Fw: Broward County Parks December 2011 Newsletter

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DECEMBER 2011 Newsletter www.broward.org/parks

Top Seven Signs Your Holiday Tree Has Been Up Too Long

Holiday Hours

Find Stocking Stuffers

Good Fun for a Good Cause

School’s Out – Why Not Camp Out?

Take a (Winter) Break

Open Season

The Holiday Magic Continues

Dashing Warriors

Find Family Fun

It’s a “Jungle†Out There

Star Light, Star Bright

Listening To Learn

History Comes Alive

Walks on the Wild Side

Go Fish

Quote of the Month

Advisory Board Notice

Special Attractions

Mission Statement

Your Opinion Counts!

SWIM Central

Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Top Seven Signs Your Holiday Tree Has Been Up Too Long

1. You’ve taken to using it as a coat rack. 2. The bird that got into your house stayed – and nested. 3. Visitors ask how you’ll be decorating it for the spring holiday. 4. It’s sprouted roots and started growing again. 5. Squirrels gather at your window and look in longingly at it. 6. You can no longer see the carpet

through the layers of dried needles. 7. You’ve decided just to go ahead and leave it up for next year.

Is there anything sadder than a holiday tree that’s still standing around in someone’s living room well into the new year? If the holidays are long gone but your tree isn’t, it’s time to chip in and donate your used evergreen to our annual Chip-a-Tree initiative. Last year Broward County Parks recycled more than 9,000 trees, representing more than a hundred tons of material that would otherwise have gone to landfills, and this year your tree can join those recyclable thousands.

The free program encourages Broward County residents to remove all decorations from their holiday trees (no decorated trees will be accepted), then bring the trees to a participating park, where they are chipped and used for landscaping throughout the county park system. There is a limit of two trees per vehicle, artificial trees are not accepted, and no commercial vehicles or garbage trucks are allowed.

This season’s program runs from Monday, December 26, 2011, through Sunday, January 22, 2012, giving you plenty of time to take advantage of those after-the-holidays sales before hauling your tree to a park. And remember, the regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee will not be in effect for recyclers, so there’s no excuse not to do the right thing. Hours vary; call the park of your choice for details.

· Piccolo Park, 9501 Sheridan St., City 33024;

· C. B. Park, 900 N. Flamingo Rd., Pembroke Pines 33028;

· Easterlin Park, 1000 N.W. 38th St., Oakland Park 33309;

· Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Rd. South, Coconut Creek 33063;

· Markham Park, 16001 W. State Rd. 84, Sunrise 33326;

· Plantation Heritage Park, 1100 S. Fig Tree Lane, Plantation 33317;

· Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach 33441;

· Reverend Delevoe Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale 33311;

· Snake Warrior's Island, 3600 S.W. 62nd Ave., Miramar 33023;

· Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek 33073;

· Tree Tops Park, 3900 S.W. 100th Ave., Davie 33328;

· T.Y. Park, 3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood 33021;

· West Lake Park, 751 Sheridan St., Hollywood 33019;

Holiday Hours

All Broward County regional parks and nature centers, neighborhood parks, and natural areas will be open their regular hours on Saturdays, December 24 and 31, and Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day); the parks’ regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50 per person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect. All parks, nature centers, and natural areas will be closed on Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25.

Find Stocking Stuffers

Looking for that perfect, affordable gift this holiday season? Purchase our Family Parks Passports and/or Find It All Multipurpose Cards for fun, affordable gifts.

· Family Parks Passport – $60

· Find It All Multipurpose Card – starting at $25

With a Family Parks Passport in hand, you never have to worry about paying the $1.50/person gate entrance fee (children 5 and under free) that’s in effect on weekends and county holidays at most of our regional parks; the credit card-style passports cover up to six people per vehicle and are good for one year from the date of purchase. New this season is the Find It All Multipurpose Card, which replaces the Individual Parks Passport. It can be used to cover the $1.50/person fee; admission into other attractions can be added onto the card as well.

Or pick up one of our series of Nature Posters, featuring the flora and fauna of our County parks. Framed or unframed, they make great gifts for home or office. The posters measure 18 inches by 24 inches and cost $10. They’re available at Anne Kolb, Fern Forest, and Long Key nature centers; at Markham, Plantation Heritage, Tree Tops, and T.Y. parks; and at the Cultural Information Center in the Broward County Main Library.

Family Parks Passports, Find It All Multipurpose Cards, and the posters are also now available through our Parks Market Online Store.

Good Fun for a Good Cause

For the past 24 years a lot of enterprising motorcycle enthusiasts – as in more than 30,000 from all over the country – have gotten together and staged a 20-plus-mile cross-county journey to raise money and toys for underprivileged children. This year’s Toys in the Sun Run will be held on Sunday, December 11, when the bighearted bikers will travel from a new starting point, the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach (831 N. Federal Hwy.), to Markham Park in Sunrise. At the end of their trek will be live entertainment, more than a hundred vendors selling a wide variety of merchandise, and an international food court, as well as a classic bike show. (No pets, coolers, or outside food and drinks

permitted.)

The park opens at 8 a.m., and an early arrival is recommended, as the cyclists’ route will be closed to traffic once their excursion is under way. The live music gets going at 11 a.m. Admission is $10/person plus an unwrapped toy (no stuffed animals, please); if you show up without a toy, expect to pay $20/person. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will also be in effect.

To get an idea of how much this fundraiser has grown over the years, consider that when it was started by Wings of Gold Motorcycle Club president Bob Amchir back in 1987, about 700 motorcycles participated, and the event netted $965 in cash and a little more than 500 toys. These days the run typically raises more than half a million dollars and collects more than 50,000 toys.

For more information, call , or visit www.toysinthesunrun.com.

School’s Out – Why Not Camp Out?

When school lets out for winter break this season, consider a mini-vacation at the Rent-a-Tent campground at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, which will offer a School’s Out – Camp Out! Special on Mondays through Thursdays, December 19-22 and 26-29. The special discount rate during these four-day periods will be $17.50/campsite per night. The rate is good for up to four campers per site, and up to two more campers can stay for $3/night each. You can even bring along up to two pets at $1/night each