Broward: February 2010 Broward County Parks Newsletter

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FEBRUARY 2010

Find Yourself – At a Broward County Park

Focus on Tradewinds ParkAt more than 625 acres, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek is one of Broward County’s largest and most diverse parks. On the south side of Sample Road, the park includes elevated boardwalks along nature trails, a boat-launch program, a disc golf course, a lake for fishing, a biking/jogging path, and soccer/football and softball fields that are available for rental. Selected items of sports equipment are also available to rent..

Butterfly World, which opened in March 1988, is also on the south side of the park. This internationally famous attraction features as its centerpiece a walk-through tropical garden with thousands of live butterflies, as well as an insect museum, a lorikeet encounter, botanical gardens, and several aviaries, including the largest free-flight hummingbird aviary in the country.

On the park’s north side, the Tradewinds Stables provides programs such as equestrian day camps and offers guided trail rides on a daily basis and pony rides on a weekly basis. The Tradewinds Educational Farm complex includes barnyard animals and a farmhouse museum and is available for guided tours for preschool through middle school students and other groups.

The north side is also home to the Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad, a one-eighth life-size train system that offers model steam train rides monthly; the trains are operated by the Florida Live Steamers, a club that maintains and improves the facilities and offers educational programs. The nonprofit organization Horses and the Handicapped has its headquarters on the north side of the park, and there are also two tents and two bounce houses available to rent.

Both sides of the park offer playgrounds, concession stands, and picnic areas. Rental facilities include a corporate shelter (250+ capacity) and a variety of picnic shelters: one extra-large (91-200), three large (61-90), two medium (41-60), and three small (20-40). All have grills, water, and tables, and most have electricity.

Since the early 1990s, the park has hosted Holiday Fantasy of Lights, a drive-through seasonal attraction with scores of light displays made up of thousands of twinkling lights. The event was originally produced by the Parks and Recreation Division but is now run by a private vendor.

The park’s equestrian roots run deep. From 1944 to 1975, Tradewinds Farm was a horse-breeding and boarding business owned and operated by K. and Margueritte C. McLean. The widowed Mrs. McLean later sold the property to Broward County, although she returned a portion of the purchase price to the county for the development of a park, which opened in February 1977 with an emphasis on equestrian activities. Funds from the 1978 and 1989 bond issues were used for subsequent land purchases, and the park was further expanded through additional out-parcel acquisitions.

?: Tradewinds, .

+

BCT: Route #34.

Don’t Forget Us!Other sites celebrating an anniversary this month include: Pine Island Ridge (20 years), Anne Kolb Nature Center (14), Tall Cypress Natural Area (8), Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area (6), and Helene Klein Pineland Preserve (2).

?: Pine Island Ridge, ; Anne Kolb, ; North District Natural Areas, 954-.

BCT: Routes #12 (Anne Kolb), #34 (Tall Cypress), #18 (Hillsboro Pineland), and #14 and #31 (Helene Klein).

Parks Closing on February 15

All Broward County regional parks, nature centers, natural areas, and neighborhood parks will be closed on Monday, February 15. The closing is due to an unpaid employee furlough day as part of budget-related reductions to avoid an increase in the County property tax rate. The following amenities and events, however, will remain open:

• Campgrounds at C.B. , Easterlin, Markham, Quiet Waters, and T.Y. parks.

• All Golf at C.B. Park

• Butterfly World at Tradewinds Park

• Ski Rixen at Quiet Waters Park

• Tennis and Racquet Centers at Piccolo Park (use Palm Avenue entrance) and C.B. Park

• The Renaissance Festival at Quiet Waters Park

Relive the Renaissance EraRenaissance times were a fascinating period in history when Europe made the transition from the dark ages into the modern era. The transformation was marked by revelry and excess in costume and cuisine, which are demonstrated each year in an annual reenactment at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach.

The 2010 Florida Renaissance Festival celebrates its 18th anniversary by hosting visiting kings and queens, all claiming land for their countries. This year’s village will be packed with artisans and crafts people selling and demonstrating their wares, along with food and drink of the time.

Nearly a dozen stages will feature continuous entertainment. Open from 10 a.m. to sunset for five weekends, the festival begins on Saturday, February 13, and continues through Sunday, March 14, including President’s Day, Monday, February 15, and two school days (9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., days to be announced).

?: Quiet Waters, ; Florida Renaissance Festival, , www.ren-fest.com.

$: Tickets: $20/ages 12 and up, $7/ages 11 and under, ages 5 and under free; group and season rates also available.

+: Additional park gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) on weekends and holidays.

BCT: Routes #14 and #48.

Parks Celebrate Black History Year RoundFebruary 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month, an annual commemoration that was established in 1976 to highlight the contributions of African-Americans to the cultures of the United States and Canada. The designation was an expansion of Negro History Week, which dates back to 1926 and encompassed the birthdays of both the abolitionist and former slave Frederick s and President Abraham Lincoln.

To learn more about local black history, there’s no better place to start than at two neighborhood parks that represent Broward County’s distinctive pan-African cultural heritage. Across the parking lot from Fort Lauderdale’s acclaimed African-American Research Library and Cultural Center – one of only three of its kind in the nation – you’ll find Reverend Delevoe Park. The park’s namesake was one of Fort Lauderdale’s first black police officers, as well as a community activist, politician, businessman, civil rights leader, and street minister. In 1979, two years after Reverend Delevoe was fatally shot, the park was rededicated in honor of his outstanding contributions. In homage to him and many other notable community figures, an art installation in the park, called Pillars of the Community, displays 84 names of leaders

past and present. The project is part of the county’s Public Art and Design program.

Just north of Delevoe Park is lin Park, with its colorful playground and a thousand-foot-long walkway that runs through the park. The walkway and the benches that line it make up an installation known as The Word Garden, created by Broward artists Curreri and Rick Yasko, that celebrates the seven principles of Kwanzaa in both Swahili and English. This is also a Public Art and Design project.

Along with these major public art projects, Delevoe Park’s 36 acres feature areas for fishing, a picnic shelter, a playground, a canoe launch, and sports facilities. lin Park offers basketball courts, a playground, picnic shelters, a walking trail, a weight room, and a community center. Both parks are included in the annual Summer Recreation Program sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Division.

?: Reverend Delevoe Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth St. (Sistrunk Blvd.), ; lin Park, 2501 lin Dr., ; African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 N.W. Sixth St. (Sistrunk Blvd.), .

BCT: Routes #11 and #40 (Delevoe); #11, #36, and #40 (lin).

Ruggerfest Comes to TradewindsFor more than three decades the Fort Lauderdale Rugby Club has hosted the Annual International Spring Ruggerfest Tournament. “Rugger,†for the uninitiated, is British slang for the game of rugby, and for its players. The football-related game has a long and colorful history, with roots going back to medieval or even ancient Greek times, depending on your sources.

This year’s Ruggerfest, the 34th annual one, will be held the weekend of Friday, February 26 through Sunday, February 28, at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. Approximately 40 teams from throughout the United States, as well as Canada, the Bahamas, and South America, will compete in the event. Spectators are welcome.

?: Tradewinds, ; Tournament Director Bradley, , or sarah@....

$: Fees vary by division; call for details.

R: Preregistration is required.

+

BCT: Route #34.

Annual Event Honors Two Past Presidents

Put politics aside and celebrate two of our greatest presidents, Washington and Lincoln, at the 18th Annual Presidents’ Fest, which runs from Thursday, February 11 through Monday, February 15 at Markham Park in Sunrise. (Hours vary by day.) The list of activities had not been finalized at press time, but last year’s event included carnival rides and games, live music, sand sculptures, fireworks, and the Circus.

?: Markham, ; S. Fass, , or visit www.presidentsfest.com.

$: Fees vary; call for details.

+

BCT: Route #23.

Winter Series Track Cycle Fest Continues at VelodromeThe Velodrome at Piccolo Park in City continues its Winter Series Track Cycle Fest, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays through February 27. This is an omnium series, a multiple-race event in which all contestants compete against one another in five disciplines: a 200-meter flying start time trial, a 5K scratch race, a 3K individual pursuit, a 15K points race, and a 1K time trial. Points are recorded in reverse order, and the rider who finishes with the fewest points after all events is the omnium overall winner.

Spectators are welcome.

?: Velodrome, .

$: Entry fee – $8 per rider (insurance surcharge included).

R: Preregistration is required. Riders must also present their 2010 USA Cycling license.

+

Just Plein FunThe French call it en plein air – translating as “in the open air†and used to describe the act of painting out of doors. People have painted outdoors since the beginning of painting, of course, but the practice became especially popular in the mid-19th century. That’s when the painters of the Barbizon school and the Impressionists took to the countryside with their paints, which by then had become available in convenient portable tubes.

You, too, can practice plein air painting at Painting in the Park, a free program to be offered at Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach on Sunday, February 7, from 10 a.m. to noon. You supply the paints, and we’ll provide the scenery.

?: Secret Woods, .

BCT: Route #6.

Long Key After DarkThe natural world is transformed when the sun goes down, as you’ll learn if you sign up for a Nature at Night Hike at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center in Davie. The program consists of an interpretive hike along the park’s nature trails to look for nocturnal animals as they emerge, and it’s scheduled for Friday, February 12, from 6 to 7 p.m. Preregistration is required by the day before the event.

?: Long Key, .

$: $3/person.

R: Reservations required by February 11.

Social StudiesThe Broward County Parks and Recreation Division’s Special Populations Section will host a free Friday Night Social for adult mental health consumers ages 18 and up. The event will be held from 7 to 9:30 p..m. on Friday, February 12, at Tree Tops Park in Davie. Activities include deejay music, dancing, door prizes, and socializing. Refreshments will also be served.

A week later, on Friday, February 19, also from 7 to 9:30 p.m., there will be a Teen Social for ages 13 to 21 with developmental disabilities. This free event will be held at the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park in Hollywood, and there’s a 1970s theme. Activities include deejay music from the ’70s, dancing, and refreshments, and participants are encouraged to wear vintage ’70s clothing.

?: Special Populations, /8170.

R: Preregistration required for Teen Social..

BCT: Route #12 (Anne Kolb).

Advisory Board/Public Participation Forum NoticeThe Broward County Parks and Recreation Division invites the public to a Public Participation Forum, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3, at T.Y. Park, 3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood. This free meeting is the public’s opportunity to provide suggestions, voice concerns, and ask questions about the Division’s recreational needs. In order to encourage attendance at this meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has rescheduled its regular monthly meeting to 6 p.m. instead of the customary 7:30 a.m. meeting time. The Public Participation Forum will immediately follow. For more information, follow

this link.

BCT: Routes #3, #12, and #17.

Highlights Goes ElectronicThe monthly newsletter of the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division is now available only as an electronic publication. Pass this information on to friends and family so they can sign up and become part of the Division’s online community. You will receive the latest information about upcoming events and special programs, as well as park news, via our monthly e-newsletter. To sign up, send your name and e-mail address to ParksMarketing@....

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in County programs, services, and activities must contact the Special Populations Section at or TTY at least ten (10) business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation.

Key to Symbols ?: Call the number indicated for further information about the event.

$: Participation fees.

R: Registration requirements.

+: Plus park gate entrance fee on weekends/holidays;

$1.50/person (children 5 and under free)..

BCT: Park accessible from Broward County Transit bus route.

Events Calendar

Quote of the Month“Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be.â€

– American motivational author and speaker Augustine “Og†Mandino (1923-1996)

Special AttractionsBatting CagesC.B. Park Butterfly WorldTradewinds Park CampingC.B. Park Easterlin Park Markham Park

Quiet Waters Park T.Y. Park Dog Park

Markham Park

Educational Farm

Tradewinds Park

Exhibit HallsAnne Kolb Nature Center atWest Lake Park

Fern Forest Nature Center

Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center

Secret Woods Nature Center

Fox Observatory

Markham Park

Golf FacilitiesC.B. Park Multipurpose Athletic Fields

Piccolo Park

Central Broward Regional Park

Tradewinds Park

Racquet Centers Piccolo Park C. B. Park Riding StablesTradewinds Park Tree Tops Park Skate Parks/Tracks Piccolo Park Quiet

Waters Park Ski Rixen Cable Water-SkiingQuiet Waters Park Target RangeMarkham Park

Velodrome Piccolo Park Water Playgrounds/Waterslides/SwimmingC. B. Park

Central Broward Regional Park

Quiet Waters Park

T.Y. Park

Commit 2B Fit!®

It Starts in Parks

Use our online calendar of events to find an activity to fit your lifestyle. Specific programs and activities will also be spotlighted regularly in eHighlights..

Mission StatementThe Parks and Recreation Division is dedicated to providing exceptional services and facilities essential to the quality of life in Broward County while preserving our natural areas..

SWIM Central

Broward County Commission's primary resource and referral service for available swim programs in cooperation with various cities and nonprofit organizations. Call 954-357-SWIM (7946).

Broward County Board of County Commissioners

· Sue Gunzburger

· D. s

· Albert C.

· Ken Keechl

· Ilene Lieberman

· Ritter

· E. Rodstrom Jr.

· Wasserman-Rubin

· Lois Wexler

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NewsletterParks and Recreation is a service of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.