Broward County Parks Newsletter 11/11

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NOVEMBER 2011 Newsletter www.broward.org/parks

Focus on Roosevelt Gardens Park

K9 Water Festivals Continue

Open for Business

Veterans Day

Waste Not, Want Not

Light Up Your Life

A Holiday Tradition

Bike Through the Lights

Broward County Parks Wants YOU!

Blast to the Past

A Walk in the Park

Marshmallow Madness

Class Acts

For a Good Cause

Quote of the Month

Advisory Board Notice

Special Attractions

Mission Statement

Your Opinion Counts!

SWIM Central

Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Focus on Roosevelt Gardens Park

In 2003, residents of the Roosevelt Gardens neighborhood gathered to witness the demolition of the remaining buildings on a plot of land in the unincorporated Fort Lauderdale neighborhood. The land was on its way to becoming a park.

Roughly five years later, on November 26, 2007, this 5.06-acre park opened to the community, made possible by more than half a million dollars from the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum. As its centerpiece, the park includes a more than 4,500-square-foot community center (capacity 191), graced along its rear with wooden rocking chairs donated by the contractor, Gen-X Construction. Among the center’s features are an assembly hall, a game room, a warming kitchen, a computer lab, and park offices.

Other amenities include three playgrounds, one covered; two lighted basketball courts with bench seating; and one medium (capacity 41-60) and two small (20-40) picnic shelters, two with grills. A concrete pathway around the park can be used for walking and skating.

Activities at this neighborhood park include a daily walking club; programs for children, teens, seniors, and Girl Scouts; and After-School and Summer Recreation programs. The community’s homeowners association and neighborhood enhancement council also meet at the park.

For more information, call Roosevelt Gardens at . The park is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #11, #36, and #40.

K9 Water Festivals Continue

If you missed one of the October installments of our K9 Splash Festivals – and given the weather last month, there’s a good chance you did – there are two more opportunities for Fido to frolic in our water parks. The first is on Saturday and Sunday, November 12 and 13, at Castaway Island at T.Y. Park in Hollywood. The second is the following weekend, November 19 and 20, at Splash Adventure at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach.

Admission is $5 per dog per 50-minute session, with sessions beginning on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Only dogs weighing 25 pounds or less will be permitted for the final session of each day. Donations of dog and cat food, treats, blankets, and toys will be accepted on behalf of the homeless animals at Broward County shelters.

A few rules apply: All dogs must be off leash when inside the facility and must be sociable and well behaved. Proof of current rabies vaccination and county license tag are required. Other than lifeguards, no humans will be allowed inside the water playgrounds. Finally, dogs are limited to no more than two sessions per day, and dogs must be at least 4 months of age to participate.

For more information, call the park of your choice: Quiet Waters at , or T.Y. at . The parks’ regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect for these events.

Open for Business

Now you can shop for Broward County Parks merchandise from the comfort and convenience of home. Our new Parks Market Online Store is up and running, offering nature posters as well individual and family Parks Passports.

Our nature posters, introduced last year, come in six designs: American White Waterlily, Burrowing Owls, Gray Fox, Live Oak, Prairie Iris, and Queen Butterfly. The posters are 18X 24†and come unframed at a cost of $10 each, which includes applicable Florida sales tax.

Parks Passports provide prepaid gate entrance fees at our regional parks for one year from date of purchase, with a family passport good for up to six people. Individual cards are $25; family cards are $60.

To shop our online store, go to www.broward.org/parks and click on the “Parks Market†button to the right of the center image.

Veterans Day

Not only will county parks (except Deerfield Island Park) remain open this Veterans Day, the five parks with campgrounds – C.B. Park in Pembroke Pines, Easterlin Park in Oakland Park, Markham Park in Sunrise, Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, and T.Y. Park in Hollywood – will also offer a Salute the Troops special. From Friday, November 11 through Sunday, November 13, special 25-percent-off rates will apply at the campgrounds for all active-duty and honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. armed forces, National Guard, and reserve units.

Written documentation will be required to establish eligibility, along with current personal identification. The discount rates will be $22.50/site per night for tricounty residents (Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade), and $30/site per night for non-tricounty residents at all facilities except for the Rent-a-Tent campground at Quiet Waters, which will charge a flat rate of $26.25/site per night. The maximum stay for all campgrounds is three nights.

For additional information, call the park of your choice: C.B. at , Easterlin at , Markham at , Quiet Waters at , or T.Y. at .

Waste Not, Want Not

November is America Recycles Month, and three of our parks have activities that incorporate the theme. On Sunday, November 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood will host Reuse, Recycle, Renew, featuring recycling activities and information. The event is for all ages, and the cost is $1/person admission to the exhibit hall. For more information, call the nature center at . Anne Kolb is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #12.

Then, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach will celebrate Sustainability Day. This free event explores the whats, hows, and wheres of sustainability with hands-on activities for the whole family. Topics include composting, recycling, worm farming, and green cleaning. Locally grown plants and other eco-friendly products will be available for purchase. For more information, call the nature center at . Secret Woods is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6.

In between, on Saturday, November 12, the Parks and Recreation Division joins forces with Broward County Solid Waste and Recycling Services and partner cities for America Recycles Day, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Vista View Park in Davie. Here’s where you can get rid of items that have outlived their usefulness such as TVs, laptops, computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, fax machines, and VCRs/DVD players. Bring them to this free event and rest assured they’ll be disposed of properly.

DO NOT bring items such as cell phones, batteries, speakers, microwaves, small appliances, and business-generated waste. Proof of Broward County residency is required. Park admission is free for electronics recycling participants (you must show acceptable items for recycling at the park gate), although the regular park entry fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will apply if you are only attending the celebration. Along with the recycling component, the event includes activities like children’s games, giveaways, displays, arts and crafts, face painting, bounce house, pet adoptions, and more.

Light Up Your Life

For the fourth year in a row, Holiday Fantasy of Lights returns to Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek under the management of Brandano Displays. The drive-through light show runs from Friday, November 18 through Sunday, January 1 and is open nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 per vehicle Mondays through Wednesdays, $13 per vehicle Thursdays through Sundays (cost is for 20 or fewer passengers), and $35 per bus (15+ capacity). For more information, visit www.holidaylightsdrivethru.com, or e-mail info@....

A Holiday Tradition

For 15 of its 18 years, Holiday Fantasy of Lights has featured the Fantasy of Lights 5K Run and 2.5-Mile Fitness Walk. This year it’s on Saturday, November 12, when, starting at 6 p.m., runners and walkers will get a sneak peek at the drive-through light extravaganza at Tradewinds Park, which opens on November 18. The 5K run starts at 6 p.m., and the fitness walk starts at 7 p.m.; the Kids’ Fun Run, for ages 2 through 12, also starts at 6 p.m.

Preregistration is required and is available only at www.active.com. Participants will use the chipless ChronoTrack Timing System, meaning they are no longer required to pick up a chip before the event. This event sells out quickly, so early registration is recommended. No pets, skateboards, inline skates, or bicycles are allowed; strollers are permitted. For more information, visit www.holidaylightsdrivethru.com or e-mail info@....

Bike Through the Lights

For those who want to get up close and personal and take a more leisurely approach to Holiday Fantasy of Lights at Tradewinds Park, consider biking through the lights. The ninth Bicycle Through the Lights will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 13. The cost is $7/person, and no preregistration is required – just show up with your bike.

Helmets are required for all bicyclists, and bike lights are recommended. Participants must provide their own bikes. And bicycles only – no pets, walkers, or skaters are allowed on the course. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, and there will also be such activities as a bounce house, a rock-climbing wall, and deejay music.

For more information, call the park at , e-mail info@..., or visit www.holidaylightsdrivethru.com.

Broward County Parks Wants YOU!

Volunteers are part of the lifeblood of our county park system, which needs your help more than ever during these tough economic times. Each month we schedule EcoAction Days, public workdays when volunteers clean up trash, plant native plants, and/or remove non-native invasive plants. The lineup is as follows: first Saturdays of the month at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek; second Saturdays at Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center in Davie and Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach; and third Saturdays at the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood and Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach. The workdays run from 9 a.m. till noon, except at Deerfield Island, where they go from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This month there will be a special Public Workday at Helene Klein Pineland Preserve in Coconut Creek, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 19. There will also be another kind of volunteer-fueled event, a Mountain Bike Trail Maintenance Day, at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.

Participants in the environmental workdays should dress appropriately with long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes that can get dirty. They should also bring gloves, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, and drinking water. Extra tools such as shovels, rakes, and hand pruners are welcome.

To participate, you must also fill out a volunteer form. Call for more information: Anne Kolb at , Fern Forest at , Long Key at , Quiet Waters at , or Secret Woods at . For Deerfield Island, call Quiet Waters at .

Blast to the Past

Relive the magic of the past at Camelot Days Medieval Festival, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, November 12 and 13 and 19 and 20, at T.Y. Park in Hollywood.

The weekend features live music, hearty food and drink, entertainment by knights and jesters, challenging games, exciting rides, and more. Cheer for your favorite side in the Living Chess Game, and shop for handcrafted treasures in the Artists’ Market.

Tickets are $10 for ages 13 and up and $3 for ages 6 to 12; children 5 and under are admitted free. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will also be in effect.

For more information, call T.Y. at , or visit www.camelotdays.com. The park is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #3, #12, and #17.

A Walk in the Park

What could be more basic than a walk, hike, or stroll through a park? There are ample opportunities this month, starting with a Bird Walk at Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 5. Participants for this volunteer-led program must be at the dock at Sullivan Park by 8 a.m. to catch the shuttle to the island, and they must have preregistered and prepaid through Quiet Waters Park by calling or visiting the park office. The fee is $3/person.

Then on Thursday, November 10, from 6 to 7 p.m., Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach will host a Night Hike. This naturalist-led program takes participants out on the trails of the nature center to look for nocturnal animals, and it costs $3/person.

From 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 12, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium in Lauderhill will offer a Nature Walk focusing on birds (including burrowing owls) and other animals that live in the park. The walk is free, although the park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect.

Finally, the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood will host a free Trail Stroll, from 1 to 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, November 20. For this guided stroll, participants will get an introduction to the mangrove swamp by going out on one of the boardwalk trails.

For more information, call the park of your choice: Anne Kolb at , Central Broward Regional at , or Secret Woods at . The parks are accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #12 (Anne Kolb); #18, #36, #40, and #81 (Central Broward Regional); #48 and #50 (Deerfield Island); and #6 (Secret Woods).8100.

Marshmallow Madness

Imagine sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows to make s’ mores after a hayride through a park on a fall evening. You can do just that this month when two parks offer a Family Hayride and Campfire. The one at T.Y. Park in Hollywood is from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 4, and the one at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18.

Tickets are $3.50/person, which gets you one hayride and a bag of fixings for the s’ mores. Additional refreshments will also be available for purchase. Advance tickets are required for the Quiet Waters event. For more information, call T.Y. at or Quiet Waters at . T.Y. is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #3, #12, and #17, while Quiet Waters is accessible via Routes #14, and #48.

Class Acts

Satisfy your curiosity about nature at three lectures this month on successive Sundays. From 2 to 3 p.m. on November 13, Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach continues its three-part Propagation Classes with “Part II: Cuttings.†The program includes a lecture as well as hands-on instruction. Participants are welcome to bring their own cuttings. The fee is $4/person.

Then, from noon to 1 p.m. on November 20 and 27, Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek will offer two Nature Lectures, on “Snakes†and “Spiders,†respectively. Each lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The program will feature live animals, although the public will not be allowed or expected to handle them. Admission is a $3 donation to the Fern Allies volunteer group.

For more information, call Secret Woods at or Fern Forest at . The nature centers are accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #6 (Secret Woods) and Routes #31 and #42 (Fern Forest).

For a Good Cause

Vista View Park in Davie will host the Red Kettle 5K Run, starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 12. The event is a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. Preregistration is available online at www.accuchiptiming.com. Packet pickup and race-day registration are from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.salvationarmybroward.org.

Events Calendar

Quote of the Month

“Never think that you’re not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. People will take you very much at your own reckoning.†– English novelist Trollope (1815-1882)

Advisory Board Notice

The public is invited to the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Friday, November 4. The meeting will take place at Tree Tops Park, 3900 S.W. 100th Ave., Davie 33328; . More information is available here.

Special Attractions

Batting Cages (AllGolf at C.B. Park) – Butterfly World (Tradewinds Park) – Cable Water-Skiing (Ski Rixen USA at Quiet Waters Park) – Campgrounds (C.B. Park, Easterlin Park, Markham Park, Quiet Waters Park, T.Y. Park) – Dog Park (Barkham at Markham Park) – Educational Farm (Tradewinds Park) – Exhibit Halls (Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park, Fern Forest Nature Center, Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center, Secret Woods Nature Center) – Golf Facilities (AllGolf at C.B. Park) – Multipurpose Athletic Fields ( Piccolo Park, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium, Tradewinds Park) – Observatory (Markham Park) – Riding Stables (Tradewinds Park, Tree Tops Park) – Skate Park/Track ( Piccolo Park) – Target Range (Markham Park) – Tennis Centers ( Piccolo Park, C.B. Park) – Velodrome ( Piccolo Park) – Water Playgrounds/ Waterslides/Swimming

(C.B. Park, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium, Quiet Waters Park, T.Y. Park)

Mission Statement

The 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.

Your Opinion Counts!

We’d like to know what you think about our programs and facilities. Please take a moment to tell us how we’re doing by filling out this survey.

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).

Founded in February 1956 and accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, Broward County Parks and Recreation manages nearly 6,500 acres, encompassing 18 regional parks and nature centers, six neighborhood parks, and 21 natural areas at various stages of development. Facilities include water parks, campgrounds, a target range, a stadium, a skate park, an observatory, mountain bike trails, an educational farm with stables, and a velodrome and other sports facilities. Hours and fees vary by location. For more information, visit www.broward.org/parks.

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 10 business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation.

Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Sue GunzburgerDale V.C. Holness

sChip LaMarcaIlene Lieberman Ritter E. Rodstrom Jr.

Barbara ShariefLois Wexler

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