Best of the Best: Looking Back at RPR Summer 2012

We say the same thing every year around this time in August, but only because it's so true - we can't believe how fast the summer flew by! From Kickers and Sluggers to Friday Field Trips to Discover Your Parks, Summer 2012 was packed full with fun activities for the whole community to enjoy!

But don't take our word for it...check our numbers! Each summer we are reminded how fortunate we are to have the excited and energetic participants we do. So thank you for returning to our programs year after year and showing us that parks really do "Make Life Better"!

Summer Camps 2012: A whopping 1,031 participants
Friday Trips & Adventures: 244 participants
Passport to Play: 98 participants
Preschool Offerings: 211 participants
Summer Spectacular: 133 participants
Summer Sports: 570 participants
Kicker & Slugger Sports: 417 participants
Youth Leagues: 103 participants
Teen Offerings: 54 participants
Adults: 178 Adult Softball Teams, 24 Sand Volleyball Teams, 9 Co-Rec Soccer Teams, 1,750 golfers, and 71 trip participants
Plus...events like the Puppet Wagon and Discover Your Parks drawing hundreds to various parks

And what do these numbers add up to? About 5,000 participants in RPR programs this summer! Way to go Roseville! Check out some of our highlights of Summer 2012 below.

Hi-Fives after every "Kickers" game!

Showing Olympic Spirit at Summer Spectacular.

Preschoolers had a blast at Sports of All Sorts, which for many was their first athletic experience.

The whole team strikes a pose.

Even just playing on the playground is a blast!

Driving around the Puppet Wagon...always a fun job!  

Tire Swing!

Jumping the hurdles at our Youth Track program!

And who can forget Rosetown Playhouse's "Twist of Fate", which debuted to great reviews at the MN Fringe Fest!

Summer Entertainment at the Central Park Ampitheatre provided lots of opportunities to get up on your feet.

The Leaders In Training Car Wash raised over $200 for Feed My Starving Children! Great job!

Discover Your Parks brought events and presentations to many of their events, giving kids a chance to learn about all sorts of critters...even baby crocodiles!

Thank you for your support this summer, and be sure to keep in touch with us throughout the year on Facebook and Twitter. Don't forget to register for Fall and Winter programs!  

Join us at the first ever Flying Colors Community Festival next week

Even though August and some of the last days of summer are upon us, we can still enjoy recreation, the outdoors and other events while they last. And next Thursday evening, Roseville Central Park Foundation is hosting their first ever Flying Colors Community Festival.

The first event of its kind by the Foundation, Director Harv Moen said the previous annual fundraiser of a dinner and raffle was too expensive and tickets were sold at too high of prices.

"We asked ourselves, what can we do differently?" Moen said.

Partnering with Roseville Parks and Recreation, the Foundation decided to host a more community and family-friendly event, and the Flying Colors Community Festival was born.

Admission to the event is free, and attendees can enjoy a variety of fun activities. Inflatable fun, removable tattoos, a bird release by the Raptor Center, an animal release, live entertainment, puppet shows, raffles and kite stunt demos are all included in the event lineup. Some of the notable events for the night include kite building and tethered hot air balloon rides.

Moen said the Foundation's last major project was installing bathrooms at the Central Park Arboretum, which are now enjoyed by visitors and greatly appreciated by wedding parties.

"The next main project is way signage...replacing the signs along the paths at Central Park" Moen said. The Foundation hopes to have the first sign built and displayed at the upcoming Festival.

If you would like more information about the Flying Colors Community Festival, please contact the Roseville Central Park Foundation or check out rosevillecentralpark.com. And don't forget to join us Thursday August 9, 5-9pm at the Dale Street Fields!

Rosetown Playhouse's "Twist of Fate" a success, with performances at the MN Fringe Festival!

Although we have mostly blogged about our sports and playground programs this summer, Roseville Parks and Recreation offers many programs in the arts and theater thanks to a longstanding partnership with the Rosetown Playhouse.


 "Twist of Fate" debuted last weekend at Villa Park. The play depicts two worlds and two cultures working together as one. Stranded on a deserted island after cyclones hit Burma and the U.S., both Karen and American teens learn to work together to survive.

Check out pictures from their show below!

Playwright and Director Tyler Olsen welcomes the audience to the show.

The group of American teens curiously checks out their surroundings after being stranded on the island.

The Karen teens, with some dressed in traditional outfits, also survey the island and their new home.

With the conflicts of living on a deserted island inevitable, the teens face off.

The two groups eventually learn to work together.

Dancing was scattered throughout the show!

St. Paul teen Sarah Smith leads the group in a dance.

Missed the shows this weekend? Come see Roseville teens perform at the Minnesota Fringe Festival!

All shows are at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.

• Thursday, Aug. 2 at 7 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 3 at 8:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 5 at 4 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 9 at 8:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 12 at 1 p.m.

 Hope to see you there!

Discover Your Parks Update

Although over half the Discover Your Parks events have already happened, we saved the best for last. with parks like Langton Lake, Reservoir Woods and the Harriet Alexander Nature Center to be featured in the upcoming weeks.

And don't forget that with every park and location comes a new, exciting activity...like Olympic themed relays, recycling demos or even pony rides! This past Tuesday at Mayflower Park, we hosted a treasure hunt leading kids around the park, as they searched for each clue to lead them closer to the prize. Check out the pictures below to see how it went!

The clues first led kids and their families to search near willow trees in the back of Mayflower.

DYP Staff Danielle and Clara organized the hunt and helped read off the clues.

And in a twist of events, everyone was led to search by willow trees again!

Another hit of the night was the scratch-off dinosaur art, following our "Journey in Time" theme.

The finished products...beautiful and colorful dinos!

A girl works studiously on her dino scratch-off, making lots of creative designs!

If you haven't been able to join us yet or just want to continue the fun, be sure to come to our last five events:

Tues. July 31 @ Valley Park ~ "Green" Power
Wed. Aug 1 @ Applewood Park ~ Wild, Wild West
Wed. Aug 8 @ Langton Lake Park ~ Surf's Up
Tues. Aug 14 @ Reservoir Woods ~ Bugs & Critters
Wed. Aug 15 @ HANC ~ The Safari Experience

Look for posts next week about the first ever Flying Colors fundraiser for Central Park, hosted by Friends of the Central Park Foundation!

Capture the Flag Showdown!

Although summer is often a time of relaxation and leisure - free from the pressures of school - we all sometimes need to show our competitive side.

As a result, two of Roseville's awesome summer programs faced off in an intense game of Capture the Flag this past week. The challengers: The all-day camp Summer Spectacular vs. the half-day camp Passport to Play. Check out the pictures below to see how this All-Star game went!

Summer Spectacular campers show off their game faces. Warrior paint, anyone? 

 

Summer Spec spreads out to cover their territory. Watch out for the ones behind the trees!

   

RPR Counselor Sarah F tells all campers the official rules of the game.

    



Passport to Play talks strategy with the help of some LITs, Leaders-In-Training.

    

Passport to Play Counselor Katie and participant Spencer try
to save Counselor Rachel and LIT Nick from jail.

 



Rehydrating after an intense game is always needed!



Summer Spec reconvenes to discuss a new game
plan after underestimating their Passport to Play opponents.



After the game the kids cooled off with some wacky water relays.






















Finally after a long day, the game ended in a tie!  After the game, Summer Spectacular and Passport to Play put aside their differences and cooled off with water games and snacks.

Check back next week for more Random Acts of Recreation!

A Kid's View: Summer Programs 2012

The summer is flying by so fast...we can't believe its already midway through July AND lots of our programs! So this week, we decided to take an in-depth look at our programs by asking the experts: none other than the campers and players themselves. Check out their feedback below.

Name: Jackson M

Age: 7 yrs

RPR Program: Kickers, once a week

Favorite part of program: "You get to do anything!"

Favorite position: "Goalie, because you get to use your hands"

Favorite moment of the season: "Shooting two goal shots"

Name: Natalia S

Age: 9 yrs

RPR Program: Summer Spectacular

Favorite part of program: "I really like the campers choice in all the crafts. I choose all of them pretty much and I especially liked making the rocking chicks one"

Favorite activities while at camp: "Trips to the Good Earth, Gibbs Farm and rock climbing"

Favorite game: "Kick the Can, because there are so many hiding spots"

Name: Jay M

Age: 12 yrs 

RPR Program: Summer Spectacular 

Favorite part of program: "I really like everything, hanging out with the counselors and playing games"

Favorite game: "Ghost in the Graveyard!"

Something new this summer: "We learned a lot about scientific experiments, recycling and helping the community by picking up trash in the baseball fields" 

Name: Ellen C

Age: 9 yrs 

RPR Program: Passport to Play, AM & PM

Favorite part of program: "It's just a lot of fun with friends and we do a lot of activities!" 

Something new this summer: "Learned about water safety and to keep putting on sunscreen" 

Favorite craft: "Making fish out of paper bags" 

Favorite game: "Playing Keep-Away and playing on the playground" 

Recapping Rosefest 2012

Saturday June 23

Run/Roll for the Roses

Rosefest 2012 kicked off bright and early on Saturday, June 23rd with the 34th annual Run for the Roses!  Participants strapped on their running shoes at 7:55am and jogged off to complete either 5k or 10k runs.

 

The 10k Roll for the Roses inline race was off to an incredilbly fast start with nearly 100 skaters taking to the streets of Roseville.

Sunday June 24

Rosefest Golf Tournament

Golfers teed off for the Rosefest golf tournament at Roseville's Cedarholm Golf Course. 

The day consisted of a nine-hole scramble complete with contests and lots of prizes! . Roseville's Outback Steakhouse provided a delicious lunch for all participants. 

Tour de Roses

At 9am the Roseville Skating Center was busy with people gearing up for the Tour de Roses. 

This 10 and 25 mile family bike ride weaved through the streets of Roseville and featured anyone from cycling veterans to young bicycle enthusiasts. 

All proceeds from the Tour de Roses went to benefit the North Suburban Youth Foundation. 

 

Porsche Car Show

At the Rosefest Porsche show, guests could get a close up view of classic Porsche cars.  Owners were on hand all day  to answer questions. 

Monday June 25

Rosefest Parade

Filled with homeotwn pride, throusands of Rosevillian's flooded the street Monday night to watch the infamous Rosefest Parade.  Parade-goers laughed and shouted as nearly 100 units traveled the one mile parade route complete with marching bands, crazy clown preformances, unicycles and (perphaps most important) plenty of candy for the kids!

 

Tuesday June 26

Central Park Blues Fest

     Tuesday night The Butanes along with Big Walter Smith & the Groove Merchants turned up the melancholy at the Central Park Blues festival.   

Congratulations David Erickson for finding this year's Golden Rose Medallion!!

Wednesday June 27

Discover your Parks: Random Acts of Recreation

Plenty of family fun was had at Lexington Park when a beautiful Wednesday evening was complimented by the sounds of children playng on the playgroud, jumping in the bounce castle and even enjoying a show from the Roseville puppet wagon.

Thursday June 28

Taste of Rosefest!

On Thursday even those-of-age kicked back in the gorgeous Muriel Sahlin Arbotretum with some fine wine and fabulous food.  



Touch a Truck

Roseville kids who like big rigs came out to Lexington park to climb on and learn about Fire truck, police cars and more!

The Teddy Bear Band live at Frank Rog Amphitheatre

DON'T FORGET

July 4th Party In the Park ~ 1pm - 10:30pm

Come on out ot Central Park for food, family fun and FIREWORKS!

Fireworks at 10pm made possible with support from Roseville Genisys Credit Union and Roseville Visitors Association.