July is Parks and Recreation Month, and the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) wants to celebrate the occasion with a day of sports, games and activities.
DPR plans to host its Second Annual Rec Day at Randall Recreation Center (South Capitol and I streets SW) on Saturday, July 23 at 11 a.m.
The free event will have “fun activities, entertainment and food,” according to a press release.
DPR Director of Communications Gwendolyn Crump said she expects a larger turnout for this month’s rec day in comparison to last year. “We have more activities and more partners,” Crump added.
This year’s activities include basketball, kickball, softball, tennis, a water slide and an obstacle course, according to an event flyer.
The event isn’t just limited to sports. Attendees can also play Playstation 4 games, participate in arts and crafts and watch fashion shows. For young children, the event will include face painting, storytelling and a tricycle relay.
Mayor Muriel Bowser will start off 2016 with a 5K walk/run near RFK Stadium tomorrow morning.
The run will begin at the intersection of 19th Street NE and East Capitol Street, in front of Eastern High School. Runners of all fitness levels can register for free online. The annual run is part of Bowser’s FitDC initiative to promote health in the District.
Bowser also announced that as part of that initiative, all District Department of Parks and Recreation fitness centers will be free for D.C. residents in 2016.
Fitness centers, which used to require a membership fee, will offer free treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and weights to residents.
The fitness centers in the Capitol Hill area are:
- King Greenleaf Recreation Center – 201 N St. SW
- Rosedale Community Center – 1701 Gales St. NE
- Sherwood Recreation Center – 640 10th St. NE
Adults and children on Capitol Hill only have a few weeks left to swim in their local public pools before the District closes them for the season.
The closures in the Capitol Hill area will begin on Aug. 23 with the Lincoln Capper Children’s Pool at 555 L St. SE and the Watkins Children’s Pool at 420 12th St. SE, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation announced today.
On Aug. 30, the Randall Pool at 25 I St. SW will close. Then, on Sept. 7, the last pool open in the Capitol Hill area, the Rosedale Pool at 1701 Gales St. NE, will cease operations for the season.
The pools will be open until 6 p.m. on their last days.
Photo via Flickr/D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation
Locals can take a late-night swim and roller skate to music from the 1980s in Southwest next week.
A free late-night pool party and ‘80s-themed celebration will take place at the Randall Recreation Center July 25, according to the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The facility is at South Capitol and I streets SW.
As part of DPR’s inaugural “Recreation Day” festivities, the center will host a range of activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The activities include basketball, softball and sack races, in addition to roller skating to ’80s tunes.
Residents also can sing, dance and perform for prizes in DPR’s “Talent Search.”
From 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., locals then can take a dip in the center’s pool as part of DPR’s “‘A Splish Splash Summer Late Night Pool Party Series.”
Photo via Wikimedia/gt8073a
The District is seeking input on the offerings of public recreation centers and pools.
The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation launched a survey yesterday to gauge interest in their programs. The poll open through April 13 asks how often respondents use the recreation facilities and what they would like to see.
“The goal is to make programming decisions at DPR data driven, responding directly to resident needs/wants,” a statement from the department said.
Programs respondents can vote to see more or less of include spinning, Zuma and folk dancing.
(Updated at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday) Heads up for a change in your swimming schedule.
Most public pools will be closed Friday through Monday for the 29th annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet. William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center (635 North Carolina Ave. SE) and most other city pools will operate on modified schedules, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation announced.
Two city pools will remain open for public swim Friday through Sunday: Wilson Aquatic Center (4551 Fort Drive NW) and Barry Farm Aquatic Center (1230 Sumner Road SE). No classes will be held there.
The swim meet will be held Friday through Sunday at the Takoma Aquatic Center. A total of 762 young swimmers from across the country will compete.
“This year’s theme, ‘Mark Your Place in History,’ is an effective play on words, as it not only indicates the readiness our young athletes must have as they prepare for this meet, it also inspires them to make their own history through individual and team achievement,” DPW Interim Director Keith Anderson said in a statement.
For more information, see the city website dedicated to the event.
Correction: Two city pools will remain open Friday through Sunday, in Tenleytown and Anacostia. A previous version of this story reported that all pools would be closed.
