The Houlton Parks and Recreation will be holding its summer registrations for youth programs.
Open registrations for Houlton residents, as well as non-Houlton residents is now ongoing.
All registrations will be accepted until June 1; however, several programs have limited registrations, so early registration is encouraged. All registrations will be held at the Gentle Memorial Building; no telephone registrations will be accepted.
The summer flyer has been distributed through the local schools systems or flyers may be picked up at the recreation department. The Houlton Parks and Recreation Department tries to keep programs at an affordable level for all residents. If you have an unusual financial situation that may limit participation due to the fee, please contact the department prior to the day you register to make payment arrangements. The number is 532-1310.
Programs being offered this summer are as follows:
“Just for Kids” Playground program is open to youth ages 5-13. Youth must be 5 years of age by June 18 and must have attended kindergarten for 2013-2014 to stay all day. Those youth who are five years, but did not attend kindergarten are allowed to stay for the morning session 9-11 a.m. The full-day program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and Fridays 9-11a.m. The program will run June 18 – Aug. 8 and a schedule will be given out at registrations with dates the program will not be open.
“Just for Kids” Playground program is limited to the first 150 children to register. Cost for the program is as follows: one child $150 for Houlton resident, $225 for non-residents; two children, $200 for resident, $295 for non-resident and each additional child is $50 for resident and $75 for non-resident. Five-year-olds only attending a half day will pay $75 for Houlton resident and $100 for non-resident.
This program is held at Community Park on good days and at the Houlton Recreation Center on rainy days. RSU 29 food service will provide free lunch to all participants from June 18 through Aug. 8. More information will be given out at the time of registration.
The “Just for Kids” Playground program has been developed to keep the children happy, busy and safe throughout the summer. A tentative schedule and listing of rules will be given out at the time of registration.
Red Cross swimming lessons will be held for six weeks each Monday and Wednesday starting on Monday, July 8. Times will be given out at the time of registration. Lessons this summer will be held at the Shiretown Motor Inn Pool. Youth must be 6 years of age by July 1 to participate. The program is for Houlton residents only. Cost for this program is $55 per participant. More details will be given at registration.
Tennis lessons will be held again this summer starting on Wednesday, June 19. Classes will be held at the beginners and intermediates levels. Youth must be 7 years of age by June 19 and older to participate.
Lessons will be held each Monday and Wednesday for six weeks at the Community Park Tennis Courts. Times will be announced at registration. Class size is limited to 12 students. Rackets may be provided if needed this year by the Houlton Parks and Recreation Department. Cost is $30 for Houlton residents and $45 for non-Houlton residents. Lucas Anderson will be this summer’s instructor.
Junior girls softball will be held for girls between the ages of 9-12 years. Age deadline for this division is April 30. Clinic-style practices will be held each Tuesday and Thursday at the Community Park fields and the girls will participate in two County tournaments. Softball will start Thursday, June 20. More information will be given at the first practice. Girls must have their own glove. Cost for this program is $30 for the Houlton residents and $45 for non-Houlton residents.
Youth basketball camp will be held June 18–21 at the Gentle Memorial Building. Youth entering grades K-3 will go from 8:30-11 a.m. and youth entering grades 4-9 will go from 12-3 p.m. This camp is set up to focus on the basic fundamentals of basketball through the use of drills, fun games and competition. Instructors will be Bruce Nason and Tim Tweedie. Cost is $45 for Houlton residents and $65 for non-Houlton residents.
T-ball is for 5-6 year-olds (must be 5 by April 30) and First Pitch is for those ages 7-8 (must be 7 by April 30). T-ball introduces baseball with the use of a batting tee. First Pitch is designed to teach fundamentals of baseball and introduce batters to a pitch. Both programs will begin the week of July 8 and run for four weeks. Practices and games will be held Monday – Thursday evenings at the baseball fields in Community Park. Cost is $25 for Houlton residents and $38 for non-Houlton residents.
Dutch Soccer Camp will return once again this summer to Houlton area youth. The camp, which is run by Rob Krul, will be held the week of June 24-28 at the Houlton High soccer fields. Youth going into grades K-4 will go from 9-11a.m. Monday-Friday, while youth going into grades 5-8 will go from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday – Friday. Within each camp session, youth will be divided into age appropriate groups for camp activities. Cost for this camp is $70 per participant with a $5 discount for each additional sibling attending camp.
Hershey Track and Field is open to girls and boys between the ages of 9-14 years. Age groups will be determined as of Dec. 31. The first practice will be held on Tuesday, May 14 at 3:15 p.m. for ages 9-10 years and 4:15 p.m. for ages 11–14. Practices will be held outside the Millar Civic Center or at the Houlton Rec Center in case of rain. Cost for this program is $20 Houlton residents and $30 for non-Houlton residents. This program introduces youth to the basic fundamentals of track and field events. Youth must attend weekly practices to be eligible to attend the District Track meet in Caribou. More information will be given out at the time of registration.
Sneakin’ In Science Mini Program will be held on Aug. 12 at the rec center with Sara McQuarrie as the instructor. It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon each morning. Children between ages 7-12 are invited to this fun program. Cost is $30 per child. The program will focus on rockets. Children will learn to build some rockets with a design — which has not been used before in Sneakin’ In Science class— as well as some other high flying gadgets. What would the summer science be without bubbles? Children will make huge bubbles again this summer and even put kids inside a bubble. Finally, they will learn about weather by making tornadoes in a jar. We’ll also make it rain and snow. Snow in August? Awesome!
A soccer skills clinic will be held with Houlton High School varsity girls soccer coach Tim Tweedie and his players. It will be held on August 12-15 at the Community Park soccer field. Grades K-3 will go from 8:30-10 a.m. and grades 4-6 will go from 10:15-11:45 a.m. Cost will be $20 for Houlton residents and $30 for non-Houlton residents. The clinic will include soccer skill drills, mini games and contests. Be sure to wear comfortable clothes, bring a water bottle and soccer ball.
Discount summer tickets are on sale for Funtown/Splashtown in Saco. Stop by the Houlton Rec Center and buy tickets, beginning May 14 through Aug. 29. Tickets will be $27 (usually $36 at the gate). Also this summer, Aquaboggan tickets can be picked up for a discounted rate at the Houlton Rec Department, Super Pass is $22. ( usually $30 at the gate).
Career Exploration Camp is new to the summer lineup. The camp will be held from 1-3 p.m. on Aug. 12-15, with the theme “When I Grow Up” at the recreation center. Come and explore the various careers available in today’s world. This is for grades 3-6 and Erica Tweedie will be the instructor. The class is $40 and limited to 15 children. Children will research careers based on their interests, create art activities about a chosen career and participate in fun exploration of leadership skills and critical thinking skills that they need to be successful.
For more information on any of the programs listed, call the rec center at 532-1310.
