December 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 33

ment the event. Some examples include guided hikes and yoga offered
during the Palisade Bluegrass and
Roots Festival, old-fashioned games
added to the annual Town Council
ice-cream social, activity demos at
the farmers' market, and simple obstacle courses set up for youth after
school. Other agencies might consider including a mini sports challenge
as part of a special event, such as a
pitching competition or hoops challenge. Showcasing these activities
during special events has helped the
department to determine which activities can stand alone as programs.
Simplicity is another key component when working to keep the cost
low for agencies and consumers. Beginner and 101 programs are appealing to adults, allowing participants
the opportunity to test the waters with
little risk involved. Each summer, Palisade Recreation partners with the
local bike shop to offer introductory
paddleboard classes on the ponds in
Riverbend Park. The same instructors
have offered rafting 101 classes and
charged the town nominal fees to offer evening float trips. REI offered free
snowshoe demos, which has since
developed into a regular winter program. Running has become popular,
and many people who are getting into
better shape set goals to run a 5K race.
Palisade recently offered a " train for a
5K " program, an eight-week class preparing participants to run in a race put
on by nearby Grand Junction Parks
and Recreation.
In efforts to increase attendance
at fitness classes and recreation programs, " do it on your own " programs
have been offered as well. For these
programs, registration was free to
participants, who were encouraged to
track their steps or were given points
for attendance at active programs.

Participants earning a certain number
of points in one month were eligible
for prizes. Other agencies in Colorado
have challenged their recreation users
to swim, bike or run " across the state "
or " climb a Colorado 14er " (a mountain taller than 14,000 feet) by attaining 14,000 steps in a day.

integrating technology are also great
ways to promote intergenerational
participation, encouraging a grandparent and grandchild to spend time
together, and many times the grandparent gains further understanding
of tech devices. Recreation programmers could also offer scavenger

Beginner and 101 programs are appealing to adults,
allowing participants the opportunity to test the
waters with little risk involved.
Families were encouraged to get active together through a weekly Family
Fun Night, featuring games such as
volleyball, dodgeball, kickball, capture
the flag, ghosts in the graveyard and
water games. Some parents commented that with limited time together as a
family, they would opt for something
they could all physically benefit from.
Youngsters and their parents gather
for evening bike rides in the summer,
and during the week of Thanksgiving,
Palisade Recreation hosts a bike ride
for a canned-food drive.
In efforts to target a different interest group, Palisade Recreation teams
up with a local radio station to host
seasonal geocache events. The events
are free and held for a few hours on
a Saturday. People of all skill levels
come out to hunt for event specific
caches. Experts attending the event
are willing to help newcomers navigate their GPS units and teach them
tricks of the trade. Geocaching is a
great family activity - by the end
of the event, participants have easily
walked one to three miles, and some
teens have even claimed they felt
" tricked " into outdoor fun. Programs

hunts using digital cameras or smartphones. Scavenger hunts can be very
beneficial to downtown businesses,
which in turn could help drum up
prizes and financial support.
Another great way to get communities active is by creating interest
groups, which might meet weekly
or monthly. Palisade has a very successful hiking group that meets most
Mondays to hike all over the Grand
Valley for a small fee. Through the
community garden, there is a monthly lecture on a gardening topic, drawing in novices and experts alike.
Riverbend Park is heavily used for
a variety of interest groups, such as
bird watchers, star gazers, dog lovers
and disc golfers. Palisade Recreation
frequently partners with local organizations to offer free clinics for various
interest groups.
Offering a variety of ways to get
active has helped Palisade Recreation
draw in new participants and expand
the skillsets of repeat users.
Sarah Martsolf-Brooks is the Recreation and
Events Coordinator for the Town of Palisade,
Colorado (sbrooks@townofpalisade.org).

W W W. N R PA . O R G | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 |

Parks & Recreation

December 2013 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2013 - Parks & Recreation