Every year, NRPA members take the Park and Recreation Month theme and make it their own. The posters, events and contests put on during July are always so creative that this year, we let you choose the theme! We asked for your ideas and put the top four to a public vote. The winner: “OUT is IN,” thought up by Karen Green, recreation specialist at the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation in Maryland.

What message did you want to convey with your entry? 

The importance of thinking outside the box — or in this case, our buildings. The great outdoors is a natural public playground. 

How have you celebrated Park and Recreation Month in the past? What successes have you had that you’d like to share? 

We have an incredible staff with an affinity for nature. Their enthusiasm for their work is shared by many. In the past, the month has been celebrated with trail walks and runs, canoe trips, family campfires, fishing derbies, and grandparent and me programs. 

How do you plan on implementing “OUT is IN” and celebrating Park and Recreation Month at your agency this year?

That is still under construction. We are fortunate to be in an area with a waterfall, an estuary (the Chesapeake Bay and the Susquehanna River converge here), wonderful equestrian areas, an outrageously good Farm Fair, festivals and outdoor concerts. Harford County offers so many opportunities. We will be highlighting quite a few of these as we encourage the populace to get out and about to enjoy things up close and personal.

How do you implement “OUT is IN” on an everyday basis? 

I am blessed to work along the Susquehanna River and in an area where parks, playgrounds and athletic complexes are appreciated. Our dedicated volunteers have made a commitment to keep them pristine and accessible. We do shoreline clean-ups, park beautification projects and routine maintenance to preserve and protect this bounty of blessings. 

What was your favorite outdoor activity as a kid? 

The one my parents discouraged: tree climbing.

Which outdoor activity would you most like to bring back in style? 

The return of playing outdoors. We participated in organized sports, but some of the best times were spent with friends and family during neighborhood picnics or trips to Rocks State Park for wading in the water and skipping rocks. I loved three-legged races, egg and spoon games, jumping rope ‘til my hands hurt, playing four square and the best ever: catching lightning bugs by moonlight. I loved it enough to write a poem about it:

I remember afternoons

When the only breezes came from butterfly wings

And you and I 

Played hide and seek

‘Til way after dark

And found our way home

With lanterns

Made of mason jars and glow worms.

You Asked For It!

Our biggest feedback from last year’s Park and Recreation Month was to get the materials out sooner — so we did!

Interview by Roxanne Sutton, NRPA’s Marketing and Communications Specialist.