Northside Dog Park Opening Saturday

The department will open its third public dog park on Saturday, August 18, with a celebration from 9 a.m. to noon that will include food, music, prizes, canine demonstrations, activities and treats for all. All dogs that are spayed or neutered and their owners are invited to attend.

     The Northside Dog Park is located behind Henderson Middle School at the end of Forest Lawn Drive. A map locating the park and much more fun information can be found online at http://northsidedogpark.com. 

     The new dog park includes two sections, one for large dogs and one for small dogs, and has ample parking, park benches and picnic tables. It was built with volunteer help from the Friends of the Northside Dog Park, who were instrumental in organizing support for the park and determining its location. Organized as a 501-C3 under the Enrichmond Foundation, the Friends of the Northside Dog Park are also sponsors of the opening celebration and have developed the website at http://northsidedogpark.com to continue to raise support for the park.

     The dog park’s hours will be from sunrise to sunset, and is free for anyone to use. The park rules are posted at the site.

     “We are very pleased to see the opening of this new city dog park,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. “With our other dog parks, Barker Field located in Byrd Park and the Church Hill Dog Park located beside Chimborazo Park, this helps us round out our services to our canine friends and their families. We are most appreciative of the Friends of the Northside Dog Park, who have helped make this possible.” 

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City to Host First Friday Event Promoting Teen Arts

The City of Richmond in conjunction with First Friday’s will host RVA presents The Lounge at Center Stage (The Lounge).  This Teen Arts event will take place outside at Seventh and Broad streets on Aug. 5, 2011, from 6 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. The pilot project - coordinated by Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities; Richmond Police; CenterStage and SMG, with support from the business community and city youth - will showcase youth and their art, from musical acts, spoken word and poetry, to visual and participatory arts. Utilizing programs created by young people involved in the Police Department’s Youth Commission, The Lounge will offer youth 21 and younger a platform for freedom of expression and a place to meet and enjoy the art and entertainment of their peers.

     “It is our role to help teens further realize their potential, and we are excited about this new opportunity and public/private partnership,” said Norman C. Merrifield, Ed. D., director of Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.

     More than seven acts will be featured this Friday, highlighting young adults offering their own form of artistic expression, and The Lounge will continue to provide teen programs on First Fridays throughout the year with promotional support from Radio One.

     “I can’t think of a better way to expand the reach of First Friday's than The Lounge, and CenterStage is thrilled to be a part of this innovative partnership with the City,” said CenterStage Executive Director Richard M. Parison Jr. “Visitors to CenterStage know how fortunate we are to have such a thriving performing arts community in Richmond, and the talented young people who will be featured at these events truly embody the spirit of this community.”

    “This is an opportunity for Richmond’s teens to demonstrate the positive interactions that we want to showcase within our city,” said Chief Norwood. “The Lounge is not intended to limit our youth’s ability to mingle with other art enthusiasts, but it encourages them to expand their experience downtown and offers an alternative positive means of doing this.”

Children Encouraged to Join Guinness World Record Attempt

City children between the ages of one and 14 are invited to join the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and other children at sites around the world to help set a Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™.
All children need to do for a chance at becoming a world record holder is come to the department’s Swansboro Pool at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, and participate in the swimming lesson which will take place at 11 a.m. (3 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time) simultaneously around the world. The Swansboro Pool is an indoor pool located at 3160 Midlothian Turnpike.
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is participating in the global event to help spread the message that swimming lessons can save lives. Drowning is the second largest cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 14. In addition, research shows that if children don’t learn to swim before the third grade, it is likely that they never will.
“The importance of learning to swim is a message that is critical to us,” said Richmond’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Dr. Norman C. Merrifield. “With the James River serving as a major attraction in Richmond and the department operating 10 swimming pools, it’s extremely important to us that we teach children how to swim as well as provide lessons in water safety.”
Richmond’s fire chief concurs. “Our water rescue teams are involved in numerous rescues every year,” said Chief Robert A. Creecy. “I would encourage every parent to make sure that their children learn to swim and know about water safety.”
The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ is an event designed by a coalition of the nation’s leading water safety and training organizations to build awareness for and draw attention to the vital importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning. The inaugural event held in 2010 established the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever and included almost 4,000 participants in 34 states, five countries and three continents. Tragically, the threat of childhood drowning is even greater around the globe.
Thousands worldwide will be participating simultaneously this year in the same 45-minute swimming lesson in the attempt to set a new Guinness World Record. The lesson, developed by a team of leading water safety and swim instruction professionals, will be an easy-to-follow beginner lesson to allow for the broadest participation possible.
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will follow up by offering two “Learn to Swim” camps for children this summer. In addition, the department provides swimming lessons year-round on Tuesday and Thursday nights at its indoor Swansboro Pool. For more information or to register for the summer camps, call 646-1126 or 646-1441. To register for lessons at the Swansboro Pool, call 646-8088.
To learn more about the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™, visit www.wlsl.org. To learn more about the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities aquatics programs, visit www.RichmondGov.com/parks.