Hundreds of millions of people, including more than 330 million people saw these iconic letters in 2017.

They are all over our national parks.

The letters spell a variety of messages. They identify a park. That pond. A path. An overlook. Everything you see in a park.

Yet, ironically, that familiar, popular type of lettering could only be found outdoors.

That was until Jeremy Shellhorn came around.

Shellhorn worked as a designer-in-residence for Rocky Mountain National Park back in 2013.

The story goes he was creating the park's newsletter when he discovered there wasn't an actual version of the font that is used on all those national park signs, not only the park in Colorado, but national parks across America.

With a little research, he discovered the park signs were actually created by a device called a Computer Numerical Control router that carves the letters into the wood to make that distinctive clean look with the rounded edges.

As an associate professor of design at the University

Even though it's freezing in some parts of the country, tis the season to start ordering those Commercial Umbrellas for spring and summer.

To help our customer streeeetch their budgets, the Park and Facilities Catalog is offering an incredible deal for a limited time.

Buy 5 of our 364-Super-Strong Series Umbrellas and get the 6th FREE.

This is a fantastic offer. Here's why.

These are not your ordinary, residential patio umbrellas.

Our 364-Series benches are built tough with the best aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass components.

We also have an incredible selection of these highly-durable umbrellas to choose from in a number of sizes.

Products range from giant 13' cantilever umbrellas to 16' telescoping umbrellas.

Our fiberglass market umbrellas with their 2" diameter aluminum center posts, stainless steel parts and thick fiberglass ribs (that flex in windy conditions) are some of our most popular products.

They are also offered at an attractive price point. (Even more attractive

Dog Park Kits like this one provide a package deal on several components to create an instant doggie agility playground

More and more parks and other facilities are now providing Dog Park Equipment to enhance their dog parks.

This month, Feb. 20, is national Love Your Pet Day. It's a good time to take another look at providing this great feature at your local dog park.

At the Park and Facilities Catalog we are seeing a huge and growing demand for dog playground equipment.

Hoops, tunnels, ramps, hurdles, stepping paws, weave posts.

Dog need exercise and pet owners love to see this agility equipment at their local dog parks.

For that reason, we are offering a special deal.

Buy a Dog Park Kit, get Two Benches FREE

Purchase a Dog Park Kit from us before March 31, and we will throw in Two Paw and Bone Benches for FREE.

Get two of these Paw and Bone dog park benches with the purchase of a Dog Park Kit for a limited time

These Dog Park Kits are the way to go. Our kits provide a package deal on

This year will see a huge boom in theme park construction that will add more dollars to the US economy

There is no doubt that one industry where America stands out worldwide is in the category of theme parks and this year, we will see a huge boost as new attractions open that will literally make people starry-eyed.

Starry-eyed as in Star Wars.

The Walt Disney Corp. is spending billions to open two new Star Wars themed parks.

Smartly, the new parks will be nearly identical. They are both called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. They both occupy about 14-acres of land.

But the attractions promise to pack in lots of power in those spaces.

The big features will be the rides called Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run and the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Visitors will also be able to check out the outer space town of Batuu, meet Chewbacca, drink blue milk in the Black Spire Outpost and train to be a Jedi.

The first Star Wars park will open at Disneyland in California this summer. The other will open

 

Some communities are commissioning local artists to paint wood picnic tables with colorful designs to draw attention to their projects. See links in story

How can simple wood picnic tables bring a community together?

First, purchase some commercial-grade wooden picnic tables (these are durable, heavy-duty picnic tables that can withstand constant public use in the outdoors).

Then add artists.

Now you have the basic ingredients for an interesting way to attract attention to a project.

And bring people together. After all, that's what picnic tables are designed to do.

This is what took place near Penn State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania.

After reading the book, "The Art of Neighboring" a woman got the idea to purchase some wood picnic tables.

Then she painted them with a tie-dye design.

After that, she distributed the wood picnic tables throughout the neighborhood as a way for people living there to mingle, get to know one another and share a meal.

Wood picnic tables used as

Experts recommend that dogs get daily exercise that engages both their minds and bodies. Adding dog park equipment does both

Dog park equipment such as hoops, tunnels, ramps and other agility products can provide more than just physical exercise for dogs.

Dog playground equipment is also great for mental exercise as well.

Let's face it. Dogs need activity. It's in their DNA.

Unfortunately, many times they are confined to a home alone for most of the day and don't get the activity they need.

Both physically and mentally.

A bored dog is not good.

They become frustrated and could exhibit destructive behavior. Or they can become sluggish and unhealthy.

Dog park equipment provides physical and mental exercises

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"A tired dog is a happy dog."

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PetMD recommends a dog should spend between 30 minutes to two hours of activity every day. Obviously certain breeds will need more exercise than others.

Terriers, retrievers, shepherds, hounds, collies and similar dogs need to move. Bulldogs, pugs

Tips on the accessories to bring to enhance your experience cooking outside on park charcoal grills

There are just some things that you can't do without when grilling away from home on park charcoal grills in a local, state or national park.

Those easily recognizable, monument-like pedestal grills situated by pavilions and gazebos have long provided memorable meals and outings for individuals and couples, groups and organizations, sports teams, family reunions, and countless company picnics.

But grilling away from your home setup on a park provided grill can present a challenge.

You won't have access to your home cabinets or kitchen drawers for those things that are routinely taken for granted and always on hand without so much as a thought. But with a little advanced planning, grilling out on park charcoal grills can be just as easy and enjoyable as grilling at home. Sometimes even better because of the overall experience.

Before heading out to the park for your day trip and grilling adventure,

Some ideas on creating a checklist and schedule for regular maintenance of Commercial Site Furnishings such as picnic tables that must withstand constant use by the public

Commercial site furnishings such as picnic tables, park benches, outdoor bike racks and aluminum bleachers should be inspected on a regular basis to be safe and kept in prime condition.

After all these products are usually located in public places where they are subjected to heavy usage and wear.

It's smart to be safe rather than sorry.

Here is a checklist of some of the typical issues to check.

Note: This is not a complete list because the manufacturer might have some specific requirements for certain products.

(For further information, contact the knowledgeable staff at The Park and Facilities Catalog for additional answers to your questions about maintaining and repairing commercial site furnishings).

Checklist for commercial site furnishings Bolts, fasteners, screws and other parts that you see on picnic tables,

Custom bike rack in the shape of a shark outside the Haysville Activity Center

Have you ever considered the benefits of adding Custom Bike Racks with fins, tails, and teeth to your town, business or school?

That's what the City of Haysville in Kansas did recently when they installed a custom bike rack in the shape of a shark at their beautiful, new activity center.

At the center, built in 2017, the recreation department manages a giant-size pool for town residents.

Nearby, the rec department brings a bit of the beach to Kansas with two sand volleyball courts. They offer plenty of activities indoors as well from tiny tot basketball to family movie nights.

Georgie Carter, recreation director, said the shark-shaped custom bike rack has special significance.

"Shark week is always something the lifeguards have fun with during the summer," she said.

In addition, the youth swim team is called the "Piranhas" so there is a tie-in there as well.

How does she like her very unique outdoor bike rack?

Commercial garbage cans for businesses are now available in a variety of attractive styles and colors to help contain litter in local communities

These statistics reveal how businesses bear the brunt of the fight against litter and why commercial garbage cans play a key role in not only keeping the area around a business clean, but also helping the overall appearance of the community.

According to Keep America Beautiful, businesses pay a staggering $9.1 billion per year in removing trash and the fight against litter. That ranges from the installation of trash receptacles to garbage hauling to the efforts of company employees.

Litter overall cost the US more than $11.5 billion annually.

So, you can see how businesses bear the financial burden of keeping our cities clean.

And there is a direct benefit to a community.

When they are plenty of commercial garbage cans in place at businesses, on city streets and in parks to keep the streets clean, there are important economic benefits.

Trash

Believe it or not there are at least 80 songs with the word "Park" in the title, reminding us just how much those green spaces hold a special place in our lives.

One of the most famous and well-known songs about parks has got to be the emotional and partly nonsensical song "MacArthur Park."

This tune was written by one of the most popular songwriters of all time - Jimmy Webb. He also penned such monster hits as "I Am a Lineman for the County" and "Up, Up and Away."

Here's another interesting tidbit: MacArthur Park really does exist. This famous patch of land is located in Los Angeles, CA.

Webb said he got the idea for the song after he broke up with his girlfriend. When they were together, they would meet in MacArthur Park for lunch and those fond memories provided the inspiration for his famous tune.

He said all those images in the park were real: especially the legendary cake left out in the rain.

Fate would have it that actor Richard Harris would meet Webb at a fundraiser in Los Angeles.

For all the time families will spend indoors this holiday season - opening presents, eating dinner, chatting and mingling, it might be a good idea to give them the gift of a walk in a park.

The benefits could last much longer than any regular iPad, sweater or bathrobe.

Here's some research on why a walk in a park is a good idea.

Studies have shown:

When mice walk on treadmills, they develop more new brain cells than those that are sedentary Active mice perform better on tests for learning and memorization Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly, have a larger, healthier hippocampus, the part of the brain involved with memory and learning Exercise does not need to be strenuous. One study with students instructed to barely pedal a bicycle showed marked improvements in memory testing. You can get the same result from walking for 10 minutes. Researchers think that just a slight elevation in activity results in positive changes in blood flow and hormone levels, resulting in improved

The staff at The Park and Facilities Catalog and the tree they decorated at a local foster home as part of the 4KIDS foster program. Visit www.4kids.us to learn how you can help this valuable organization that finds safe homes for hundreds of abandoned children in South Florida

There is a major challenge taking place in South Florida today with children who have been removed from their homes for various reasons and need a safe place to live.

It is estimated that every day, from 7 to 11 children are relocated from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. About 2,400 are removed every year in just a three-county area in South Florida.

Experts refer to the plight of these youngsters as the "invisible crisis."

Fortunately, there is a fantastic organization called 4Kids that is dedicated to solving this problem and finding refuge for these youngsters.

The group works with residents in Broward County, Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast to arrange for welcome and safe foster homes

The innovative Atlanta BeltLine - a 22-mile loop of parks, multi-use trails and proposed alternative transportation linking neighborhoods. (Photo by John Becker - Atlanta BeltLine Partnership)

One of the truly remarkable stories about how parks are created is the innovative 22-mile BeltLine project in Atlanta that was inspired by a graduate student's thesis.

The idea of using an abandoned rail corridor built in 1902 encircling the city first sprang up when Georgia Tech student Ryan Gravel first thought of the idea after he reportedly became frustrated with sources of alternative transportation in the area.

He formed a group called Friends of the BeltLine. Working with some colleagues, he created his proposal and mailed it off to several influential people in the city.

The idea took hold.

The project focused on becoming a pedestrian-friendly rail transit with lots of amenities strewn throughout the line.

Fast forward to today and here are some of the details of the project:

Planned 22-mile

 

As our gift to you this holiday season The Park and Facilities Catalog offers FREE SHIPPING* on select Commercial Site Furnishings.

We offered this deal in November. Because it was so popular, we extended that promotion through Fri., Dec. 14!

And we added 3, 4, and 5-row Aluminum Bleachers.

So hurry.

(*Conditions apply - this special is for our durable 398-Series Commercial Site Furnishings, 439 Dog Park Equipment products and 569-Series 3, 4 and 5-row bleachers . Must be call-in orders. To be able to offer this tremendous savings, the minimum order is $4,000. Cannot be combined with any other discounts. Does not apply to previous offers. Promotion ends Dec. 14, 2018.)

What a deal! As you know shipping large commercial outdoor picnic tables, benches, bike racks, etc. can be quite the expense.

From now until the end of the year, that expense is ZERO.

You can really stretch out that end-of year-budget.

This offer has conditions but don't fret. We have a very large selection of No.