Since 1985, America has celebrated July as the nation’s official Parks and Recreation Month. The City of Thomasville will use this opportunity to celebrate and highlight city-owned parks and recreation activities throughout the community.
Created by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Parks and Recreation Month specifically highlights the essential and powerful role local parks and recreation facilities and professionals play in building stronger, more vibrant, and more resilient communities across the country. This year’s national theme of “We Rise Up for Parks and Recreation” is being used to convey this message.
“Many in our community don’t realize that the City of Thomasville owns and maintains over 20 parks throughout Thomasville,” noted Ashlyn Johnson, City of Thomasville’s Director of Strategic Marketing. “We’re excited to use the month of July not only to showcase many of our parks but highlight the staff that work so hard to keep these areas maintained for our community.”
National Parks and Recreation Month also provides opportunities to highlight park amenities and partnerships that promote recreation.
Thomasville’s parks provide recreational opportunities like walking trails, basketball courts, and fishing ponds but also serve as the center of many special experiences and memories. Some park facilities can be reserved for events like family reunions and birthday parties, which are also considered forms of recreational activities.
“There’s no real definition of what recreation has to be,” said Mike Owens, City of Thomasville’s Manager of Parks/Recreation & Golf. “We have great walking trails and playgrounds that are important, but recreation isn’t just about exercise. It can also be resting on a park bench, enjoying nature, or sitting at a picnic table during your lunch break.”
Seeking new recreational opportunities at Thomasville’s parks has allowed the City of Thomasville to develop great community partnerships with local organizations. Some partnerships include golf instruction with the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Club, a Story Walk with the Thomas County Public Library, and Disc Golf with Hands on Thomas County.
The local boys & girls club is partnering with Country Oaks Golf Course, owned by the City of Thomasville, to provide golf instruction to summer students. Students are transported to the golf course two days a week and receive free instruction from former Thomas University golfer Laura Mican. Country Oaks provides clubs, range balls, and free course use to the students during instruction. Lee Wagner, Executive Director of the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Club, noted that this partnership has been on his radar for a while now and hopes to make it a year-round program.
In 2009, Hands on Thomas County approached the City of Thomasville about a Disc Golf course. A partnership between the two was created, with Hands on Thomas County handling the course installation and the City of Thomasville allowing the 12-hole course to be installed at MacIntyre Park. “This is a project that’s easily maintained and works successfully because there aren’t a lot of moving parts,” said Owens. “Players bring their own equipment, and MacIntyre Park provides a nice terrain for players.”
Over the years, local Eagle Scouts have installed bridges throughout MacIntyre park to assist with course walkability, and the Red Hills Disc Golf Association has installed park benches, adding to the park’s amenities.
In 2020, the Thomas County Public Library partnered with the City of Thomasville and installed a Story Walk at Paradise Park, creating a free, family park activity. “We want to encourage kids to find the joy of reading in new ways,” said Samantha Hanchett, Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for the Thomas County Public Library. “Reading can be an active and group activity, not just a solitary, sedentary one.”
The Story Walk contains 20 stations, serving as a half-mile walk, with new stories installed every month.
Remington Park, one of Thomasville’s largest parks, is also city-owned. “The City of Thomasville and the Thomasville YMCA have an agreement where the YMCA programs all of the activities at Remington Park while the City owns and maintains the park,” noted Owens. “We’re fortunate to have many other partnerships with local organizations that assist with recreational activities and clean-up events throughout our parks.”
According to NRPA’s 2021 Engagement with Parks Report, 260 million people in the United States visited a local park or recreation facility at least once during the past year. Four in five U.S. adults seek high-quality parks and recreation when choosing a place to live. These statistics reinforce the importance of well-maintained parks to a community’s quality of life.
“These numbers show why it’s so important for the City of Thomasville to continue to offer a diverse selection of parks and maintain them at the highest standards,” said Owens. “Continued partnerships expose more people to our services and strengthens our community.”
The City of Thomasville will highlight city-owned parks and recreation facilities throughout July and spotlight the employees that maintain these facilities. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/cityofthomasville or contact (229) 227-4073.
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant, and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. With more than 60,000 members, NRPA advances this mission by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals and advocates. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org.