Free Eggstravaganza Set for March 23

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, in partnership with Radio One, will hold a free “Eggstravaganza” for children 11 and younger on Saturday, March 23. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the department’s Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, located at 4901 Old Brook Road, and feature three egg hunts, each for a different age group. A total of 25,000 candy-filled eggs, some offering prizes, will be up for grabs. 

     The first egg hunt will be held at noon for children age 10 and 11. At 12:30, a second egg hunt will be held for 7- to 9-year-olds, and at 1 p.m., another egg hunt will be held for 4- to 6-year olds. Children who want to participate should bring their own basket. Prizes will include Martin’s gift cards, tickets to see the Richmond Raiders, and custom made hula hoops from RVA Hoop House. 

     The event is free to attend and also will include music, games, several inflatables, a Bunny Town, a petting zoo, a planting station with biodegradable planters and various seeds, and hula hooping. Vendors will be on hand to sell food and drinks.

     Parking for this event is available at Henderson Middle School next to Pine Camp. No public parking will be allowed at Pine Camp.

Department's City Dance Theatre Wins Regional Awards

City Dance Theatre, the department's youth dance troupe, won an award for every piece they performed in Portsmouth at the DanceAmerica Regional Competition, that was held the weekend of March 1.

     The troupe performed 12 pieces, and of these, ten received first place trophies and two received second place trophies. This more than qualifies the company of young dancers, who range in age from 9 to 16, to compete in the national DanceAmerica competition to be held in Chicago this summer.

      In addition, Keola Jones received the award for the highest scoring junior female soloist, and Monay Boisseau received the award for the highest scoring senior female soloist. These awards qualify both youth to compete for the title of Dancer of the Year in Chicago.

     The company received six additional special recognition awards:

·         Judges Overall High Score Award for “Lest We Forget”

·         Best Emotional Execution for “Lest We Forget”

·         Best Costume for “Metemorphose”

·         High Score, Intermediate Large Group Modern, for “Run Mourners, Run”

·         High Score, Intermediate Small Group Lyrical, for “For All We Know”

·         High Score, Intermediate Duo/Trio Lyrical, for “Precious Lord”

     A traditional Hawaiian dance staged by Trenna Jackson also qualified for the nationals in the Ethnic/Folkloric category.

     “I am extremely proud of the City’s Dance Theatre youth and instructors,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “Their dedication, determination and commitment to excellence has aided them in winning these awards and recognitions in the DanceAmerica Regional Competition. It is my hope that all residents recognize the accomplishments of these youth and wish them well as they travel to the national DanceAmerica competition.”

     The pieces were choreographed by Rodney L. Williams and Talita Jackson, who teach for the department’s City Dance Program at its Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center. Annette Holt manages the dance program for the department’s Cultural Arts Division.

     City Dance Theatre has a long-standing history of winning awards in both the regional and national DanceAmerica competitions having collected more than 100 first place trophies.

Organizations Wanted to Give Away Free Summer Meals

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is looking for organizations to help provide free meals for children during the summer. Any group, organization or church that offers summer programs for youth age 17 or younger can participate in the department's Summer Meals for Kids program and receive free meals for the children in their program for any length of time between June 17 and August 30, however the deadline to apply is March 22.

      An informational session for anyone interested in joining the program will be held Wednesday, March 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Byrd Park Round House. The Round House is located near the intersection of Lakeview and South Davis avenues in Byrd Park. No registration or commitment is required to attend the informational session, and representatives of interested organizations are encouraged to attend to have any questions they may have answered.

      If an interested organization is unable to attend, information about participating in the program can be obtained by calling (804) 646-5698 or e-mailing LaShawn.Robinson@richmondgov.com.

      During the summer of 2012, the department’s Summer Meals for Kids Program delivered nearly 268,000 free meals to 122 locations in Richmond and the surrounding area. 

      The Summer Meals for Kids Program is provided by the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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New Summer Camp for Teens Offered

The department is offering a new summer camp for teenagers ages 12 and 13 this year. The camp will be held Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., June 24 through August 23. Registration is $300 and includes breakfast and lunch each day.

     The camp program is designed especially for teens to help them discover the world, experience new things, and make new friends. It will include hiking, rafting, music, dance, theater, and learning about entrepreneurship, fashion, community service and much more. Not only will the camp be fun, it is designed to encourage self-discovery, to help build self-confidence and independence, and to provide teens with skills for future success.

      Registration is on a first-come first-served basis and takes place on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Westover Community Center, 1301 Jahnke Road. Some scholarships are available. For more information, call 646-0181.

     This camp is for city residents only, and proof of age and residency are required at registration.

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Register Now for Summer Camp

Now is the time to register your child for summer camp with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. The department’s summer camp for children ages 5 – 11 will be held at 16 community centers around the city from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday starting June 24 and continuing through August 23.  Each day the children will be provided with breakfast and lunch and engaged in physical exercise and fun, creative activities and road trips surrounding the theme “Road Trip USA.”

      Registration is $250 per child for city residents and $400 for non-city residents and takes place at the following 16 sites on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Battery Park, 2803 Dupont Circle
• Bellemeade, 1800 Lynhaven Ave.
• Blackwell, 300 E. 15^th St.
• Broad Rock, 4615 Ferguson Lane
• Creighton Court, 2001 Creighton Rd.
• Fisher, 3701 Garden Rd.
• Hickory Hill, 3000 E. Belt Blvd.
• Hotchkiss, 701 E. Brookland Park Blvd
• Humphrey Calder, 414 N. Thompson St.
• Mary Munford, 211 Westmoreland Ave.
• Pine Camp, 4901 Old Brook Road
• Powhatan, 5051 Northampton St.
• Randolph, 1415 Grayland Ave.
• T. B. Smith, 2015 Ruffin Rd.
• Westover, 1301 Jahnke Rd.
• Whitcomb Court, 2302 Carmine St.

      All registration is on a first-come first-served basis, and proof of age and residency are required at registration. Some scholarships are available. For more information, the public can call 646-0181.

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Department Celebrates Young Artists

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will celebrate Youth Art Month in March with an exhibit at its Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center featuring the artwork of nine Richmond children.      

      The exhibit, titled “Little Mermaids,” opens on March 15 with a public reception for the artists from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will be on display through April 19. The exhibit is a collaboration of the department and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. The artwork features paintings of life-sized mermaids created by the young artists while enrolled in the Visual Arts Center’s Art After School program. 

      “We are very pleased to collaborate with the Visual Arts Center to showcase the creativity of our city’s youth and give the public a chance to see these delightful pieces,” stated Norman C. Merrifield, director of the City's Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. “I think this exhibit illustrates the wealth of creativity in Richmond and the possibilities it holds for the future,” he said.

     Pine Camp is located at 4901 Old Brook Road. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 am to 2 p.m.

      The department offers a variety of art as well as dance classes for both youth and adults at its Pine Camp Arts and Community Center. A complete list of classes is available on the department’s website at http://www.richmondgov.com/Parks/documents/ProgramGuide.pdf, or for more information the public can call (804) 646-3674. 

     The Visual Arts Center of Richmond provides multiple levels of engagement to encourage and support creative thinking and bring the joy of making art to the Richmond community.

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Community Centers Closed, Programs Cancelled

The department has closed all of its Community Centers for the remainder of the day, cancelled all department youth basketball games scheduled for today, as well as cancelled all classes and programs at Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center for the remainder of the day.