Mayor Elorza today joined elected officials, Recreation Director Michael Stephens, recreation center directors and staff, and Providence students at Davey Lopes Recreation Center to announce the beginning of the registration period for the City’s Summer Recreation programs. In addition to the opening of City pools and water parks and various other fun activities to be held across Providence neighborhoods, this year’s offerings feature dozens of camp activities for school-age children with a low-cost of $5 per week and the Providence Midnight Basketball League for young adults (18+).
“My goal as Mayor is to make sure that all of our families can turn to our recreation department for affordable, fun, and educational programs for the summer break,” said Mayor Elorza. “From low-cost weekly camps for our youngest to the midnight basketball league for our young adults, we’re making sure that Providence residents have fun and stay safe this season.”
The City is offering numerous affordable camp opportunities for Providence youth including sports, day, and specialty education camps. Summer 2017 will provide nine (9) weekly sports camps ranging from basketball to golf, day camps at nine (9) recreation centers offering a variety of fun activities and field trips, and five (5) specialty camps with a focus on sailing, creative arts, nature, music and dance, and biking. As a bonus, bike campers will receive a free bike, helmet, and bike lock.
In alignment with the Mayor’s efforts to expand summer learning opportunities for Providence youth and in collaboration with the Providence Community Library, all campers will participate in literacy programming to help enhance reading skills. Participants will also receive free meals, including lunch for all campers and both breakfast and lunch for day campers.
Mayor Elorza also announced that for residents ages 18 and older, the Providence Recreation Department is partnering with the Providence Police Department to host the Providence Midnight Basketball League. Games are scheduled to take place at 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 8:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in locations throughout the city (Bucklin Park, Davis Park, Davey Lopes, Fox Point, and Joslin). Men and women interested in playing are advised that registration will be held at the Providence Recreation Department’s main office located at 11 West Drive on Saturday, May 13, 20, and 27 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The championship game will be held at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Sunday, August 20, 2017.
For the summer temperature, the City offers five (6) public swimming pools (Neutaconkanut, Bucklin, Zuccolo, Davey Lopes, Rogers, and Pleasant View) and twelve (12) waterparks (General Street, Fargnoli, George J. West, Chad Brown, Billy Taylor, Fox Point, Harriet & Sayles, Richardson, Wallace, Neutaconkanut, Sackett Street, and Zuccolo). Pools and water parks are open from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday for the months of July and August. Swimming lessons are offered three times per week.
All Providence recreation camps are available for Providence residents only with proof of residency required. Registration for individual programs will remain open until capacity is reached.
For a complete list of camps, please visit the Summer Recreation Programs website or contact the Mayor’s Center for City Services at City Hall by dialing 3-1-1 or by downloading the PVD311 mobile application now available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.