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We’re
Winners!
It’s awards season, and once again the Broward County Parks and Recreation
Division has already picked up several major ones. The first, from the
National Association of Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO), goes to Long
Key Natural Area and Nature Center, which won one of only two awards in
the country for Park and Recreation Facility – Class II (population
500,000+). This is the same award picked up last year by Central Broward
Regional Park.
Next up are three winners in the Awards of Excellence
competition sponsored by the National Association of County Information
Officers (NACIO). The Division’s monthly electronic newsletter eHighlights
won in not one but two categories: Best of Class in the overall External
Publications category, and a Superior Award in the External Publications –
Other Format category. And Michael Mills’s Message From the Director
from the 22nd Annual Employee Meeting earned a Meritorious Award in the
Writing – Speeches category.
Water
Fun for Everyone
Get wet and wild at two Broward County water parks on Friday, June 19.
Splash Adventure at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach will be the spot
for a Splash Luau for all ages, from 6 to 10 p.m. The event includes
two hours of swim time, children’s games, a bounce house, prizes, and a
movie.
Or get in on the action at a Family Fun Night at
Castaway Island at T.Y. Park in Hollywood, from 6 to 8 p.m. Water-based games
there will include musical chairs, a balloon toss,
pie-yourself-in-the-face, slime time, and a potato-sack race. Prizes will
be awarded.
Refreshments will be available for purchase at both events.
?: Quiet Waters,
954-360-1315; T.Y.,
954-985-1980.
$: Splash Luau – $5/person; Family Fun Night – $6.50/person (12
months and under free).
BCT: Routes #14 (Quiet Waters) and #3, #12, and #17 (T.Y.).
Featured
Creatures
You’ve heard of the Creature from the Black Lagoon – how about Creatures
of the Mangrove Swamp? For this program at the Anne Kolb Nature Center
at West Lake Park in Hollywood, using live specimens, a naturalist will
introduce you to some of the fascinating denizens of the park’s ecosystem,
such as fiddler crabs, tree crabs, coffee bean snails, and such fish as
mojarra, checkered puffer, and nurse shark. The program is from 11 to 11:30
a.m. on Saturday, June 13.
?: Anne Kolb,
954-926-2480.
$: $1/person Exhibit Hall entrance.
BCT: Route #12.
Star
Light, Star Bright
Find out what will be in the South Florida sky during the upcoming quarter
at An Evening With the Stars, starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 19,
at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek. Speakers will cover basic
telescope techniques and general astronomy information at this free event
for all ages. The South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association
co-sponsors.
?: Fern Forest,
954-970-0150.
BCT: Routes #31 and #42.
Happy
Trails
Learn more about the flora and fauna of South Florida during a Natural
History Horseback Tour, starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, at
the Tradewinds Park Stables in Coconut Creek. The program is for ages 13
and up.
?: Tradewinds
Stables, 954-357-8720.
$: $45/person.
R: Registration is at 8:30 a.m. the day of the program.
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BCT: Route #34.
Uncovering
Our Parks
Four months of delving into the archaeological significance of Broward
County Parks comes to a conclusion with the final installment of County
Parks Uncovered, a series of free lectures at Secret Woods Nature
Center in Dania Beach. The last lecture, which runs from 11 a.m. to noon on
Sunday, June 7, will focus on the archaeology of Long Key Natural Area and
Nature Center and how it relates to Pine Island Ridge. It will be presented
by Paul Callsen of the Broward County Historical Commission and the Florida
Public Archaeology Network.
Then, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 14, the nature
center joins the Florida Public Archaeology Network for Uncover Our Past
Archaeology Day. This free event is for all ages and will include a
variety of special activities.
?: Secret Woods,
954-791-1030; www.flpublicarchaeology.org.
BCT: Route #6.
What
a Little Moonlight Can Do
Experience the magic of moonlight on a Full Moon Hike, an
interpretive exploration of the nature trails of Long Key Natural Area.
This month’s hike will be between 8 and 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 7.
Participants of all ages will be able to spot nocturnal animals as they
emerge and to view the full moon as it rises while they learn about myths
and legends associated with the moon.
?: Long
Key, 954-327-8797.
$: $3/person.
R: Reservations required by June 6.
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Horse
Sense
Saddle up for the 2009 Tradewinds Horse Camp, for ages 9 through 16,
from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays starting on June 8
and ending on August 6.
Each four-day session includes daily riding instruction,
weather permitting. Instruction also includes: breeds and colors; anatomy
of the horse; appropriate riding equipment, tack, and general care of the
horse in the show ring and on the trails; nutrition and feeding; and
routine, preventive, and therapeutic maintenance. Other activities include
videos, indoor/outdoor games, and farm activities.
Registration is offered Saturdays and Sundays only at the
stables on the north side of Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. Class size
is limited and early registration is recommended. Fees must be paid and a
release and waiver of liability signed at registration. The fee is $300 per
session. Children must provide their own lunches and refreshments. Long
pants and closed-toe shoes are required. Participants should also bring a
hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a towel.
?: Tradewinds
Stables, 954-357-8720.
$: $300/five-day session.
R: Early registration encouraged; registration offered weekends
only.
Advisory
Board Notice
The public is invited to the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board, which is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3.
The meeting will take place at Plantation
Heritage Park, 1100 S. Fig Tree Lane, Plantation. For more
information, visit www.broward.org/parks/abmeeting.htm.
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