Construction work on the two I

-485 bridges that pass over

Lower McAlpine Creek and

McMullen Creek greenways

will cause sections of both

trails to close periodically over

the next year.

The section of McMullen

Creek Greenway underneath

the I-485 bridge will close

beginning Monday, May 13,

and will remained closed

through the rest of the year.

It will reopen in early 2014.

The section of Lower McAl-

pine Creek Greenway under

the I-485 bridge will close

later this month and will re-

main closed through early

summer 2014.

Greenway visitors can fol-

low detour signs along low

volume roads to continue on

the greenway and use near-

by Four Mile Creek Green-

way during trail closures.

Detours will be signed by

NCDOT.

THE

2013 Hummingbird Festival The Hummingbird Festival is an annual celebration held each August at Reedy Creek Nature Preserve within Reedy Creek Park in Charlotte, NC. Now in its 8th year, the Hummingbird Festival attracts over 1,300 attendees each year. Fun for the whole family,

the festival celebrates the migration of hummingbirds through the area. Both educa-tional and inspiring, the festival offers numerous activities from informative exhibits, banding demonstrations, musical entertainment to children's storytelling. Please join us at Reedy Creek Park on Saturday, August 17th from 10am-4pm.

2013 Summer Camp Summer Camp is drawing to a close, with schools resuming August 26th in Mecklenburg County. The department has hosted camps at 18- Recreation Centers; 2- School Recreation Sites; 3- Nature Pre-serves; 3-Aquatic Facilities, as well as, parks and indoor shelters. Every type of has been offered from Traditional to Seniors to Therapeutic to Sports to Outdoor Adventure to Aquatic to Envi-ronmental and everything in between. Excellent staff and partner agencies make it all possible. Here’s to a great Summer 2013, let the planning begin for Summer 2014.

Nature Center Events National Night Out a Huge Success

Huntersville Police Department sponsored a local National Night Out event at Birkdale Village in Huntersville, NC on Tuesday Au-gust 6th. Representatives from Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation’s Nature Preserves and Natural Resources and Aquatics Divisions took part handing out information about all the amazing opportunities available to get out and recreate with MCPR. Well over 3000 people attend-ed the festival.

Aquatic Lessons and Classes The Aquatics Division of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation De-partment consists of the nationally known Mecklen-burg County Aquatic Cen-ter, Ray's Splash Planet, the Marion Diehl Center Pool, two seasonal outdoor pools (Cordelia and Double Oaks), and the Sprayground. We offer indoor and outdoor swim-ming, adult/youth pro-grams, swim lessons, spe-cial events, fit-ness classes and water ex-ercise for all ages. Meck-lenburg County Aquatics makes it easy for you to enjoy water recrea-tion all year-round. Visit us today and see all that we offer!

Aquatic Center

Starbabies/Startotts

Starfish Swim School

Starfish Stroke School

Hydromania

Easy Does It

Arthritis Foundation

Water Fit

Stroke Clinic

Starguard Lifeguard

Training

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources

Campfires and Hayrides Every Friday night throughout the summer, Trevor Hudspeth and Chad Moore from the McDowell Nature Center entertain visitors with two popular programs, Family Campfire and Nature at Night Hayride. During the campfire program, staff teach families how to make a fire using natural materials and demonstrate various survival techniques. Once staff build the fire, everyone participates in making smores which are provided free of charge. This extremely popular program averages 55 people each Friday. After the campfire program, those who registered in advance stay for a hayride to the restored prairie on the preserve's property. Visitors learn about noc-turnal wildlife as the sun goes down including bats, raccoons, night insects, and coy-otes. They also learn about how the prairie was restored and is now maintained by fire. Both programs are not only a way to connect with local residents, but also with visitors from as far away as the West Coast staying at the campground. Join us this Friday!

Aquatic Lessons and Classes cont...

Ray’s Splash Planet

Starfish Swim

School

Parent and Tot / Meet

and Greet

Homeschool Thurs-

days

Halloween at Ray’s

Water fitness Senior

Aerobics Club

Marion Diehl

Starbabies/Startots Starfish Swim School Starfish Stroke School Hydromania Deep Water Fitness Easy Does It Arthritis Foundation Deep Water Running Fall Stroke Clinic Marion Diehl Swim

Team

Aquatics

Double Oaks vs Cordelia Swim Meet The 5th annual Double Oaks vs Cordelia swim meet was held on August 7 at Double Oaks pool. There were 187 participants this year. Participants in the swim meet were all students from the 2013 Summer Free Swim Lesson program conducted at both outdoor pools. To start the meet off, there was a demon-stration swim of the 4 different strokes. The demonstration was performed by advanced swim lesson participants, Cassan-dra Perry age 14 (backstroke), Juwan Shands age 11 (breaststroke), Skylar Higgins age 15 (butterfly) and Brandon Perry age 15 (freestyle). This wonderful event allows the 2013 Free Swim Lesson students to showcase their new swimming skills.

Jarrett and Ximena

Marion Diehl

800 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

2219 Tyvola Road

215 N. Sycamore Street

August 29 – October 10 Fees $76.00 Public—M, W, F $56.00 Public— Tu, Thu $57.00 Member—M, W, F $42.00 Member—Tu, Thu

September 3—September 26 fees $80.00 Public—Tu, Thu $40.00 Public— Saturday $64.00 Member—Tu, Thu $32.00 Member—Saturday

September 14—September 28 fees $60.00 Public—Twice a week $48.00 Member— Twice a week September 9—September 27 fees $30.00 Public—Once a week $24.00 Member— Once a week

Revolution Park Sports Academy Summer Sports Camps: Revolution Park

Sports Academy wrapped up their 8-week Summer Sports Camp series. Sports this summer included football, soccer, boxing, lacrosse, golf, baseball, wrestling, track & field. A total of 368 campers of various skill levels attended the camps over the sum-mer with the desire to develop their general fitness levels and specific sports aptitude but most of all to have fun! Campers received specialized training from certified coaches, enjoyed cross-training with other sports, and nutritional education from a wellness partner during the camp. For more information on these camps for the spring and summer or other programs offered at the Revolution Park Sports Academy, please contact us at (704) 432-4963 or visit www.parkandrec.com under "Recreation Centers".

Greenway Information Hours of Operation Greenway trail is open

at all times, except for floods or repairs

Parking lots are open from dawn to dusk

No parking in non-designated areas

No loitering between dusk and dawn

Bicycle lights and re-flectors are required from dusk to dawn

Safety – Call 911 for

emergencies Secure valuables out of

sight in your locked ve-hicle

Respect nature; Trail surfaces are slippery when wet

Children under 16 years of age must wear helmet when riding bicycles,

roller blades or skate-boards

Pedestrians have the right of way; Cyclists slow when approaching pedestrians

Travel on right, pass on left; Give audible warn-ing before passing

Stay alert/listen for ap-proaching traffic; De-crease volume of audio device

Do not block greenway

Beneficial Programming. Developing Character. Enriching Lives.

"X-Treme Teen Finale!": On August 9th, Naomi Drenan Recreation Center staff

said its goodbyes to our X-Treme Teens Summer Camp participants with a Grand Fina-le to commemorate an outstanding and exciting summer full of new experiences, challenges, and fun! The teens this summer built friendships, challenged themselves mentally and physically, and became the most amazing young adults! The Grand Fi-nale included presentations from the teens of what they learned during the summer, their favorite activities during the summer, and a video highlighting our time spent together. The staff at Naomi Drenan Recreation Center would like to thank all of our sponsors, guest speakers, and trip contacts for their help and dedication to making sure our teens had a great summer camp experience. For more information about our programs and events, contact NaomiDrenanRecreation-Center@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704.432.5231.

Charlotte Elite Summer Camp: Charlotte Elite is hosting an enrichment summer

camp at Albemarle Road Recreation Cen-ter. Every morning campers look forward to enrichment lessons including Spanish, Reading, Problem solving, 21st Century skills, and African Dance. The Spanish lessons, which include vo-cabulary, conversational Spanish and even mu-sic, are geared to each of the structured age groups. During Stop, Drop, & Read, campers enjoy reading in a wonderfully crafted, non-traditional environment of bean bags, otto-mans, and hammock chairs! While participating

in lessons designed with 21st century skills development in mind, campers engage in criti-cal thinking and problem solving activities, aiding in our efforts to ensure students are ready for their next grade lev-el. Through a partnership with Girls Scouts of America, Char-lotte Elite was even able to offer onsite meetings for girls in 5th through 7th grade. Each afternoon, campers are engaged in a variety of recreation activities such as basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, soccer, and football. For more information on youth programming at Albemarle Road Recreation, contact Ivan Jones or Tiffany Peterson at 704-567-1941.

Community Explosion: Temple of Refuge hosted a Community Explosion at Albe-

marle Road Recreation Center on Saturday, August 3rd. This day of service included free haircuts, food, clothes, shoes, and school supplies for school aged children! Over 500 people participated in the annual event! Local healthcare professionals were also onsite to offer a variety of free screenings. For more information on youth programming at Al-bemarle Road Recreation Center, contact Ivan Jones or Tiffany Peterson at 704-567-1941.

Greenway safety... For your safety please

walk with a friend

Pets Pets must be on leash

6 ft. or shorter Pets must be kept on

right; pass on left Pets are not allowed

in playgrounds or ath-letic field areas

Pick up after your pet and deposit in trash can

Prohibited activities Littering Swimming & golf prac-

tice Hunting or possession

of weapons and fire-arms

Posting commercial or political signs

Selling, soliciting or exhibiting materials without a Park and Recreation issued per-mit

Consumption of alco-holic beverages with-out a Park and Recrea-tion issued permit

Damage or removal of park property

Collection, removal or disturbance of any natural or cultural ob-ject:

Fishing allowed in ac-cordance with NC state rules and regula-tions

No motorized vehicles allowed on greenway unless authorized by Park and Recreation

Albemarle Road Recreation Center

Inventive Builder Camp: Tom Sykes Recreation Center held their second week of

Inventive Builder's Camp this past week. Campers used engineering and teamwork skills to build a variety of projects such as: architectural Lego kits, a rollercoaster, bird-houses, pine cars, contraptions, rockets, and more! For more information on pro-grams happening at Tom Sykes call 704-432-4803 or email TomSykesRecreation-Center@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Join the Fit City Challenge The Fit City Challenge is a community-based initiative to encourage and empow-er participants to increase their levels of physical ac-tivity and fruit and vegeta-ble consumption. At the core of the Fit City

Challenge are the parallel

goals of walking a mini-

mum of 5 miles per week

or the equivalent, and

eating a minimum of 5

fruits and vegetables each

day. Participants can rec-

ord their activities on the

fitness log and track their

progress through a dy-

namic and interactive web

s i t e :

www.fitcitychallenge.org.

Contact Fit City for more

information.

Beneficial Programming. Developing Character. Enriching Lives.

Seniors Set Sail on Lake Norman Seniors from the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center set sail on the Lake Norman "Lady of the Lake" Dinner Cruise on Thursday, August 8. The cruise featured a beauti-ful sunset, amazing buffet, and socializing amongst peers. It was an awesome occa-sion! For more information on Senior Trips and Programs, email BetteRaeThomasRec-reationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704.432.3048.

Festival in the Park Freedom Park

Friday, September 20 -

4:00 pm-9:30 pm

Saturday, September

21 - 10:00 am–9:30 pm

Sunday, September 22-

11:00 am–6:00 pm

Since 1964, Festival in the Park has been bringing good music, good art and good times to Char-lotteans and visitors from around the world. The sounds of "big band music" drift across Freedom Park's lake whose still surface re-flects the lights strung from Camelot exhibit tents. This fun filled event is de-signed to promote and stimulate interest in the arts. It provides the oppor-tunity for all to see, hear, and learn from over 180 artists and crafts people who actively demonstrate and display their art. Nearly a thousand enter-

tainers provide free ongo-

ing performances at the

main band shell and many

stages surrounding it.

Therapeutic Recreation

X-Treme Kids Summer Camp: X-Treme Kids Summer Camp jumped, climbed, swam,

fished, skated, and splashed their way through 8 weeks of fun! They explored their crea-tive sides through pottery, music therapy, dance, and arts & crafts. Excess energy was burned through physcial activities at the playground, sprayground, gymnasium, and ath-letic fields! We took full advantage of the various services available in Mecklenburg Coun-ty including visits from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Charlotte Fire Department, Latta Plantation Nature Center and fishing at Freedom Park!

Camp Be-Tween: At Camp Be-Tween, a Therapeutic Recreation Summer Day Camp

program, we've had a GREAT summer: swimming, roller skating, dancing, gardening, mak-ing pottery and lots of crafts, playing games and much more. We had lots of visitors, like a pet therapist with her dog Kobe; Stephen Hutchinson from Latta Plantation Nature Cen-ter; and firefighters from Station #10. We've had the BEST time, with help from all of our summer camp friends! It will be back to school soon...we have a lot of fun memories from Camp Be-Tween.

Romare Bearden Park 300 S. Church Street Charlotte, NC 28202 Central Park Region

Grand Opening events for Romare Bearden Park are scheduled for August 31—September 1, 2013, on the anniversary of Bearden's 102nd birthday. Features:

5.4 acres

Two large gardens

Event lawn designed for

informal play as well as

for large event gatherings

(capacity: 3,000)

A section named Paris

Memory includes tables

and chairs reminiscent of

Parisian parks Bearden

visited while studying in

Paris

The Childhood Muse Pla-

za includes interactive

cascading water, a major

art piece and children’s

play elements

A formal lawn area for

smaller events such as

weddings or small art ex-

hibits

Dive after Five: On Saturday August 17, there will be a volleyball tournament at Memo-

rial Stadium. The name of the tournament is “Dive after Five”. There are a total of 60 teams signed up to play, the tournament will be played in doubles format.

Basketball: Men’s 30 and Over Basketball Summer league will start playoffs on August

18 at Bette Rae Recreation Center. Games are held on Sunday afternoons. There are a to-tal of 9 teams participating this season.

Softball: Co-Rec and Men’s Softball first week of the Fall season was a success. Games

are held Monday through Thursday at Renaissance Softball Complex. Also a Co-Rec league

will be played on Thursday evenings at Nevin Community Park. There are a total of 70

teams participating this season.

Athletics

In addition to the festivities, Park and Recreation will hold an art show to encourage youth, ages 1 to 18, to express their understanding of Romare Bearden’s legacy through the creation of collages. If your child would like to enter, call 704-336-3854 by August 23. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place winners.

Bearden cont...

The Arbor and Trellis,

perched atop one of the

highest points in the park,

provides an opportunity to

sit under a shaded canopy

and offers space for cater-

ing and a small band set-

up

The Evocative Spine,

with its water, art, and a

sloping site, makes this

area a central focus of the

park.

The park will offer fitness

and cultural arts pro-

grams throughout the

year. Bearden Music Series Music Box Lunch Series Party in the Park Series Art and Photography Clas-

ses Art Show Fitness Program Romare Bearden Birthday

Bash Fall Festival Winter Wonderland Santa’s Workshop Easter egg Hunt RomareFest

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

The Friday Letter Volume 32 • Issue 20• August 16, 2013

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.

Mecklenburg County

Park and Recreation

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216

(704) 336-8840

Recreate All Year!