Summer programs in full swing

By Thomas Greenberg
Posted 7/18/18

By THOMAS GREENBERG For Cranston residents trying to beat the heat, Budlong pool has been the place to be for as long as most can remember. But that historic pool is far from the only thing available to Cranston residents, especially those young enough

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Summer programs in full swing

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For Cranston residents trying to beat the heat, Budlong pool has been the place to be for as long as most can remember. But that historic pool is far from the only thing available to Cranston residents, especially those young enough to not have jobs yet, to do during the summer months.

The Parks and Recreation Department has been running a variety of programs since before current program coordinator Scott Sevigny got there, and he said that parents come in to sign their kids up and tell him that they remember going to those same camps when they were younger.

The camps he’s referring to are the Playground Camps, which take place at four different locations: the Doric Avenue playground, the Garden City Elementary playground, the Glen Hills playground, and the Hope Highlands playground.

Though the meeting place for the large amount of kids – Sevigny said there were 244 campers this past Monday – is at the playgrounds, he said that there is at least one activity or field trip per day. On Monday, they hauled all 244 to Yawgoog water slides so they could cool off in the heat.

The playground camps are full-day programs that run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for eight weeks of the summer. Children aged 6-12 can attend.

Another outdoor activity the Parks and Recreation Department puts on is a tennis camp held Monday through Friday at Cranston West high school. Sevigny said the camp runs hour-long lessons taught by experienced high school players and is geared mostly toward young kids, though all ages up through high school are welcome to better their tennis games.

An arts and crafts program is also put on by the department at Hope Highlands Middle School, where children aged 6-12 can go to work on their creative sides during the summer.

Budlong Pool, perhaps the most popular of all the programs and activities run by the department, is also available all summer long.

Mayor Allan Fung expressed pleasure with the summer programs the Parks and Recreation Department continues to put on.

“Our comprehensive summer programs provide affordable, fun and safe opportunities for Cranston families to keep kids occupied all summer long,” he said. “One of the reasons Cranston is considered one of the best cities in America and the best city in Rhode Island to raise a child is because of our strong summer recreation programs.”

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