Kudoes to city's Recreation Dept.

My hat is off to Ken Hartman, director, and others at the City of Anderson's Parks and Recreation Department.

What a terrific job they do each summer keeping a full slate of programs going for the community's youths, some of whom might otherwise be drawn into less desirable activities when faced with so much unstructured free time.

In actuality, Hartman and Recreation Supervisor Pam Lewis, supported by department secretary Mana Davis and Park Supervisor John Hargrave, keep our youths and others occupied and active all year round.

However, it is the recently-completed summer program that stands out for its breadth and scope.

Thanks to a recent report Hartman gave to the Anderson City Council, here is a brief recap on the types of programs and numbers of participants in each:

Swimming - During an eight-week period, 277 children learned to swim and 1,735 members of the public practiced skills in the Anderson High School pool.

Sports Camps - A total of 117 youths participated in one of five structured sports camps offered by the city. One-week camps were offered in basketball, football, dance, skate boarding/inline skating and tennis.

Playground games - more than 2,216 younger children took part in the department's Summer of Fun organized playground games held at Anderson River Park, Happy Valley Elementary School and Anderson Heights Middle School. Supervised play was available for up to four hours each week day for six weeks while schools were in recess. Another 12 working parents paid $40 per week for an extended afternoon program at Anderson River Park.

National Night Out - The department hosted an estimated 100 people for barbecued hamburgers or hot dogs, chips, soft drinks and activities at Volonte Park during this annual evening to promote crime prevention.

Skate Competition - Three competitions in three cities over a period of several weeks culminated this past Saturday when Anderson hosted the finals of the North State Skate Series. More than 80 competitors and well over 200 spectators attended preliminary rounds Sept. 12 in Redding and Sept. 26 in Red Bluff. But the awards and final performances that garnered them were held Oct. 10 in Anderson's own skate bowl located in Volonte Park.

Mosquito Serenade - By far the department's most ambitious program each summer is a series of 10 free Wednesday evening concerts held in an outdoor amphitheater at Anderson River Park. The 28th annual Mosquito Serenade was no exception, starting June 10 with Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Famer Chris Hillman, a founding member of the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band, who appeared with Herb Pederson to play rock, folk and blue grass. The energy continued through August 12 when Caravanserai, a Santana Tribute Band, rocked the amphitheater for several hours straight. In total, nearly 30,000 people attended the concerts and made donations of $47,000 to see that the program continues next year.

For anyone inclined to calculate the grand total, Hartman and his crew touched the lives of more than 34,300 individuals during the summer - not bad at all for a city with slightly more than 10,000 in population.

And, Hartman and crew did it all by staying within their reduced budget, by seeking sponsors and by working with schools and other cities to share facilities.