Details
Registration Opens March 12th for Parks’
Popular Spring & Summer Programs
New offerings included in this year’s lineup!
Dutchess County Parks continues its wide array of popular programming this springand summer season. From weekend archery to adult park palette art sessions, eaglet nature programs, summer camps, pickleball and a new disc golf league, there are exciting and educational offerings for residents of all ages looking to explore the outdoors in fun and unique ways. Spring and summer program registration will open Tuesday, March 12 at www.DutchessNY.gov/ParksEducation.
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said, “As the weather warms up, we are excited to look ahead to our Parks’ popular programming! This year we have exciting new programs as well as the return of popular favorites. These programs, especially the summer sessions, fill up fast, so be sure to register quickly and don’t miss these great opportunities to get outside and maybe even learn a new skill with our great Parks programs.”
Spring Naturalist Program Schedule
Friday Night Pickleball Under the Lights will return to the pickleball courts at Quiet Cove Riverfront Park in Poughkeepsie on April 5th and April 19th from 6-10:30pm. All courts will be temporarily illuminated for play, and firepits will be lit nearby for attendees to enjoy. Registration is required and is available at playtimescheduler.com. Sessions will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather.
In partnership with the Office for the Aging (OFA), Parks will host a free, three-week Learn to Pickleball Clinic for residents aged 60 and older. Sessions will be held from 9-11 a.m. at Quiet Cove Riverfront Park, Poughkeepsie on Thursdays, May 2nd, May 9th and May 16th. Each week will be led by a USA Pickleball ambassador and local volunteers and will focus on a fundamental component of the game. Registration is limited and is required by calling OFA at (845) 486-2555 and includes all three sessions as each builds upon skills from the previous class.
- May 2 – Introduction to the game
- May 9 – Beginner skills
- May 16 – Trial games
Weekend Public Archery sessions begin Saturday, April 13 at Bowdoin Park. The archery program consists of five classes, held on Saturdays, with various time slots offered. The sessions, each an hour long, are designed for children ages 8 and up, and adults with any level of archery experience. Basic hands-on archery skills will be taught, as well as bow and arrow safety. Cost is $70 per person and includes all five classes and equipment. Each time slot is limited to 20 participants.
- Saturday, April 13
- Saturday, April 27
- Saturday, May 4
- Saturday, May 11
- Saturday, June 8
Time Slots
- 8:30-9:30am
- 10-11 a.m.
- 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- 2-3 p.m.
- 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Park Palette Art Series for Adults will be held at Quiet Cove Riverfront Park from 6-7:30pm outside on the lawn. These workshops are a step-by-step class to create nature-themed paintings. Cost is $12 and includes all supplies. Sessions are limited to 12 participants each.
- Wednesday, May 22
- Wednesday, June 5
Eaglet Nature Program is for youth ages 5 to 7, along with their parents or caregivers, at Bowdoin Park’s Nature Education Center. Through interactive exploration and play, children will have the opportunity to take a closer look at the unique natural habitats, with each week focusing on a different topic with a craft being made at the end of the class. All classes will be held 4-5 p.m. Registration is $5 per child and is limited to 12 participants.
- April 25 – Finding Footprints (Intro to Tracking)
- May 9 – Identifying Skulls and Scat
- May 23 – Pond Study
The new Wilcox Disc Golf League will host weekly meet ups to play at 10:30am on Sundays from April 21st through May 19th at Wilcox Memorial Park’s Disc Golf course, which has been ranked among the top 100 courses in the world by UDisc, a popular disc golf app. All skill levels are welcome. This league is not directly affiliated with Dutchess County Parks; for more information and to register, email Savanna Burke at burkesavanna@gmail.com.
Summer Program Schedule
Dutchess County Parks’ popular Adventure and Survival summer programs for youth ages 9-17 at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie and Wilcox Memorial Park in the Town of Milan, , reconnect youth with nature and feature hands-on activities such as hiking, shelter making, fire building, tracking, and other survival skills, as well as building on role play and group problem-solving skills. Sessions are held Monday-Thursday, from 9:30am to 4pm, with early drop-off and late-pick up options available.
The Adventure Program and Survival Program, for ages 9-11, will be held July 8-11 or July 22-25. TheAdventure Program, for ages 12-15, will be held July 15-18 or August 5-8. The Survival Intensive Program, for ages 12-15, will be held July 15-18. These programs will be at Bowdoin Park.
Additional programs include Complete Survival at Wilcox Park for ages 12-15 on July 29-August 1 and Living Adventure at Bowdoin Park for ages 16-17 on August 12-15. These sessions will mimic a real survival situation framed in the context of a story that changes every year. Complete Survival requires students to have participated in Survival Intensive and ends with an optional overnight stay.
Sessions cost $200 per student, per session. Due to the popularity of the programs, there is a limit of one session per student.
Eaglet Adventures returns this summer for ages 6-8 from August 5-8. These sessions will be from 10am-2pm and will give children a chance to become better explorers and scientists. Children will develop skills to identify animal tracks, discover pond life and begin to see the interconnection that keeps the natural world in balance. This session is limited to 12 children plus one caregiver and costs $150 per student.
Other naturalist programming, including group weekday Archery, Junior Survival, Scout Programs and School Field Trips are available by appointment and reservations can be made by calling the Parks office at (845) 298-4602.
For registration and programming information, visit DutchessNY.gov/Parks.
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