continue to create community through people, parks and programs.

Doyle & Jim

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6 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

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Start Smart: Move and Play Targets Twoand Three-Year-Olds

Recreation agencies throughout South Carolina have been conducting the widely popular Start Smart Sports Development programs for many years.

The innovative programs have been providing children, primarily in the four to six age range, with fun-filled opportunities for learning and developing basic motor skills alongside their parents to help forge a smooth transition into organized team sports.

Now, agencies can take advantage of Start Smart’s newest creation – Move and Play – which is geared for kids in the two to three age range and targets the development of fine and gross motor skills.

Parents participate along with their child in the sessions, which run about 45 minutes and feature a variety of fun and engaging activities.

Catching balloons and balls and performing different types of runs and jumps are some of the activities used to develop gross motor skills; while stacking blocks, lacing beads and painting, among many other activities, are used to target the kids’ fine motor skills.

“Start Smart has been a popular and impactful program throughout South Carolina for many years,” said Andy Parker, Director of Youth Development Programs for the National Alliance for Youth Sports, which created Start Smart. “Move and Play is an exciting complement to the Start Smart family that was a big hit in communities in which pilot programs were recently run. We are looking forward to working with agencies throughout South Carolina who are searching for programming for this particular age group.”

For more information on Start Smart Move and Play, email Andy Parker at aparker@nays.org; or call him at 800-729-2057 or 561-684-1141.

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Move and Play is geared for kids in the two to three age range and targets the development of fine and gross motor skills.

Spring 2019 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 7

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS

8 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission’s groundbreaking ceremony at Saluda Shoals Park, November 2018

Playful Trends: Inclusive Fun is Here to Stay By: Jordan O’Keefe, Therapeutic Recreation Coordinator, Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission In November 2018, the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC) held a groundbreaking ceremony at Saluda Shoals Park for a 2-acre inclusive playground project – one of the most exciting new trends in playground design. This sensory-rich, developmentally appropriate, fun, safe, and challenging playground is for children and adults of all abilities. The playground will feature a treehouse village, hillside slope, swing area, sound garden, nature play area, water feature, and a specially designed family restroom which includes an adult changing table.

The playground idea came from Chapin native Meredith Bugenske who asked ICRC to address a need for her son, Leo, and other individuals with disabilities in our community. Leo was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and requires 24/7 skilled care.

“An inclusive playground is not just adhering to standards and requirements,” Meredith said. “Too often, simply following guidelines does not lead to a playground that is actually useable for all children.

It can still have limitations, and it does not always encompass the concept of inclusive play. We have gone far too long teaching children to be separate from those with disabilities. We need a place where the whole family can play together. This includes the dad in a wheelchair with young children, who desperately wants to be a part

of their play. It includes the sibling with autism, and the friend in a power chair. A metal slide so the child with a cochlear implant can slide too. The list can go on and on, the point is inclusive. Every child.

Every adult.”

The process of designing the playground included input from ICRC’s Therapeutic Recreation program, families of children with disabilities, ABA therapists, school district teachers and physical therapists, and of course the users themselves – children of all abilities expressed the kind of features they would like to see in the new playground. ICRC also worked alongside Shane’s Inspiration, a non-profit agency that specializes in inclusive playground design.

Funds for the $1.65 million dollar playground project were raised through grants and donations. A $300,000 Lexington County Community Development Block Grant was received in 2016, along with $1.35 million raised through the Saluda Shoals Foundation in gifts and pledges from individuals, corporations, and private donations.

Once completed, ICRC’s Therapeutic Recreation program will lead inclusive programming at the playground and in area schools to promote acceptance and understanding. The benefits of this project will add value and an unparalleled resource to the community.

“Too often, simply following guidelines does not lead to a playground that is actually useable for all children... We have gone far too long teaching children to be separate from those with disabilities. We need a place where the whole family can play together.”

Spring 2019 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 9

YALP: Challenging a New Generation By: Michele Breakfield, Director of Marketing, Cunningham Recreation Yalp is “play” spelled backwards. You ask, “Who is Yalp?” Yalp is the latest greatest in outdoor play. Located in the Netherlands, Yalp is a global distributor of interactive play and sports equipment founded in 2006 by Ben Admiral. Admiral asked himself some fundamental questions about traditional play, and ultimately its users – children.

Children were no longer satisfied simply playing outdoors like we did years ago. Why are children so engrossed in TV, mobile phones, video games and tablets? He soon discovered it was NOT only children, but everyone. The world was changing. It is a new generation with new entertainment expectations.

Yalp soon went to work to develop the Sona Arch. The Sona dance arch was their first truly inclusive truly interactive play concept. Now over a decade later, they have produced five high tech interactive play concepts that meet the demands of today’s world. (“Smart park” interactive play and sports products if you will.)

Research shows that 74 percent of kids between the ages of 5 and 12 get less than one hour of outdoor play time per day. Experts say that ample outdoor activity is crucial to the health, well-being and development of children. Yalp’s solution is to get children to go outdoors and remain outdoors for extended periods of time with their “smart park” interactive play and sports equipment.

What is interactive play? Interactive play is where the digital and physical worlds around us meet. In short, it is “real-life gaming.” The electronic video game portion brings challenges, problem solving and a continued renewal of game options to play. The physical portion brings benefits such as exercise, social interaction, teamwork and experiencing the outdoors in a healthy manner.

The Yalp Sutu, their post popular sports piece, is an interactive soccer wall containing impact-sensitive panels which measure and react to ball impact. Vivid LED lights and audio speakers give players feedback and encouragement on their performance. The durable robust construction and vandalism resistant equipment make the Sutu wall perfect for outdoor or indoor installations.

Yalp “smart park” interactive play and sports equipment is suitable for outdoor and indoor environments. Just like traditional play, interactive play can be performed anywhere. Yalp designs its equipment to be durable, accessible and inclusive for people of all ages and abilities. Communities can easily incorporate one or two of these products into their existing parks and/or recreational facilities to encourage families to be more active, get outdoors and live healthier life styles.

What is interactive play? Interactive play is where the digital and physical worlds around us meet. In short, it is “real-life gaming.”

10 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

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StoryWalk:

A Delightful Merging of Literacy and Exercise

By Renee Dickinson, Charleston County Parks Once upon a time there was a path where children of all ages could combine the joy of reading with a walk in the woods. StoryWalk, the latest attraction at Charleston County Parks offers a fun way for book lovers to exercise their bodies and minds by following a path marked with sequential pages from a children’s book. Charleston County Parks partnered with Healthy Tri-County and Charleston County Public Library to bring this new feature to North Charleston Wannamaker County Park.

“The paved path around the Wannamaker lagoon is the perfect place for children of all ages to enjoy a whimsical book along with a walk in the woods,” says Amy Evans, Operations Manager for Wannamaker County Park. “This is a fantastic new activity for our guests to enjoy.”

The first installment at Wannamaker County Park features “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle. This interactive book includes vibrant collages and simple instructions that highlight the importance of listening, exercising and taking on a new challenge. StoryWalk will be updated each quarter with a new picture book and associated activities.

“We’re always trying to think of new and exciting ways to engage, inspire and educate,” said Devon Andrews, Charleston County Public Library Strategic Programming Manager. “We’re excited to work with the county parks to bring this fun and educational family activity to our community.”

StoryWalk features 18 posts with book pages across a half mile path.

The attraction is free with park admission.

“We’re always trying to think of new and exciting ways to engage, inspire and educate. We’re excited to work with the county parks to bring this fun and educational family activity to our community.”

12 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

High to Low Tech:

Meeting Newberry in the Middle

By: Mary Alex Kopp, Tourism and Events Manager, City of Newberry Parks, Recreation & Tourism The City of Newberry Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department is constantly at work to improve programming for the citizens of Newberry. By following trends and innovations in the industry, the City of Newberry PRT’s Arts and Recreation Divisions have found ways to effectively utilize high-tech and low-tech approaches within existing programs.

The Newberry Arts Center features classes for all ages in pottery, painting, and drawing. Most recently, iPhone Photography has been added to satisfy the trend of using cell phones to create artistic imagery. Over a series of three sessions, students of the iPhone workshop study with artist and instructor Erdal Caba to learn how to take professional style photographs and edit them with technology often taken for granted that rarely leaves our side. The workshop has attracted several “techie” students who had not previously experienced an arts program and has exposed them to the arts in an innovative way.

Inversely, the Recreation Division of PRT has found a low-tech innovation to bring attention to its summer activities for children.

The Mobile Recreation Program utilizes a refurbished police department vehicle, giving it new life as the RecMobile, a van packed to the gills with games and activities that travels from park to park throughout various Newberry neighborhoods during the summer months. Program Coordinators pack up the van daily and play jock

jams over the van’s loud speakers as they travel across town to bring old-school summer camp style fun to neighborhood children. Sharks and minnows, capture the flag, and games of simplicity are the feature of the day. To create a low-pressure environment attractive to all ages, the RecMobile staff offers ping pong, mini billiards, and air hockey to kids that are hesitant to jump right in. The day ends with a simple meal shared together by staff and children, provided by the local housing authority. The program is a very simple and effective low-tech solution to summer boredom and hunger that can often plague low-income communities when school is not in session. In 2018, the Mobile Recreation Program served more than 100 unique participants for a total summer attendance of over 400.

The City of Newberry Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department strives to follow its motto of “Connecting Community through People, Parks, and Programs” by utilizing high-tech and low-tech innovations to attract new participants. By continuing to follow trends in the industry, City of Newberry PRT staff members can better serve and engage their local community.

The City of Newberry Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department strives to follow its motto of “Connecting Community through People, Parks, and Programs” by utilizing high-tech and low-tech innovations to attract new participants.

Spring 2019 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 13

Worlds of Creativity

By Brenda Oliver, Columbia Art Center, City of Columbia Parks and Recreation The Columbia Art Center moved to a new location downtown in 2017.

With this new location came new opportunities to truly become a more of an integral part of the community. Part of this new visibility allows us to participate in the First Thursday event as part of the “Art Crawl”.

Coincidentally, we were already working with a group of refugees through our partners at the USC School of Medicine Survivor Clinic and Lutheran Family Services Refugee resettlement program. With this work fresh in our minds, we realized that in Columbia there are over 150 nationalities and some 100 languages spoken. So, in an effort to bring this to the minds of the community and expose other nationalities to the arts, we launched “Worlds of Creativity” as part of the First Thursday events.

Each First Thursday “Worlds of Creativity” presents a different culture to the community through their art. This is a 2-hour presentation that is interactive and family-friendly. The art presentation can be visual or a performance.

Each month is different and takes on a different flavor, as the countries vary so much in their cultures.

Our “Worlds of Creativity” is now a destination place for the community and we find that many times the presenting artist is willing to conduct workshops for us at a later date to entice the people to learn more about the art from their culture. These workshops have included Sweet Grass Basket Weaving (February 2018 African American Art), Madhubani Painting, Lippan Painting, and Warli Painting (June 2018 “Colors and Flavors of India”), Pysanka Eggs and Dutch Folding (“Window to the Ukraine”).

Through this innovative approach, we are meeting our goals of introducing the community to other cultures through their art, as well as inviting other cultures to come into our space and feel welcomed. As we continue on this series in 2019, we are challenging ourselves to continually improve and explore many other cultures.

14 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

Through this innovative approach, we are meeting our goals of introducing the community to other cultures through their art, as well as inviting other cultures to come into our space and feel welcomed.

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Energy Management is Heating Up in the City of Charleston

By Bethany Doman, Marketing Coordinator at the City of Charleston The City of Charleston has partnered with Johnson Controls International in an energy performance contract to enhance all city buildings by providing LED lighting, new energy-efficient climate control systems, and water conservation devices. This essential upgrade will cover around 3.2 million square feet of building space and 1806 acres of parks.

The overall goals of this energy performance contract are to leverage technological solutions to enhance city services, reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, provide economic value long-term, and continue the city’s commitment to sustainability.

Specifically in the recreation department’s facilities, community centers and parkhouses, Johnson Controls has made an innovative impact. All interior and exterior lighting has been replaced with LED bulbs and motion sensor switches, thus saving on overall burn hours. Vending machines are retrofitted with a new feature to power down and turn off display lighting during periods of low occupancy. Additionally, fifteen recreation buildings have upgraded HVAC controls allowing us to strategically and efficiently schedule the units to turn on and off according to scheduled programs and seasonal hours. Lastly, five HVAC units have been replaced completely with new energy efficient units.

The newest project being taken on to greatly benefit the City of Charleston Recreation Department is the renovation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Pool located in downtown Charleston. MLK Pool houses local swim lessons, lap swim hours, water fitness classes, swim team practices and meets, and recreation swim hours. The renovation will include a permanent pool enclosure with retractable roof windows, HVAC renewal, electrical wiring update, and better amenities. Work is scheduled to begin August 2019.

Once completed, this project will transform the Martin Luther King, Jr. community pool with the construction of a four-season structure that will provide open-air circulation in the summer months and allow for temperature and humidity control in the winter. The planned work on the pool will provide a safer and more comfortable swimming environment while reducing energy needs and promoting a more sustainable asset for the City of Charleston.

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Spring 2019 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 15

Enhancing Success:

The “Drive-a-Train” Exhibit at the Aiken Visitors Center & Train Museum

By Hampton C. Wayt, Tourism Coordinator, City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Our small train museum, housed on the second floor of the Aiken Visitors Center (nicknamed the Depot), was conceived and built with a noexpense-spared attitude.

A small model train layout portrays several of the towns that once linked Charleston to Aiken by rail, as they were during 1916.

Interactive displays explain railroad life

and technology in a manner that appeals to children and adults alike. It is not uncommon to witness patrons spending upwards of forty-five minutes exploring each diorama and panel of text.

Such visitor engagement is the dream of every museum curator, but it is also a hard act to follow. Looking for areas where we could enhance visitor experiences, we saw the Depot is as much a community center as it is a tourist destination, and that these two sides are wonderfully complementary.

Dozens of children visit our museum each month from near and far, and particularly love to watch the model train run around the dioramas. Although popular, it is not interactive as the children do not get to play with the train. They can only watch as it glides by behind a glass panel.

16 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

Partnering with the Friends of the Aiken Railroad Depot, city staff constructed a small, 18’x16’ toy train railroad. Named “Drive-a-Train”, the new exhibit features toy trains that are replicas of ones made during the 1920s and 1930s by the Lionel Corporation. Mounted to a yellow-painted platform, the trains and accessories are bold, melodic, shiny, and bright.

Rounding the track, the trains make a pleasant clickety-clack as the whistles blow. Cheerful colors and the many lighted streetlamps, towers, and building, provide the display with a dazzling appeal.

The steam

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engine even smokes with a cedar-scented puff. In these respects, the exhibit appeals to both young and old through sight, sound, smell and touch. Visitors are able to run the trains themselves, and people of all ages have taken the controls.

The constant flow of parents and grandparents with children in tow, most mentioning that they just had to come down to see the new trains after hearing about them, is music to our ears. Just as importantly, many of those same visitors return week after week, commenting that running the toy trains was all their child or grandchild talked about since visiting the previous week. We believe these parents and grandparents often enjoy the trains just as much as the children. Just the fact that they are coming through our doors gives us a chance to promote our historic trolley tours, live music on Saturdays, event rentals, and other special events around town. Drive-a-Train is a community exhibit that has allowed us to share a tourism message in a completely new way.

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Spring 2019 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 17

Helping Kids Find Power in Produce The Power of Produce (POP) Club from the Farmers Market Coalition provides a fun opportunity for children to engage in the local food system through conversations directly with farmers, educational games and demonstrations, and exposure to new fruits and vegetables. In addition to participating in educational activities, POP Club kids receive vouchers to spend at the market, allowing them to make their own shopping decisions at the market.

The Power of Produce (POP) program has stood out as having the potential to impact farmers market accessibility on a broad scale. POP started in May 2011 at the Oregon City Farmers Market in Oregon City, Oregon. It was created by the market manager, Jackie Hammond-Williams in response to a grant offered by Clackamas County, Oregon for programs that improve the community’s health. The POP Club brought together families and farmers around fresh produce at farmers markets. The program’s mission was three-fold: (1) Empower children to make healthy food choices (2) Strengthen and sustain healthy communities through supporting farmers and cultivating future farmers market supporters (3) Expand farmers markets from a retail location into a place where children can try new foods and learn about healthy eating.

POP empowered children ages five through twelve to make healthy food

choices by offering educational activities, cooking demonstrations, and food sampling, in addition to providing each child with at least two dollars in market currency to spend on fresh produce. This incentive provided an effective way for children to engage in the local food system through conversations with farmers, buying local, and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

Through surveys and interviews, evaluations of Oregon City’s program found that 72% of POP participants had tried a new fruit or vegetable through the POP program. These newfound foods ranged from currants to gazpacho. Of participant parents, 70% reported that their child requests produce that he or she tried through the POP Club, confirming the influence of children on their parents’ purchasing choices. All of the vendors interviewed said that they had seen sales increase 35% due to the POP Club. The following year, a POP Club was piloted at the City Market in Charlottesville, Virginia, only two blocks from a large subsidized housing neighborhood. Even with new demographics, the program had similar positive effects on interest in healthy food among children and their parents. By experiencing healthy foods in different ways (eg. touching, tasting, observing their peers eating, and preparing the food themselves), 88% of the children responding to the survey in Charlottesville reported that they tried a new food and liked it.

18 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org

The Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) provides a set of more than 50 tools, guides and templates to help communities engage younger customers in the farmers market experience through POP Club: • POP Club Guidebook featuring activity guides and planning tools.

• POP Club Activity Guide with over 50 children’s activities to do at the market.

• $2 POP Buck Template. Use their existing tokens, or print out FMC’s POP Bucks for kids use to shop at the market’s participating vendors.

• Tools and templates for promoting POP Club, including social media graphics, fliers and signage. .

• Each POP Club kid gets a POP Passport book to track lessons learned, and document new foods tasted and activities completed.

• Prizes for kids participating in POP Club.

• A POP Club Facebook Group Connect with other POP Club organizers to discuss programming, and share ideas!

For more information on the POP Club, visit www.farmersmarketcoalition.org/ programs/power-of-produce-pop/

Save the Date 2019 Carolinas Joint Conference

September 16-18 Myrtle Beach, SC

Stay top-of-mind. Magazine advertising gets seen.

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84

percentage of millenials who take the time to look through their mail**

2019-20 SCRPA Magazine Topics & Deadlines

SCRPA’s SOUTH CAROLINA magazine gets you in front of key decision-makers for as little as $225 per issue. No other form of advertising gets you so directly targeted right to your customer or potential customer. Cross promotion of your products and services through multiple marketing channels is a great way to stay top-of-mind with busy park and recreation professionals.

To advertise, contact Todd: (952) 841-1111 or email todd@pernsteiner.com

Download the rate card: www.bit.ly/SCRPA2019

Summer 2019 SCRPA Member Directory Issue Deadline: April 24, 2019 Fall 2019 2019 Annual Conference Issue Deadline: June 25, 2019 *Source: 2016 Mequoda, the “American Magazine Reader Study & Handbook” **Source: www.thedma.org

SOUTH CAROLINA RECREATION & PARKS ASSOCIATION

Winter 2019 SCRPA Awards Issue Deadline: October 23, 2019 Spring 2020 Buyer’s Guide Issue Deadline: January 3, 2020

Spring 2019 • SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks 19

SOUTH CAROLINA RECREATION & PARKS ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 1046 Lexington, SC 29071-1046