Corporate Names for County's Parks?
from The Clackamas Review
These days it’s hard to find a professional sports facility not named after a corporate sponsor. But what about publicly owned and maintained parks used primarily for youth sports? The North Clackamas, Ore., Parks District is soliciting sponsors for the ball fields at the new park. And NCPRD Director Dan Zinzer said if a willing corporate sponsor shows up before the park is named, they could buy the rights to the facility’s title. More

A Look at Trends in Parks & Recreation
from Recreation Management
Recent economic conditions are leading many parks and recreation agencies across the country to cut their budgets, but at the same time, more and more Americans may be taking advantage of the services offered through these agencies. Whether they're trading in a pricier health club membership for a less costly membership at the park district gym, they're taking advantage of public programs to help them learn to get their financial houses in order or they're swapping that beach vacation to splash around in the local waterpark, many citizens are looking for ways to do their own budget cutting, and parks and recreation offers an alternative. More

County's Newest Park Aims to Preserve and Protect Old Florida
from the Florida Times-Union
Try to visualize 15th century Northeast Florida as the Spanish conquistadors saw it - rough oak and pine groves, miles of scrub palmetto, thorny vines, unfamiliar bird songs, wildflowers and insects, boggy creeks hiding monster alligators, no noises made by humans. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based PARC Group announced this week that it will try to preserve that Old Florida environment - though not make it as uncomfortable - and begin construction on a trail head for the 2,400-acre Nocatee Preserve in Nocatee, Fla. More

Faith-Based Beliefs about Modesty Create Challenges for Swimming Pools
from Religion News Service
When Zahra Khan arrived at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from her native Ottawa, Canada, in 2005, she looked for a swimming pool where she wouldn’t have to worry about showing too much skin. After several starts and stops, she recruited the aid of a sympathetic chaplain, an open-minded athletic director and the campus Jewish group and last fall got her wish: one hour a week, at 9:30 p.m., of female-only swimming. More

Kick Off U.S. Volunteer Effort at Park
from The Arizona Republic
For those eager to tackle community challenges as part of the new United We Serve campaign, they won't need to wait long to roll up your sleeves and get to work. This week, Keep Phoenix Beautiful hosts a volunteer project that could lure you outdoors in the early morning hours and leave you feeling good about giving Mother Nature a helping hand. In a video message launching United We Serve, President Barack Obama last week urged Americans to read to kids, help at a hospital, pick up trash or participate in other volunteer activities. More

Organizers Keep Fireworks from Fizzling
from The Patriot News
Fewer bombs might be bursting in air this year during Pennsylvania’s midstate Fourth of July celebrations. Still, community fireworks displays have managed to survive a brutal fundraising climate. More

Plan Aids Growth Areas, Boomers in Canadian City
from the London Free Press
Splash pads are in, ball diamonds and soccer fields are out. Think more walking paths and fewer outdoor pools. London, Ontario, Canada’s just-released long-term plan for its parks and recreation will cater more to greying boomers and growth areas of the city. The $232-million blueprint gazes 10 years into the future, when the number of children playing organized sports is expected to decline and more seniors will be looking for ways to stay fit. More

Garden Community Grows in Colorado City
from The Denver Post
There's something less tangible blooming among the rows of squash, tomatoes and sprays of colorful perennials growing along the gravel paths of Golden's newest and biggest public garden. It's in the advice one gardener gives the novice in the neighboring plot or the church group that commissions brightly colored garden decor from local children. It's a sense of community. More

South Carolina County Camp Links Past, Future
from The Sun News
Children sitting around Herbert Lane Goff Friday afternoon began asking for his autograph when they found out he was a World War II veteran. It was exactly the kind of interaction that the organizers of the first Horry County History Festival hoped for. The festival, which highlighted activities, food and demonstrations from the Civil War and that era, was designed to pair elderly residents of Horry County with children enrolled in summer camps through Horry County, S.C., Parks and Recreation throughout the county. More

Video: A Day for Skateboarders
from KOMU-TV
Hundreds of mid-Missourians celebrated National Skateboarding Day on Saturday. It's not just a day for skateboarding pros to show off their skills. Beginners also got a chance to prove themselves at Columbia Skate Park in Columbia, Mo., on Go Skateboarding Day. More

Parks Event Serves as Link for Dads, Kids
from the Argus Leader
A group of fathers scooped up their daughters and sons last week to share a couple of hours of fun during a Father's Day event put on by the city's parks department. The Fantastic Fathers event, now in its third year, is aimed at giving dads, grandfathers and father figures a chance to spend time with their children, said Susie Garry, recreation coordinator for the parks and recreation department. More