By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/27/09
The Yacht Club beach bustles daily with swimmers, anglers, athletes, young and old alike, perhaps striding down the pier or sitting in the summer sun.
The riverfront area is representative. Parks and outdoor recreation are a year-round staple of Southwest Florida, something residents feel compelled to enjoy.
That's why the city of Cape Coral celebrates "July is Parks & Recreation Month" each summer.
Saturday, the Yacht Club took part in the month-long celebration by holding an event with both outdoor and indoor activities. The event featured a bicycle safety course, arts and crafts, lifeguard rescue demonstrations and and an ice cream and cake social in the Tony Rotino Senior Center.
"There are so many great activities and programs put on by parks and rec," said recreation specialist Coby Palner. "With the time of year when people come down from up north, and just being residents, they look forward to it. It's a weekend to go out and be with their kids. Families come together and have a better time because they're able to do activities together."
About 40 to 50 people participated in the arts and crafts event, as well as the ice cream and cake social, while about a half-dozen took part in the bike demo.
"The kids are riding up and down the streets at home, and now they appreciate how to properly put on a helmet, how to actually ride and look left and right for safety," Palner said of the bike course.
"With the arts and crafts activities, it's a lot better to spend time and actually do a craft with your child because it's more rewarding," he said. "With the three different areas and the Yacht Club in general, having so many people come each day, it's just a great event and atmosphere."
Walter Rosado, a seven-year Cape resident, visited the Yacht Club for the first time since his move to the area Saturday. He watched 18-month-old Nicholas totter across the playground while the toddler's brother and sister, both 18, swam nearby at the beach.
"In the past couple years they've made a lot of great improvements," Rosado said. "I'm impressed. I came down here to check out the launch ramp, and I realized they expanded farther down. I wouldn't mind coming here. It's a lot closer than having to go to Fort Myers Beach."
Rosado admitted, not having been to many of the parks around Cape Coral, he'd need to do some exploring. Nicholas, he said, enjoyed the outing.
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