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Arbor Walk Placed in Rotary Park Our annual Arbor Day event will be held this year on April 23rd, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in Shelter #1 at Rotary Park at Railroad Lake, on Vesper Street. This is something our Department has been doing for many years with our goal to help educate our citizens on the right choice of trees for their yard, and how to care for those trees. Blue Springs is proud of our urban forest, our street trees, and our landscapes. We have been certified as a Tree City USA community for the past twenty-one years. We received the Governor's Tree Scape Award in 1996. We received the 2008 Roadside Excellence Award from the National Roadside Vegetation Management Association for our landscapes on public roads and streets. Please drop by on March 23rd in Rotary Park if you have tree related questions or need information. With this article I am very pleased to announce we are opening and dedicating a new park feature in Rotary Park at Railroad Lake, on April 23rd. Through hard work and effort of our staff and an intern student, we have been successful in securing a $5,000.00 grant to create the first "Arbor Walk" in our park system. The grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation, Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) Grant is paying for the establishment of forty (40) trees with educational plaques to help educate our public on various native trees for your home or business. For more information...... | | 
| | Click flyer for more information | Summer Pool Pass Sales Begin in March, 15% Off
The best time to purchase your summer swimming season pass is in March. Centennial Pool-Plex preseason pass discounts of up to 15% off, begins on March 1st. During the month of April you can save 10%, and in the month of May through Memorial Day, you can save 5%. In addition to these savings you will also receive FREE GUEST PASSES for each pass purchased before Memorial Day. Receive 2 free single day guest passes with the purchase of a Season Family Pass and 1 free single day guest pass with the purchase of a Season Individual Pass. These are good anytime during the 2011 summer swim season. You know that it is going to be a hot summer. The best time to purchase your season passes for summer fun and exercise is now. Season pass prices and discounts: Early Bird Discounts Regular Price March - April - May Resident Family (4)* $120.00 $102.00 108.00 114.00
Resident Individual $ 70.00 $ 59.50 63.00 66.50 Non-Resident Family (4)* $150.00 $127.50 135.00 142.50
Non-Resident Individual $ 95.00 $ 80.75 85.50 90.25 * Maximum of two (2) adults per family pass, 21 years of age or older. Additional household adults will be required to purchase an Individual season pass. Additional family members over four (4) will be charged $15.00 for Residents and $16.00 for Non-residents. Daily Admission Fees: Daily Open Swim is $5.00 for ages 4 and up. Twilight Open Swim (after 5:00 pm) is $3.50. Lap Swim is $3.00 and limited to swimmers 13 years and over. Youth ages 13 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older. You can save 20% when buying an Admission Ticket Coupon Book (10-daily admission tickets @ $40.00 or 20 daily admission tickets @ $80.00). | | 
Easter
Egg-Stravaganza Egg Hunt The annual Easter Egg-stravaganza is Saturday, April 16, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. This free annual event is cosponsored with the Blue Springs Rotary Club. Activities include a train ride around the lake (sponsored by the Blue Springs Optimist Club), play structures, and face painting. The egg hunt begins at 11:00 am with four hunting areas: 2 & under, 3 & 4 year-olds, 5 & 6 year-olds and 7 & 8 year-olds. Bring cameras for personal photos with the Easter Bunny and the characters from The Wizard of Oz. Rotary Park at Railroad Lake is located east of 7 Highway on Vesper Street. This event will be held rain or shine. Click to view flyer..... | | 
Community-Wide Family Week April 17th - 23rd It's called "Putting Families First!" It's an award winning program for honoring, encouraging, promoting, supporting and building stronger families. This year's theme is "Our Home is like a Disney Movie because..." Family Week activities include:
Parks & Recreation Scavenger Hunt Participants will be given a list of eight area parks with questions about something(s) in each park. The deadline to turn-in the completed entry form is April 22 (not a timed event). The returned entries will then be entered in a drawing. The first two entries drawn that are completed and correct will be declared the winners. $150 in cash prizes will be awarded. Contact the Parks & Recreation Department for rules and an entry form. Family Photo Exhibit Capture that special moment with your family spending time together and submit the photo to be exhibited at Vesper Hall during Family Week. There will be a drawing for cash prizes for those submitting photos. Entries are due April 15. Contact the Parks & Recreation Department for rules and an entry form. Family Time Contest Families complete an entry form for each 30 minutes they spend together in a family activity during the week. Entry forms can be picked up and deposited in a designated location at area businesses, including Blue Springs City Hall. At the end of family week, a drawing will be held from each location. The total prize value at each business is over $200. - "Family of the Year" Recognition and Dinner
- Art and Essay Contests
- City-wide entertainment, restaurant, and business specials for the family.
For more information about Family Week, go to www.jacksoncountyfamilyweek.org | | 
| | Click on guide cover to view. |
Your Guide to Parks and Facilities Have you ever wondered what parks and facilities are offered in Blue Springs? Did you know that there are thirteen developed park areas that you can enjoy totaling 596 acres? We have 18 park shelters and one gazebo, which, for a fee, may be reserved. For reservations requiring a special condition or use a "Special Use Permit" is required to be filled out and approved. Besides shelters we have many other amenities to make your visits to our parks enjoyable. Amenities such as barbeque grills, play equipment, walk/jog trails, horseshoe pits, skateboard parks, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, streams, ponds, lakes and fishing to name a few of what is available. We also have a 220 acre 18 hole Adams Pointe Golf Course as part of our park system. To find out more information on all that we have to offer and the park locations, please open up the attached flyer titled "Your Guide to Parks and Facilities". We hope that you are able to visit some, if not all, the parks and facilities in the Blue Springs. | | 
Community Fitness Survey Offered by Blue Springs F.I.T. Blue Springs F.I.T. (Families In Training) is a program designed to get the entire community excited about healthy lifestyle choices. Blue Springs F.I.T. is focused on dealing with a variety of health issues including childhood obesity, as well as making Blue Springs a healthy and fit community in ways that are fun and simple to implement into everyday life. Blue Springs F.I.T. is in need of your help in planning future fitness and health programs in Blue Springs. A community Fitness Survey has been developed to aid gathering this important information. They are asking that you help by taking this short Fitness Survey. Your survey participation and responses are anonymous as they are tracked by a third party survey company. Thank you for your help in making Blue Springs a better place in which to live. Click here to take the Blue Springs F.I.T. Community Fitness Survey..... | |
Bits and Pieces | 
| | Tennis lessons held at Metro East Tennis Center |
- Beginner & Beginner Plus Line Dances
- Social Dance
- Youth Tennis Lessons
- Pee-Wee Power Tennis Lessons
- Vesper Hall Programming
- Road Runners Day Trips
- Swimnastics Aerobics
- Therapeutic Swim
- Aqua-Aerobics
- Facility Rental Opportunities More Information..... | | Health and Fitness Tip
Jogging or Walking: Both jogging and walking are GREAT ways to get fit. Not only do they tone the muscles, relieve stress, create a healthier heart, and improve lung capability, they make you look wonderful, which in turns helps you get excited about doing other exercise for fitness. Warm weather is here, get outside and enjoy a good jog or walk. | | Quote to Live By
"Recreation is not only for the time. Recreation is forever afterword. Each person has his memory chest." - Howard S. Braucher | |
Mission Statement | | "It is the mission of the Blue Springs Parks & Recreation Department to serve the public's well-being by providing quality leisure opportunities through the research, establishment, implementation and maintenance of a comprehensive parks, recreation, buildings and grounds system." | | | |