Augusta Parks & Rec Lucky to have Great Directors

By: Daniel Edie

Although the Augusta pool has not been operable this season, the sounds of laughter, play, and summer fun were still heard in Appelman park. Thanks to the efforts of the Augusta Parks and Rec committee and workers through the workforce program, TENCO, the Augusta Park Games was brought to reality. The games were one of the many recreation activities established to help fill the void of our community pool. These summer workers include Mary Deiter, Chelsea Rolph, and myself. On the surface, the park games seem like a rather simple way to help keep kids entertained over the summer. From the perspective of an educator, I know it has been much more than that. Any time spent with kids, especially in a small group setting, provides you the privilege of building relationships. You can teach kids things ranging from how to hit volleyball to controlling their anger or frustration. They even have lessons to teach you as well, which is always a humbling and welcomed experience. Several community members and businesses have also donated their time and product to make this a memorable summer for our kids. Workshops ranging from rock painting with Amy’s Blue Daisy and “How to Start a Business” workshop with U.S. Bank have been facilitated. These workshops and activities will continue to happen this week, the next being a wood painting workshop with Marlene Barrett from Bradford’s Home Mart. This will take place on July 25th, at 3PM, in Appelman Park (rain location will be the Augusta Community Center). This Thursday, July 26th, I will also be leading an art workshop for children, ages 6-14. This workshop will cover the cyanotype printing process, resulting in each child creating his or her own image! The process is one of the oldest printing methods used to create photographic images and reproductions of documents like blueprints. The lesson includes an informative and empowering historical context of the medium, as well as an overview of art elements and design principles to help create their images. Follow Augusta Parks and Rec page for more information related to future programs and events taking place: https://www.facebook.com/Augusta-Parks-Recreation-1981075938874557/