Parks and Recreation Sets Summer Schedule of Events And Programs

New Summer Programs Offered by Berlin Parks and Recreation

The Berlin Parks and Recreation Department is accepting registrations for the following new programs at the Berlin Community Center.  For more information contact the department at 860-828-7009 or go to www.town.berlin.ct.us for a complete brochure.

Arts Discovery Camp – An exciting introduction to the arts, for 3-6 year olds!  Dance & movement, music & rhythm, arts & crafts and acting & stories will be part of this new program.  Creative, developmentally appropriate activities centered around the “theme of the day”.  Elizabeth Cook-Asal is the instructor.  A light snack will be served, please bring a water bottle.  Camp will be held July 30-August 3, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  Fee is $90.00 for residents and $100.00 for nonresidents.  

Pre-Engineering with LEGO - Let your imagination run wild with over 100,000 pieces of LEGO®! Build engineer designed projects such as boats, bridges, mazes, and motorized cars. Explore the endless creative possibilities of the LEGO® building system with the guidance of an experienced Play-Well instructor.  For ages 5 to 7.  Program will be held July 9 through July 13, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  Fee is $145.00 for residents and $155.00 for non residents. **Please note that students will not be able to keep LEGO materials.

Engineering FUNdamentals with LEGO® - Power up your engineering skills with Play-Well TEKnologies and over 100,000 pieces of LEGO®! Apply real-world concepts in physics, engineering, and architecture through engineer-designed projects such as arch bridges, motorized gondolas, and the Battletrack!  Challenging for new and returning students.  For ages 8 to 10.  Program will be held July 9 through July 13, Monday through Friday, from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.  Fee is $145.00 for residents and $155.00 for non residents. **Please note that students will not be able to keep LEGO materials.

Dolphin Swim Team

The Berlin Parks and Recreation Department is accepting registrations for the Dolphin Swim Team and Lifeguard Training Course.  For more information on these programs contact the department at 860-828-7009 or go to www.town.berlin.ct.us

Swim Team practices will be held Monday-Friday from 8:00-8:55 a.m. and Monday-Friday from 6:00-7:30 p.m. starting Tuesday June 19 at Percival Pool.  Swimmers should attend 4 to 5 practices a week.  Swim Team has two divisions.  Junior for ages 12 and under and Senior for ages 13-18 (age as of July 1).  The fee for residents is $120.00, $100.00 for each additional child in the same family and $130.00 per child/non resident.  Deadline to register is Friday, June 29.  All residents will receive an individual pool pass as part of the program.  Participants must be able to swim at least one lap (25 yards) across the pool.  Knowledge of competitive strokes would be helpful. 

Metro Swim will be at Percival Pool on June 26 from 6-7:30 p.m., for the swim suit sale.

Special Events

The Berlin Parks and Recreation Department is offering the following Family- Special Events for residents and non-residents. For more information contact the department at 860-828-7009 or go to www.town.berlin.ct.us  

FREE Outdoor Summer Movie night – Sponsored by Raising Berlin, Inc and the Parks and Recreation Department. Friday, July 13 at Sage Park Baseball Field (rain date Saturday, July 14). Movie TBA and will begin approximately 8:15 p.m.  Bring your family and friends and blankets to sit and enjoy a movie and concessions under the stars. SAVE THE DATE!!

Six Flags New England  Good Any Day Tickets – Six Flags New England is located at 1623 Main Street, Agawam, Mass is an amazing park with awesome rides, great shows and incredible attractions. Plus Hurricane Harbor water park. In addition coming late spring Goliath a giant new coaster. The Good Any Day tickets will be on sale for residents at $33.00 which is a savings of $16.99 on the regular price ($49.99). Non-residents may purchase tickets for $33.50  beginning on May 29, 2012. Tickets must be purchased in person only. Limited tickets are available.

New! Connecticut Science Center Tickets – Opening on June 12, 2009 the Connecticut Science Center  is a nine story museum located on 250 Columbus Blvd., Hartford that boasts 150 interactive exhibits consisting of videos, audios, visuals, tactile components interactive exhibits and live demonstrations in 10 galleries plus a 206 seat 3-D theatre. The Park and Recreation Department is offering for sale –good any day tickets for $13.50 for residents ( adult and youth)  which is a savings of $2 senior residents $3.50 adult resident and .50  for youth residents 4-17 old. Children ages 3 and under are free as well as members.) Non residents may purchase tickets beginning on May 29, 2012 for $14 non-residents (adult and youth) All tickets must be purchased in person only.

Norwich Recreation presents two great Bus trips!  For more information, contact the Norwich Recreation Department at 860-823-3791.  Red Sox vs. Yankees – Sunday July 8 at Fenway Park.  $135 per person and Red Sox vs. Orioles – Saturday September 22 at Fenway Park $88.00 per person.

Outdoor pools and swim lessons

The Berlin Parks and Recreation Department will open the outdoor pools  Percival Pool and Demore, Dinda, Bittner Jr. Memorial Pool on Monday June 18, 2012

Demore, Dinda, Bittner Jr. Memorial Pool – Located on Wilcox Court in East Berlin - Pool opens Monday, June 18 noon-5 p.m. – Monday’s and Wednesday’s noon-5 p.m., Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s noon-7 p.m., Saturday’s and Sunday’s noon-6 p.m. Family Adult Swim is held Tuesday’s, 6-7 p.m. 13 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Wading Pool is open Monday’s and Wednesday’s noon-5 p.m., Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s noon-6 p.m., Sat. and Sun. noon-5 p.m. An adult must accompany children. Open to children 6 and under. Demore, Dinda, Bittner Jr. Memorial Pool will close for the season on Friday August 10

Percival Pool – Located on Highland Ave, off Percival Ave in Berlin - Pool opens Monday, June 18 noon-6 p.m. – Monday’s-Friday’s noon-6 p.m., Saturday’s and Sunday’s noon-6 p.m. Week of August 6, Monday-Friday noon-7 p.m. Family Adult Swim is held Wednesday’s, 5-6 p.m. until August 1, 6-7 p.m. on August 8. 13 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Hours are subject to change due to activities at the pools, changes will be posted. Percival Pool will close for the season on Friday, August 10.

Season Pool Passes may be purchased for individuals and households at the Berlin Parks and Recreation Department office. Season passes enable residents to use either of the two pools. The fee for individuals (you must be 18 and older for this pass) is $40 and for households is $65. A household is classified as one of the following – Two individuals who are Berlin residents who are married to each other including their dependent children, two individuals who are Berlin residents who have entered into a civil union under Connecticut Law including their dependent children or an individual who is a Berlin resident and their dependent children.

The resident daily admission fee at Percival Pool and Demore, Dinda, Bittner Jr. Memorial Pool is adults $4 and children $3. Non resident daily admission fees at both pools is adults $5 and children $4.  All non residents must be accompanied at all times, by a Berlin resident 18 years of age and older. All children under 11 years old must be accompanied by an adult 18 and over, who is in proper swimwear. All swim lessons are held at both pools in the morning, Monday through Friday  and  are free as part of the Household 2012 pool pass which participants must register for in order to take swim lessons. The first session will start on Monday, June 25. Evening lessons will be held at Demore, Dinda, Bittner Jr. Memorial Pool only on Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning Monday, June 18 for 2-4 week sessions. Swim Lessons for children with special needs – the Department will offer instruction for children with special needs.  The focus will be developing self confidence and self-esteem while developing water safety and swimming skills.  We will take one child per time slot but you must register for a specific LTS Level.  This will be available for all evening lessons at Demore, Dinda, Bittner Jr. Memorial Pool and only the second and third session of morning lessons at Percival Pool.

You can only register for one session of swim lessons at a time. You can either register for day lessons or evening lessons but not for both. As a result of testing of some participants to see what class they should participate in, there will be some movement of participants from one level to another. Parent & Child Aquatics, Preschool Aquatics, and Learn-to-Swim (LTS) classes where age will apply are determined by the first day of class, per session. All participants in Parent & Child Aquatics must be 6 months by the first day of class. All participants in Preschool Aquatics must be 4 years by the first day of class. All participants in Learn-to-Swim classes must be 6 years old. Please note for the first session, classes will not be held on Wednesday, July 4.

Please note: The American Red Cross Parent and Child Aquatics help young children (6 months through 3 years) become comfortable in and around the water so they are ready to learn to swim. It is not designed to teach children to become good swimmers or even to survive in the water on their own. Parent and Child Aquatics gives parents information and techniques to help orient their children to the water and to supervise water activities in a safe manner. 1. Level 1 is for children who are 6 months to 3 years old and have either no water experience or one previous session of water adjustment lessons. 2. Level 2 is for children who: Are 6 months to 3 years old and have passed Parent and Child Aquatics Level 1. Parents must accompany their child in the water for Level 1 & 2 Aquatics. The American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics consists of three levels, this program helps children ages 4 and 5 years old. The primary objective of Preschool Aquatics is to promote the developmentally appropriate learning of fundamental water safety and aquatic skills. Learn-to-Swim (LTS) Aquatics is offered to children ages 6 and older. It consists of six levels.

For more information on swim lesson and the  class schedule go to www.town.berlin.ct.us or come to the Berlin Parks and Recreation Department, 230 Kensington Road, Berlin for a complete brochure.

Summer Outdoor Playground Program

The Berlin Parks and Recreation Department is accepting registrations for the Summer Outdoor Playground Program. This traditional program is open to Berlin youths 5 years to 12 years (as of June 19, 2012) it is similar to that of day camp providing daily activities such as sports, arts and crafts, board games. Weekly field trips and special events are on a first serve basis and have limited registration. Playgrounds will be closed to participants that are not registered for the special event or field trip. Registration for special events and field trips will be accepted at the Berlin Parks and Recreation Department on Wednesday, June 20 for Griswold Playground only and Thursday, June 21 for Willard Playground only from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Berlin Community Center. The Playground program is scheduled to start on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 and will conclude on Tuesday, August 7, 2012. (no programs on Wednesday,  July 4)   

Griswold School Outdoor Playground and Willard School Outdoor Playground program are open Monday through Friday, on a drop-in basis, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants at Willard and Griswold Playgrounds are subject to weather conditions and playgrounds will be closed if necessary. Registration at both playgrounds maybe limited.

Playground Fees for the entire summer are as follows:  If  you  register by  May 29, 2012 to June 18, 2012 - $110, and  from  June 19, 2012 on. - $120.

For more information contact the Berlin Parks and Recreation office 860-828-7009 or for summer brochure infomation go to www.town.berlin.ct.us

Simply Swing Band Concert set for Flag Day, June 14, 2012

Simply Swing, a Connecticut- based swing orchestra specializing in music from the Big Band and Swing Dance eras will perform on Thursday, June 14th, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. with a special Flag Day performance at Veterans Park located at 68 Veterans Way, Berlin. The band concert is sponsored by the Farmington Bank . The Berlin Park & Recreation Dept and Berlin Senior Center are assisting Farmington Bank  with some of the details.

Parking for the concert will be available at the Stop & Shop , Jacunski and Humes LLC, Letter Concepts, Tri Star Industries, and in the lower parking lot at the VFW all located on Massirio Drive.   

In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Berlin Senior Center, 33 Colonial Drive. A decision to relocate the concert indoors  will be made by 2:30 p.m. on the day of the performance and can be found out by calling the Berlin Parks and Recreation information line at (860) 828-7100.