The Stark County Park District is looking for boating enthusiasts to captain its pontoon boats at Sippo Lake Park in Perry Township and at Walborn Reservoir northwest of Alliance. Interested volunteers are encouraged to contact Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Martin at 330-409-8993 before May 9 to register for required training classes that will begin on Monday, May 12.

Ohio Boater Education classes and CPR/First Aid certifications are required, but Stark Parks will provide the training free of charge to interested adults. The boating classes will be May 12, 13, and 15 from 6-9 p.m. at the Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park in Perry Township. Pontoon drivers will also learn about the history of each lake and the types of fish which are most prevalent. Captains are needed throughout the summer, but especially on weekdays, for one and two-hour cruises on the lakes. “This is a great opportunity for a retiree or anyone who has some free time during the day and has experience driving a boat of any kind,” said Martin.

Pontoon captains aren’t the only volunteers being recruited by Stark Parks. If you're looking for meaningful volunteer experiences in our community, you'll want to be sure to attend Stark Parks first ever Volunteer Fair on Tuesday, May 13 from 3-7 p.m., also at the Exploration Gateway, 5712 12th St NW

The event will give you a chance to ask questions and meet staff and current volunteers representing Wildlife Rehabilitation, Educational Programming, Canalway Center Tour Guides and Docents, Pontoon Drivers, Mascot Portrayal, Special Events, Gift Shop and Concessions, and Natural Resources.

Group leaders interested in service projects are also welcome to attend. Please call Jennifer Martin at 330-409-8993 for more information.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and many of its recreational partners, including Stark Parks are challenging the state’s young people to turn off their computers, televisions and PlayStations and “Explore the Outdoors” this summer.

The challenge is aimed at reuniting children, especially those in elementary school, with the natural world in order to improve their physical and emotional health and make them better environmental stewards in the future.

“We want young people in our area to rediscover the excitement that comes with hiking, biking, boating, camping and similar outdoor adventures,” said Education Manager Lyn Sabino. “These activities will help them grow into healthy teens and adults with an appreciation and love of their natural surroundings.”

The cornerstone of the “Explore the Outdoors” challenge is a 34-page, full-color guide that lists 10 outdoor activities such as “Catch A Fish,” “Hike/Bike A Trail,” “Spot A Bird,” etc. Children are encouraged to complete eight of the 10 activities by September 1. “Explore the Outdoors” posters, featuring correlating codes, are now on display at welcome centers and kiosks in ODNR and partner facilities across Ohio, including those at Lock 4 along the Ohio & Erie Canalway, Exploration Gateway, David Fichtner Center of Outdoor Education, and Walborn Reservoir.

Once an activity is completed, the child will enter the appropriate code in the guide. When all eight activities are completed, the child can enter the corresponding codes at exploretheoutdoorsohio.com to receive an Ohio Outdoor Explorer certificate. The first 1,000 children to obtain an online certificate will also be eligible to receive a Coleman mini companion lantern.

Nearly 800,000 Explore the Outdoors Activity Guides were distributed to public school students in grades K-5 during May.

ODNR partners lending support to the campaign include the National Park Service, Audubon Ohio, Wayne National Forest, Leave No Child Inside – Central Ohio and Greater Cincinnati, members of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, Ohio Metro and County Parks and the state departments of Health and Education.

Sponsors contributing to the activity guide include the American Heart Association and Coleman.

Additional information about the campaign is available at exploretheoutdoorsohio.com

The entire Towpath in Stark County is open. Trail crews will continue to smooth the trail surface in those areas that were flooded.

“Stark Parks trail crews are working hard to repair damaged areas, and although the trail is passable, it will not necessarily be comfortable,” said Operations Manager Dan Kunz.

Stark Parks mascot FeLeap the Frog congratulates first place winners of the Towpath Trail Trout Derby at Lock 4 Park: (back row, left to right) Tyler Voorhes, 11 of Massillon; Chris Stull, 13, of Canal Fulton; Brooke Gallentine, 15 of Canton. (front, left to right) Kenny French, 8, of Canton; Sierra Swint, 10, of Massillon, winner of the John Baumgardner "Big Trout Trophy; and Jennifer Navarro, 7, of Massillon

The Stark County Park District is one of eight organizations cosponsoring the second annual North Canton Healthy Community Challenge April 22-June 17. Anyone interested in participating may download an application form here.

This year’s event will feature new incentives and weekly “bonus events” to encourage participants to achieve their personal goals. “Last year’s participants said they wanted more activities to keep them motivated,” said Connie Rubin, public relations coordinator for the Stark County Park District. “By attending weekly bonus events, participants will earn points toward prizes that will be awarded at the end of the Challenge.”

“For anyone who might be wondering how the Challenge will work or if they should participate, we have scheduled a Challenge Preview Meeting. It will be Wed., April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the North Canton Public Library,” explained Shawn Wise, the North Canton YMCA’s Wellness Director. “It will be a great time for people to get their questions answered and see what resource materials the library has on nutrition and fitness.”

The Challenge kick-off will feature a motivational presentation by North Canton City Schools Superintendent Mike Gallina, light refreshments, assessment of each person’s weight and body mass index, and informational handouts from Challenge sponsors. Posters promoting the Challenge are being created by Hoover High School art students.

The cost of the Challenge is $12 per person, or $42 for 4 or more family members residing in the same house and pre-registration is preferred. Participants may sign up:

- Online at www.ymcastark.org from April 1-21,

- In person at the North Canton YMCA, 200 S. Main St. from April 1-21,

- At the “Challenge Preview” meeting, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the North Canton Public Library, or

- At the Challenge 2008 Kick-Off on Tuesday, April 22 from 6-8:30 pm at the Hoover High School Gymnasium.

Other Challenge cosponsors are Mercy Health Center of North Canton, Aultman North, City of North Canton, North Canton City Schools, Walsh University, the North Canton Community Building YMCA, and North Canton Medical Foundation.

Bonus Programs

The new weekly bonus events will be listed on an Activity Record participants will receive at the kick-off at Hoover High School. Here’s what’s planned:

May 1—Proper Footwear for Exercise—presented by Daphne Burch at Aultman North

May 7—Nutrition and Food Demonstration—presented by Tiffany Evans at the Hoover High School Commons

May 15—Pilates and Stretching Class—by Stephanie Wheeler at the Mercy Health Center of North Canton

May 19—Price Park Fitness Walk—by Shawn Wise of the YMCA at Price Park

May 28—Hoover Park Trail Fitness Walk—by Sarah Buell of the Stark County Park District, beginning at the East Maple Street ball fields

June 2—Exploring Alternative Therapies—presented by Dr. Pat McFeely and staff at the North Canton Medical Foundation

June 10—Cardio Fitness Class—by Anne Covert and Julie James at the North Canton YMCA

June 17—Final Event—Hoover Park from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Participants can also earn points for any personal fitness activities they undertake, structured or unstructured. At the completion of the Challenge, awards will be given for weight loss, most points earned for activities, and an award combining the two goals. However, weekly weigh-ins have been eliminated for this year’s Challenge.

The students in Jeff Hoffman’s Advanced Woodworking classes at Louisville High School recently completed construction of 10 picnic tables for the Stark County Park District. It took two students working 40 minutes per day for 5 days to build one picnic table. A total of 10 tables were built and will be dispersed throughout our parks this spring. Plans for the Stark Parks-Louisville partnership were initiated at last year’s County Fair. Stark Parks provided supplies for the project, a pizza party for the students, and Parks Operations Manager Dan Kunz visited their classes to share information about park and recreation careers, volunteering at Stark Parks, and seasonal job opportunities.

The students who completed the project were (Front row, left to right): David Ludwig, Mark Yoder, Cory Ashbaugh, Travis Lipps, Michael Carver, Matt Fleck, and their teacher Jeff Hoffman. (Back row, left to right) Tyler Mitchell, Jacob Dawson, Ben Marks, Mike Allmon, Dustin Procario, Tommy Briggs

The Stark County Park District’s new Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park was among 22 park and recreation agencies honored during the annual Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) conference on Feb. 11 in Dayton.

Stark Parks won a Facility Award of Excellence for development of our new two-story educational facility in Perry Township. The park district has previously won awards from OPRA in 2003 for development of 3.5 miles of the Bethlehem Township section of the Ohio & Erie Canalway that included a Tunnel under an active railroad, and in 2000 for its website, www.StarkParks.com, one of the first such marketing tool created by a park district.

One of the most unique park programming facilities in the nation, the Exploration Gateway features the Perry Sippo Branch Library, programming and public event space to accommodate up to 400 guests, a distance learning lab, the Herbert W. Hoover Science Classroom, offices for the park district’s education staff, geothermal heating and cooling, numerous other “green” features, and state-of-the-art computer technology.

OPRA is a non-profit corporation of park and recreation professionals dedicated to the promotion of the wise use of leisure and the stewardship of Ohio’s recreation, parks and natural resources.