Page 2 - Parks and Recreation

King of the Hill ramp is just one of the agility pieces with today's selection of Dog Park Equipment

If you don't have a dog park with dog playground equipment in your neighborhood or multi-family community, you may want to organize a group and build one - for the benefits of both canines and owners.

Because here are some interesting statistics.

We all know that dogs benefit from having a designated space for them to play. They get out of the house. They can run around unleashed. And they can socialize with other dogs.

When you add in dog playground equipment, such as ramps, tunnels and hurdles, there are even more benefits. Dogs learn new tricks that stimulate them mentally. They interact with their owners, which they love to do. And they burn up all that pent-up energy from sitting indoors.

That's one reason why the number of dog parks across the country has skyrocketed in the past decade.

If you are interested in adding an off-leash place for pooches with dog playground equipment in

 

The giant "Sandi" Christmas Tree in West Palm Beach, Fl. The tree is made with 700 tons of sand as part of the "Holiday in Paradise" event produced by the West Palm Beach Department of Parks and Recreation

Many people might have the misconception that Parks and Recreation Departments are mainly busy during the summer months.

They certainly are with local citizens flocking to parks to dine alfresco at picnic tables, play or watch baseball games, swim in a community pool or participate in an arts program at the rec center.

And then there's all that grass that needs to be cut, flowers to be planted and trees to trim.

However, many parks and recreation departments are busy year-round.

And during the end of the year and the holiday season, they are particularly busy.

Take the National Park Service itself. This massive department has 20,000 employees who manage more than 84 million acres of national parks.

But few Americans might know that the NPS is also responsible for the installation of

Here are the results of a recent survey on what people like to do at parks besides just sitting on a park bench

Why do people visit parks?

According to a recent survey by the National Recreation and Parks Association, there are several and they vary in scope by quite a bit.

In other words, there's more to parks than just sitting on a park bench.

For example, when posed this question: "What are the Key Reasons you go to parks?" here are some answers.

62% - said to be with family and friends

52% - to be physically active and exercise

50% - to be close to nature

36% - to experience adventure and excitement

16% - to learn a skill or craft

8% - to have someone take care of children (programs for kids)

As you can see, hanging out with family and friends is the top activity for park visitors. This certainly points out the need for plenty of outdoor site furnishings for them to sit such as picnic tables or park benches. Not only that, but when those families get together, they like to eat. So

A family enjoys a walk in a park. Many people are choosing to #OptOutside on the day after Thanksgiving

If you go to the National Park Foundation website, you can find some interesting facts about Thanksgiving, including portions of Abraham Lincoln's letter proclaiming the holiday.

There's a fascinating story behind the history of this popular holiday.

For one, all Americans might not be celebrating this same day off every November if it weren't for a woman named Susan Josepha Hale.

Hale was a popular writer and editor in the 1800s. You might have heard of a nursery rhyme she wrote called, "Mary Had A Little Lamb." (By the way, her poem was the first words ever recorded on the first phonograph invented by Thomas Edison).

As far as Thanksgiving, this tradition was one that was celebrated for years in Europe as an expression of gratitude for the annual harvest. The celebration transitioned over to the United States as well.

However, in America, each state had its own separate Thanksgiving

Doug Leen with two of his "Ranger Doug" national park posters

When Doug Leen was a park ranger for Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, an iconic poster from the past caught his eye.

Ever since then he has been on a mission, like an archaeologist of national parks, to find or create those missing park posters.

In fact, he refers to himself as "Ranger of the Lost Art."

Earlier in his life, before Doug became a dentist, he decided to spend a few years in the outdoors as a park ranger.

He worked at the spectacular Grand Teton National Park, America's equivalent of the Swiss Alps.

While involved in an annual cleanup, he came across an old, dusty poster for the park tucked away in the corner of a barn.

Something about that nostalgic poster of those majestic mountains struck a note with him.

Upon further research, he discovered the poster was one created by artists back in the 1930s as part of the Works Progress Administration. That massive WPA program was established by President Franklin D.

Study suggests ways that parks can help citizens exercise more and stay healthy

As we get closer to the next decade, a recent study shows that parks may play a more important in our lives than ever before.

This is the digital age. Americans are spending more time indoors on electronic devices.

According to a report prepared by the City Parks Alliance "Active Park, Healthy Cities," the lack of physical inactivity is a major cause of illness and death. In fact, the study says 11% of deaths can be attributed to a lack of activity.

Yet, annually we spend $10,348 per person on health care and only $83 per person on city parks.

Spending more on city parks and getting people outdoors could change that equation.

The study suggests one of the main functions that park departments and city officials might want to conduct is measuring park usage.

As the old saying goes, "What gets measured gets managed."

Here's one of the bigger issues that measuring might confirm - most neighborhood parks are underutilized.

"My cats inspire me daily. They inspire me to get a dog," - Greg Curtis "There ain't a man livin' who hasn't talked to his dog." - Hank Williams "Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach." - Moby "Every dog is a lion at home." - Henry George Bohn "I poured spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone." - Steven Wright "We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. Well, it's cheaper, and you get more feet." - Rita Rudner "Asthma doesn't seem to bother me any more unless I'm around cigars or dogs. The thing that would bother me most would be a dog smoking a cigar." - Steve Allen "What a dog I got, his favorite bone is in my arm." - Rodney Dangerfield "My fashion philosophy is, if you're not covered in dog hair, your life is empty." - Elayne Boosler "I was a dog in a past life. Really. I'll be walking down the street and dogs will do a sort of double-take. Like, Hey, I know him." - William Macy "This man used to go

Dog park equipment such as hurdles are equipped with an adjustable bar for different dog sizes and breeds

Here is a handy preliminary checklist for those interested in starting a dog park and adding amenities such as dog park equipment.

There are apparently more than 1,000 dog parks currently in the US. From 2009 to the present, the top 100 cities in America saw nearly a 75% increase in the number of dog parks added.

One reason, a super large number of people own dogs. Nearly 50% of households in the US own at least one dog.

The total number of dogs is estimated to be a whopping 89.7 million.

That's a lot of canines.

Paws table where dogs can rest or learn new commands. These tables are treated with a special easy to grip coating for canines

Dog park basics

Here's another fact about dogs. They need to exercise. Most experts say as a rule of thumb dogs should get at least one hour or exercise per day, although times vary per breed and age.

Let's face it. Dogs are programmed to run and jump.

Quick Ship Park Benches in a wide selection are available by calling The Park and Facilities Catalog

Quick Ship Park Benches are available for park and facility managers or construction superintendents who need to add commercial seating to their location very quickly.

As a major supplier in the commercial site furnishings industry since 2001, The Park and Facilities Catalog has distributed park and commercial benches to thousands of municipalities, restaurants, retail centers and other facilities across the US.

We know there are times when facility or park managers need benches to be delivered rapidly. There are instances when a project needs to be completed or public seating is required for a grand opening of a park, store, office building, etc.

That is why we stockpile benches: for those need-it-now situations. We call it ParkExpress!

We can ship many products in 1-3 business days. (Note: This means the park benches can be loaded onto a truck at our warehouse in an expedited time frame.

Fire rings with cooking grates help to make a camping experience more enjoyable...and safe

Fire rings combine the ability to conveniently prepare your meals directly at your campsite, socializing around a campfire with a safe fire enclosure that is a popular way to relax with neighbors, family, and friends at a park or campground.

In addition to the ambiance and outdoor aesthetic that an outdoor fire ring provides, the functional ability to prepare an onsite snack, lunch or dinner is one of the most useful amenities that a local, state or national park can offer to their visitors.

Whether staying for the day, weekend, or longer, convenience in food preparation and cooking is always an important consideration in location choice.

And with the choices that campers and park goers have for meal preparation, having fire rings provided at their campsite can be the difference between a fun, memorable family outing with freshly-prepared hot meals or an awkward trip topped off with cold cuts on soggy

Quick Ship Aluminum Bleachers can be loaded up on a truck from our warehouse in just three business days

Quick ship aluminum bleachers are an event-saver for different scenarios when you need outdoor seating quickly.

Some of those scenarios might be:

Large grandstand project not completed? Underestimated the number of fans attending your football games? Quick ship aluminum bleachers can fill in the gap. Have an indoor seating situation, say a gymnastics studio or martial arts training facility, where you need seating? Tired of putting out all those folding chairs every night for parents and friends? Small 3 and 4-row bleachers are the perfect solution. They easily fit indoors and can also be ordered in various lengths, from 7.5 to 27 feet to fit your space. This will make your seating organized and safe. And they can be shipped from our warehouse in just THREE business days. You can even order custom sizes for specific dimensions to maximize density (although custom products probably can't

Quick ship picnic tables similar to this one are available for rush situations

Quick Ship Picnic Tables in several styles are available from The Park and Facilities Catalog for park and facility managers in a hurry.

The Park Catalog has been in business since 2001. Since then we supplied concrete, wood, recycled plastic and metal picnic tables to thousands of parks, municipalities, restaurants, retail centers and other facilities.

With all those years of experience, we understand how some facility or park managers might have a need for picnic tables to be delivered FAST. ASAP. Pronto.

We get it. We can help.

Because we handled so many orders for last-minute site furnishings, The Park and Facilities Catalog has stockpiled certain products we know are in demand and oftentimes need to be shipped quickly.

Picnic tables are one of those items.

We know rush orders. Perhaps a park's department needs additional picnic tables for an event. Or for a new park opening. Maybe their present picnic tables

Volunteers help clean a trail at Amistad National Recreation Area. Photo by NP

Saturday, Sept. 28 is a special day when it comes to our National Parks and if you volunteer your time, you will walk away with a free park pass for any day of the year.

The event? National Public Lands Day. This is the largest single-day environmental volunteer program in the nation.

This is a day to appreciate the magnitude of the public lands in America. These are not only lands managed by the National Park Service but also the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, US Army Corps of Engineers and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The National Park Service alone oversees more than 85 million across in all 50 states, plus American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

To celebrate this day, all national parks and sites will offer free admission.

But there is more to this celebration than a free pass.

National Public Lands Day attracts massive number of volunteers

Park Benches in England

When was the last time your municipality conducted a study of their Park Benches?

The city of Norwich in eastern England recently initiated a project to survey the location and condition of their park benches along with other factors. They came up with some results that surprised them.

Here's a quick overview of what they discovered:

There were 412 park bench seats Those benches created a capacity of 1,582 places to sit 234 park benches had backs 122 had armrests There were 112 benches with both back and armrests 68 park benches required cleaning 37 benches needed repairs It was recommended that 88 benches were best to be avoided altogether because of their condition There were some great spots, some with river views, that had no benches

Interesting results for sure.

We're also sure that the majority of parks and recreation directors and facility managers have a good understanding of their park bench inventory and the condition of the benches.

But as you can see

Canyonlands National Park - Photo from NPS/Gwen Gerbe

This Labor Day as far as jobs and economic development are concerned, when there are attractions that draw more than 330 million visitors every year, there is going to be a major amount of money spent and jobs created.

The attractions we are talking about are not Disneyland or Universal Theme Parks.

They are our National Parks.

National Parks (and for that matter state, county and city parks) are a major force in our economy and support a large number of workers.

The benefits were outlined recently in a study conducted by the National Park Service: 2017 National Park Visitor Spending Effects. Economic Contributions to Local Communities, States and the Nation

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced that spending by people visiting our national parks generated an estimated $35.8 billion in 2017.

That includes the money people spend on gas, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, etc. when they hit the road to go to Yosemite, Yellowstone,