HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The City of Huntsville is not the only thing that continues to grow and expand, but Huntsville Parks and Recreation is right there with the city.
July is Parks and Recreation Month. This year's theme "Where Community Grows" reflects the many ways Huntsville Parks & Recreation builds stronger, healthier communities through facilities, programs, and services. The importance of this work is reflected in a recent report showing 84% of U.S. adults seek high-quality parks and recreation when choosing a place to live.
Sadie Gorin is a 7th grader who loves volleyball. "I enjoy coming here because it makes my skills nice and sharp, and I get some nice vitamin D," said Gorin.
She also loves the idea of having mixed-use opportunities at various parks and recreation facilities. "I think that's really important to spend time with your friends and family this time of year and to just kind of hang out and play volleyball. and then as she said, there's a fitness place over there, you can just go play fitness."
As the city grows, Huntsville Parks and Recreation Director James Gossett adds that their mission is to keep providing opportunities that appeal to a wide variety of people. "We really try to look at diversity and because our communities are different and the communities we serve are different, we want to have a wide range of things for all people to be able to participate in," said Gossett.
Gossett also shares some events and programs to look out for. "We'll be looking for after-school camp. That will be a big one for a lot of people in our community. we have some of our arts camps that are ongoing. We'll have our getting ready to start our sign-ups for athletics at the end of July. So if you're interested in sports programming, we have that and then we have some of our ongoing fitness classes and different things for the community to become involved with as far as health and wellness goes."