Canton Parks & Recreation gearing up for summer

When Christina Guccione returns to Canton this spring at the end of her freshman year at Syracuse University, she will have a few weeks free before starting her fourth season as a counselor at Pequitside Day Camp. She loves engaging with her 6- to 11-year-old charges as they play games and do arts and crafts.

Pequitside Day Camp is open to Canton kids ages 6-11.

“It’s just a great experience,” she said. “They’re not looking at their phone and texting someone who’s right across from them. That’s my favorite part.”

Pat Kelly, a student at Bridgewater State University, will be back for his third summer at the same camp, an experience that he enjoys as much as the campers do.

“You still kind of get to be a kid and return to your roots, especially in your own community,” he said. “Everyone just gets to relax and have fun.”

While Canton Parks and Rec is planning to offer the same activities from earlier summers for campers, the department is also making changes to its offerings this year. Children who attend Pequitside this summer will have the opportunity to do archery at no additional cost. Archery classes were offered last summer as a stand-alone option and quickly filled up.

“There was a big demand for it,” said Nick Pirelli, assistant recreation director. “We are going to be able to offer it to every kid who would like to do it.”

The department has purchased used but good equipment from summer camps that were closing as well as new equipment in order to add the archery program to the camp.

Emily Arata began working for Canton Parks and Rec as a substitute in the playgrounds program. Now she is a counselor in Blast Off Day Camp, a program for younger children (ages 4 and 5).

“I love the age group,” she said. “They’re so excited. It’s their first experience. They want to sing the songs and do the crafts. The best part is being able to hang out with kids their own age outside of school in a supervised environment.”

The hours for Blast Off are 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There is an extended day component available from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. New educators and entertainers are part of Blast Off 2016.

Both Luigi Carbone and Brittany Cann are returning counselors at Edge Camp, the summer camp for middle school students. “Monday to Thursday we go somewhere and it’s different,” Cann said. “It’s a new experience for us and for the kids.”

Carbone rattled off a list of destinations for Edge campers, including Six Flags Amusement Park, Roger Williams Zoo, rollerblading, and the New England Aquarium. “Every day they know they’re going somewhere different,” he said. “It’s not the same thing.”

For both counselors, the day trips with campers are just part of the fun. “I also like the bond we get with them,” Cann said. “We’re technically adults, but to them we’re not adults.”

Carbone likes working with middle school students. “We’re allowed to give them a little bit more freedom,” he said, “and treat them like adults. They become a little more mature.”

Pirelli said that summer camp programs begin the week after the July 4 holiday, noting that a lack of organized activities can turn the holiday week into what he termed a high-risk week for adolescents. This summer, Canton Parks and Rec is going to offer a three-day holiday camp for incoming sixth, seventh and eighth grade students that will have two days of organized sports, games, arts and crafts in town, and one day at a beach.

Additionally, for the first time, the department is offering summer programs for students entering grades 9-11. “Parents said to me, ‘What am I going to do with my kid in ninth grade?’ Can he do one more year?’” Pirelli said. In response to that need, Canton Parks and Rec came up with InstaJob, a camp experience that will be offered in two one-week sessions. “Monday through Thursday will be focused on career prep, teaching them the soft skills: people skills, life skills communication,” Pirelli said.

The department will also sponsor a series of adventure day trips for high school students (9-12) this summer. Pirelli said there are three trips planned: whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and paintballing.

In addition to the summer camp programs, Canton Parks and Rec has added kayaking to Bolivar Pond. Pirelli said that two full-size kayaks have been purchased and are town-owned. Each kayak may be rented for $15 an hour, which includes a paddle and a personal flotation device. The pond is open for kayaking to those who have their own equipment. “Anyone can bring their own kayak to the pond,” Pirelli said.

The department is also going to have a Movie at the Park evening at Pequitside Farm on Friday, July 22, at 8:30 p.m. The public will vote for a film from a list of five movies. “We want to get people to be a part of that,” Pirelli said.

Registration for summer camp and other programs begins Wednesday, March 30, which is also National Take a Walk in the Park Day. To celebrate the day, Canton Parks and Rec is offering a discount on its summer programs, available only to those who register March 30. For more information on all summer programs and to vote for the July 22 film, go to www.cantonrec.com/info.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Mar 17 2016. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.