By Tammy Toor
Besides the summer season, the holiday season is my favourite time of year. There is a sense of excitement in the air and it gives us a chance to reconnect with family, friends and our community.
It’s a particularly busy season for parks and recreation. Here is a quick guide to things happening to help you plan out your holiday activities. We’d love for you to join us.
Special holiday programs – if you have an elementary school child, your child should soon be receiving our Winter Wonders flyer full of holiday programs and events to keep you and your family active during the winter break. If you don’t get one, check out our website under What’s New for a copy. It includes a two-for-one public admission coupon, and it has a few January program ideas as you settle back into your routine after the holidays.
Winter Wonderland – From Dec. 26-30, the Frank Crane Arena will be transformed into a fantasy theme with public skating sessions costing only $1 – some are even free. This is a great activity for the whole family. See why this annual event has become so popular with the community.
Finale 2016 – The city’s biggest and best family New Year’s Eve party takes place at Beban Park with a carnival Under the Big Top theme. We will have two countdowns – one at 8 p.m. and another at 10 p.m. Tickets are only $32 for a family of 5 or $10 individually. Enjoy an evening of live entertainment with local favourites Doctors of Rock and Roll and The Purple Pirate. Participate in our acrobat school, swim, skate, make crafts, get your face painted, skate with the Nanaimo Clippers hockey team and more. I can’t think of a better way to bring in 2017 with the entire family.
Still looking for that perfect gift? How about a parks and recreation gift card? They can be used for program registrations, drop-in admissions, facility rentals and more. They come in various denominations and are reloadable. This holiday season, buy a gift card for $25 or more for your chance to win a $50 gift card. Contest ends Dec. 24.
From all of us here at parks and recreation, we wish you and your family the best of the holiday season and a happy, healthy and active new year.
Tammy Toor is a communications specialist with the City of Nanaimo.