News: 2019 Morristown Parks & Recreation Committee Annual Report
| Date Published |
Author |
| 1/7/2021 12:00:00 AM |
Sara Haskins |
Morristown Summer Recreation Camp Program
The Morristown Summer Recreation Camp program was created by Morristown voters in 1957 and for over 60 years still remains a thriving program that continues to support the needs of the youth in our community. The program runs for seven weeks in the summer and offers a fun and safe program to promote healthy eating and exercise with a variety of planned activities for children ages 5 through 12. Our vision is to provide a safe environment where all children will experience nature, expand their learning, creativity, create everlasting friendships, and engage in recreational activities to deepen their appreciation of Vermont’s beautiful landscape and focus on four core values:
- Safety: To provide a safe and healthy environment for everyone involved in the Morristown Summer Recreation Program.
- Respect: To develop and foster children’s respect for themselves, others, and property used to create a fun camp experience.
- Responsibility: To increase children’s responsibility of their belongings and become positive and social citizens in a variety of recreational activities during their summer camp experience.
- Fun: To give every child the opportunity to make friends, memories, and participate in a diverse range.
The 2019 Morristown Summer Recreation Camp program was codirected by Peoples Academy graduates Louis Angione & Sarah Davis; 62 children attended the entire summer, 28 children came weekly and 31 children came for daily drop-in days. All children were provided healthy breakfasts and lunches each day. The mornings were spent at the Peoples Academy gym where campers were offered a wide variety of activities centered on the daily themes and weekly campers and counselors wowed each other with their talents on talent Tuesdays. Following lunch each day campers spent the afternoon swimming, building sandcastles, and playing at Lake Elmore. Once a week field trips were taken to various locations including Boulder Beach, a Lake Monsters baseball game, spare time bowling, Lamoille County Field Days, Smugglers Notch Go Zone, and the ever popular Santa’s Village to end the summer. All campers and counselors were taught first aid and CPR with the generous support of Morristown Rescue and thanks to a generous amplify grant awarded by Rise Vermont all summer counselors were certified in waterfront safety and as lifeguards.
The Morristown Summer Recreation Camp Committee would like to thank the following businesses for their support: Concept 2, Country Home Center, Donald Blake Inc, Good Dog Grooming, Guys Farm & Yard, Manufacturing Solutions Inc, Marckres Norder & Company, Menard’s Agway, Polow & Polow, RK Miles, Suburban Heating Oil, the Union Bank, and the staff of Peoples Academy.
Morristown Parks & Recreation Committee
The Town of Morristown has recently resurrected the Parks and Recreation Committee that was originally formed in 1949. The purpose of the Committee is to seek the development of a wide variety of recreation programs, park facilities, and services to meet the total needs of the residents of the community and to increase awareness of all the many existing recreational assets and events happening in the greater Morristown community. The Committee plans to partner with community members and organizations to promote, encourage and share information regarding existing recreational activities in Morristown.
Morristown has a new online recreation management software program; you can learn more about it online at: morristownvt.myrec.com. Click on the new account link to create your household account and gain access to program registrations. Be sure to then add all the members of your household into the account and please don’t forget to enter your email and cell phone number with the carrier so we can contact you with any last-minutes changes. Your new household account will provide you with registration history, financials and much more. This is where you can now register your children for the Morristown Summer Recreation Camp Program, download tax deductible receipts, and check out recreational events happening in town. We look forward to expanding this online program and enjoying the enhanced registration experience with you.
The Morristown public ice skating rink was established in the winter of 1959 in the Academy Park at the base of Copley Ave and Park St. Sixty years later families still continue to enjoy free ice skating with the rink relocated to the Oxbow Park three years ago. Thanks to a group of generous volunteers the community skating shack is open on the weekends with free skates to borrow for the whole family.
In January the Parks & Recreation Committee was awarded a Rise Vermont mini grant to purchase snowshoes and start a snowshoe lending program in partnership with Morristown Centennial Library. You can now borrow up to nine pairs of snowshoes (with a valid library card) for up to three days from the library. In May the committee hosted two community events at the Oxbow Park. The first was a Health & Wellness Event in conjunction with CCV thanks to a Rise Vermont amplifying grant. The second was a Revive your Bike event sponsored by Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate. It was a fun morning in the park and on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail that included bike inspections, an obstacle course and free bike helmets for those in need.
The Parks & Recreation Committee continues to work on ways to improve our wonderful Oxbow Park. During the Wednesday Night Live concerts this summer the group sponsored recreational activities including hula hoop, corn hole, and ping pong. There are now horseshoe pits, a tetherball and a volleyball net for the community to use. The Committee was recently awarded Vermont Building Communities grant to install a swing set and mulch and has purchased a climbing dome to be installed in 2020.
Do you want to be involved in the future of recreation in Morristown? There are lots of great free activities in our community to get your family and friends together and enjoy the outdoors. The seven member committee meets on the third Monday of each month from 4:30-5:45 pm in the municipal building at 43 Portland Street. We can always use an extra hand and fresh ideas and we welcome you to join us moving forward to meet the town’s recreation needs and become a part of the committee. Questions or suggestions for Morristown Parks & Rec? Email us at parksandrec@morristownvt.org.
Parks & Recreation Committee Members
Judy Bickford, Maggie Cleary, John Duffy, Sara Haskins, Alison Link, Kristi McAllister, Valerie Valcour
Morristown Summer Recreation Camp Program Committee Members
Kristi McAllister; Coordinator, Angela Peterson, Tammara Laraway, Nicole McAllister