Happy Park and Recreation Month!

Nothing beats spending a summer day biking on a trail, playing in a park, or swimming in a refreshing pool.

During the summer months, we can’t get away from the outdoors. That’s why, as designated by the U.S. House of Representatives, Park and Recreation Month is being celebrated nationwide in the month of July.

Some Arizona cities that aren’t formally celebrating Park and Recreation month in July will instead be celebrating at a later time when the temperature cools down.

This year the National Recreation and Park Association has encouraged communities to show and share the love of parks and recreation with a 2015 theme of the “totally tubular 80s,” making this the year that people are encouraged to rock leg warmers and head bands, break out their 80s hair styles, and get involved in their community through parks and recreation.

We love what several cities, such as Queen Creek, Mesa, Chandler, and Scottsdale are doing for Park and Recreation Month and hope other cities and towns follow suit.

Queen Creek is hosting the National Park and Recreation month with “totally tubular” style with several events including the ‘80s Party at the Splash Pad at the Founders Park from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11. Guests can enjoy the retro sounds from Dj Notez as well as fun activities for the kids. But that’s not the only “hip” event going on. There is also the ‘80s Week at the Library Recreation Annex, located at 21802 S. Ellsworth Road, where various classes will celebrate the ‘80s theme in their programs as well as seeing the recreation staff rocking the best ‘80s outfits on Wednesday, July 15. The last event to wrap up this “rad” week is the Queen Creek Festival at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre on Saturday, July 18 for food trucks, boutique venders and live music. For more information of any recreational program in Queen Creek, please visit QueenCreek.org/Recreation.

Chandler’s “gnarly” Parks and Rec Month will be kick started with an Adult Retro Prom on Friday, July 24, at Tumbleweed Recreation Center, where any adult can take part in the old days of dressing up in the best ‘80s attire and dancing the night away. But that’s not all!  A wide array of other retro themed programs will be available at ‘80s prices or for free all throughout July! For more information on all the upcoming activities, please visit www.chandleraz.gov/parkandrecmonth.

Scottsdale also encourages its residents this 30^th Parks and Rec anniversary by taking pictures of the beautiful parks the city has to offer and posting them on Instagram with the hashtag #JulyPRM30. Come and also enjoy the delightful open spaces in this community. For more information, please go to their homepage http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/.

Mesa will be celebrating Parks and Recreation Month with some special events as well. They are encouraging residents to check out all that they have to offer from more than 200 parks and retention basins, to community recreation centers, pools, golf courses, amphitheater and two ball parks. To showcase the impact parks and recreation has in every community, NRPA encourages people that support parks and recreation to watch and share this video with the hashtag #JulyPRM30. www.nrpa.org/July