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 As guests arrived they were given a handout that
defined all the offerings. From there, guests went whichever
direction they chose. For the kids, the first thing they spied was
the bounce house. The bounce house, while there for fun, was also
part of a demonstration of what can be offered for children’s
birthday parties at the park district.
New this year, the park district is offering party themes, where
staff will do the set up for a busy parent. The park district has
invested in backdrops and props with themes, some geared
specifically to boys, some just for girls, and some generic for any
gender.
According to staff, rooms at the recreational center have always
been available for parties. This new offering is meant to add to the
convenience of hosting a party at the rec center, and making it
easier for parents to give their child something special. The party
plan does not automatically come with the bounce house, but can be
included at an additional cost.
In addition to explaining the party process, there were tables and
displays around the room showing off some of the special activities
offered by the park district including swimming lesson, fitness
training, and joyful painting classes, an upcoming bike rodeo, nerf
battle, and a kid’s tie-dye party.
LMH offers market and fitness
Other groups involved in the open house included Lincoln Memorial
Hospital. Cindy Smith with the LMH Community Health Collaborative
was on hand to share information about the LMH Market, which opens
its season in May. Information was also provided about the
Collaborative programs for youth mental health, substance abuse,
healthy eating habits and much more.
A new program this summer at LMH will be the LMH Trailblazers. This
will be a walking group that meets on Wednesday’s to walk together
around the Fitness Trail at the hospital. The LMH Trailblazers are
set to begin this summer. Interested parties should log on to the
LMH social media pages for further details.
Community Garden
Bethany Buscher explained the new Community Garden project coming to
Lincoln this spring. The project has purchased the property at 104
South Logan Street in Lincoln. The lot is a former community garden,
and is ready to come alive again this year with vegetables and
flowers grown and cared for by garden volunteers.
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Buscher said that when approaching the project, the Community
Garden managers had done some research of what is working well in other
communities. In the last attempt at a community garden program, would-be
gardeners had rented a plot within the garden space and were responsible for
caring for their own plants.
The new concept, Buscher says, will be one garden for all.
Everything in the garden will be raised by everyone volunteering. There will be
special work Saturdays at the garden, and when it is time to harvest, the first
offering of vegetables will go to those who volunteer to work. Excess produce
will be offered to others including local food pantries. There may also be an
opportunity to sell produce at the summer market hosted by LHM. If produce is
sold, that money will go back into the garden project to help support the next
season.
There is no charge to be involved. The only payment required is time spent
volunteering. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the garden project
may email LCNCommunityGarden
@gmail.com
Creekside Outdoor Center for Environmental Learning
A familiar face at one of the vendor tables was that of Dr. Dennis Campbell from
the Creekside Outdoor Center for Environmental Learning. The table featured a
variety of objects and a quiz with hints as to what the objects are, whether
they were used by early settlers or a part of nature.
Campbell spoke freely about the years he has invested in Creekside and the
purpose it has served for the community and for students of Lincoln College. He
said with great sadness that he was stunned by the announcements pertaining to
the college last week, and of course, does not know what the future of Creekside
will be. He is hopeful that someone will step in and take over the environmental
center.
Of course, no party or open house is complete without food and the LPD had done
a great job of providing a wide variety of snacks and drinks for guests to munch
on throughout the morning.
Other activities of the day included face painting and temporary tattoos and
other activities for children.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the summer activities at the
Lincoln Park District can visit the reception desk at the Recreational Center,
visit the park district website
or call 217-732-8770.
[Nila Smith] |
