ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS RECIPES REQUESTED

The Walpole Recreation Department wants all active older adults to join long-time volunteer, Ora McGuire, for her Creative Corner Program which are always held on Wednesdays from 1 - 2PM at Blackburn Hall.

One of the projects that McGuire, the Recreation Department and all those that participate are working on a cook book titled, “What A Life!” They are asking anyone to be involved by submitting recipes that mean a lot to themselves and/or their families. Once there are enough submissions to make a substantial and yummy book, they will be printed. Submission sheets can be found at Blackburn Hall or by calling Aicha Kelley to drop in the mail.  The information needed is name, telephone number, how many years they have lived in Walpole, the recipe and what the recipe means to the person. Anyone can drop off recipes at Blackburn Hall or mail them to “Attn. Recipes, Recreation Dept, 135 School St., Walpole, MA 02081.

The winter schedule is already proving popular with plenty of attendees. The schedule and topics are as follows:

February 22 is “Sampling Recipes and Whimsical Sketches with Hal Cooper” will have the illustrator creating sketches for the cookbook “What A Life.” Aicha Kelley will be preparing some samples of the recipes that were submitted.  All are invited to come with  empty bellies and watch art being created.

February 29 is “Dorothy O’Shaughnessy Shares the Butterfly Garden” where the Recreation Department will bring the Active Older Adults a taste if spring. We will also have a florist on hand that can explain how to prepare for the upcoming garden. There will be seeds handed out for the Active Older Adults to take home and plant themselves.

Anyone with any questions, please feel free to call Aicha Kelley at 508-660-6371.

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS INVADE THE HIGH SCHOOL

The Walpole Recreation Department, the Walpole Police Department, the Walpole Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Awareness and The Walpole Public School are hosting another Teen Activity Night on Friday February 17 from 7:30 - 9:30PM at the Walpole High School. There will be many new activities for the kids to take part in. There will be a  blow-up sports center which includes fun challenges with football, soccer, basketball, frisbee and baseball. There will also be dj and dancing, dodgeball, cotton candy and other yummy treats, as well as Kinect challenges.

Luke Dent, Recreation Staffer, said, “There is something for every kid. We had feedback from the last night and we listened. There are quiet areas, loud areas and fun everywhere.” The Recreation Department also thought the kids would like to start to get used to the building for something other than sports events.

The Teen Activity Nights came from collaborations of the schools, the coalition, the PD and the Recreation Department. It is to provide a safe haven for the Town’s children. They are urging parents and guardians to have their children come to the Teen Activity Nights. Said Aicha Kelley, “It may require some nudging of your kids -  it is new and they  will probably roll their eyes and think it's "stupid." But we have looked into all the surveys, had the the conversations, studied the research,  listened to the  concerns about risky behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse, bullying and abusing social media. It is proven that if kids have somewhere safe yet fun to, it will only benefit them.”

Another pro-active aspect of the Teen Activity Nights are  the Walpole Police will be there in soft uniforms to interact with the children. All of those involved researched and decided that the children should have a familiar relationship with the Walpole Police, themselves.            

The cost of entry is $5 and there is no dance card required. Parents are urged to register on-line at www.walpolerec.com As always, pizza, snacks and drinks are available so parents  don't have to worry about feeding the kids.  Anyone with any questions, please contact Aicha Kelley at 508-660-6371. 

Walpole Health & Fitness Fair

The Walpole Recreation Department and Juice Plus+ are hosting a new event for Walpole and surrounding communities: “The 1st Annual Walpole Health & Fitness Fair” which will be held on Saturday, March 31st from 10 am - 1PM at Blackburn Hall. The event is for all businesses and individuals who support healthy lifestyles to come and exhibit, teach, share and meet with the general public. The event is also supported by this year’s  Department of the Year, The Health Department and their campaign, “Let’s Move Walpole.”

The Recreation Department is inviting massage therapists, physical therapists, personal trainers, gyms, hypnotherapists, nutritionists, restaurants that have committed to serving healthy food, acupuncturists, etc to join the event. 

Anyone wishing to participate are asked to fill out the form which can be downloaded from walpolerec.com, pay the $25 fee (all checks made out to “The Town of Walpole and earmarked “Health & Fitness Fair”) and then simply set up their exhibits. Some ideas to exhibit would be demonstrations, samples, raffle items, etc. If anyone has any questions, please contact Aicha Kelley @ 6508-660-6371 or at akelley@walpole-ma.gov .

5 for the 4th Race to Support the Fireworks

The Walpole Recreation Department is hosting the First Trail Race of its kind: “5 for the 4th” which will be a 5K in the Town Forest on Sunday, May 20th from at 9AM. All proceeds will go to the Night Before the 4th Firework Fund.

The run was the brain child of avid runner and Walpole resident, Kathleen DiNatale. “I have even had the name for years as I have wanted this to work out for the town and now it has,” said DiNatale when speaking of the event.

Another Walpole resident who is helping coordinate on the race is Jim Logan.  Logan, himself, is an avid runner who has coordinated many trail runs in the Town Forest. Logan believes it is a great course to run as well as s compliment to the Walpole  Town Forest.  The group believes the race will be a great event and a fabulous way to raise money for the fireworks, as well as a superb way to bring more attention to the Town Forest.

Along with the race, there will be food and games for all ages. Any one wishing to register may find the application on walpolerec.com. The fee to register prior to the race is $20 and $25 the day of the race. Any one with any questions may contact, Aicha Kelley at 508-660-6371 or at akelley@walpole-ma.gov .

Walpole Day

The Walpole Recreation Department will be hosting the 5th Annual Walpole Day on May 19th which begins at Noon with the Walpole Day Parade. Following the parade the activities begin which include a hundred or so table activities, games, and fun along with the Teen Band Showcase and the scrumptious food court all to end with the 3rd Annual Wacky Quacky Duck Race.

The awards have been nominated and voted for and the winners are: Grand Marshall is Ora McGuire. Business of the Year is PJ Hayes, Inc. Department of the Year is The Health Department. Individual stories of why these were the winners will be forthcoming.

The Walpole Recreation Department will be  accepting applications for sponsorships, table activities and parade participants. Some of the parade will be competing for the float contest win with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place all with monetary winnings. All are invited to join the parade with floats made by neighborhoods, school groups, local businesses, etc.

When the parade is done, the festivities commence with with rides, raffles, games, and more sponsored by local organizations and schools. Local businesses will be selling their products and local restaurants will be serving food in the food court.. The entertainment will be the show-stopping Teen Band Showcase.  The paperwork and price breakdowns can be found at www.walpolerec.com The prices are very reasonable compared to other towns’ events as the Recreation Department wants to have the groups that participate find it a positive experience and not have anyone not be bale to participate because of cost.

Anyone interested in participating in the day, sponsoring or being part of the Teen Band Showcase, please contact Aicha Kelley at 508-660-6371 or at akelley@walpole-ma.gov .

CONCUSSION SCREENING

The Walpole Recreation Departments will be hosting another Concussion Screening with Jeannine Donato, RN from “A Head of the Game” on Saturdays, March 10th and April 14th from 9AM - 5PM at the East Walpole Community Center. The first screening was so popular, they decided to add more. 

There is a large demand as almost everyone has heard about the latest findings regarding concussions and the affects they have on a person. To help your child’s health and well - being, the Recreation Department joined forces with Donato and A Head of the Game to help prepare and protect your student athlete's most important asset - their brain. With the simple, and fun screening - the children answer questions on the computer for about 45 minutes which is the ImPact™ testing: a computerized neuro-cognitive exam that measures your child's cognitive abilities such as recall, reaction time and pattern recognition.

Anyone interested is urged to visit www.a-headofthegame.com and read the recent article in the Globe.

There are limited seats so everyone is urged to register as soon as possible by going to walpolerec.com and registering under “A Head of the Game Concussion Screening.” The cost of the screening is $40 and anyone with any questions may contact Aicha Kelley @ 508-660-6371 or at akelley@walpole-ma.gov

SENIOR MEN’S COFFEE

The Walpole Recreation Department is hosting another Senior Men’s Coffee on Tuesday, February 28th at 8:30AM at Turner Pond Lodge. The guest speaker will be David “Sully” Sullivan and there will be donuts and coffee for all to enjoy.

Guests are asked to contact the Recreation Department at 508-660-6373 to register for the coffee.

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