Guests sampled and voted on more than 30 hot and mild chilis prepared by amateur cooks and local restaurants at the 9th annual Chili Oktoberfest, held in conjunction with the Murrysville-Export Rotary, although it wasn’ t so chilly this year with temperatures in the 70s! Rivertowne beverages, hot dogs, the Just JJ and Barry band, kids’ activities and more were enjoyed by more than 300 hungry guests and cash prizes were awarded to 1st and 2nd place in each category. This annual event, which supports the Rotary Polio Foundation and the Miracle Field Complex, will be held again in October 2017; don’ t miss it!
December 2 ushered in the holiday season with Night of Lights at Town Square and 1st United Methodist Church. With a recordsetting attendance, Santa arrived with his reindeer and visited with all of the good boys and girls and his reindeer enjoyed eating carrots all night long! The gingerbread house contest saw 23 entries and more votes than ever, which benefitted the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Thank you to our volunteers, local businesses and organizations that made this fun event possible.
The local business community and many individuals are continually supportive of our Department’ s events and programs by providing sponsorships to ensure their longevity and costeffectiveness for participants. Thank you cannot be said enough!
Field Use and Maintenance
Park sports fields continue to be in high demand for organized sports organizations and general community use. Franklin Area Midget Football Association, Franklin Regional Athletic Association, Murrysville Area Soccer Association, Boys and Girls Lacrosse, numerous community sports teams and individual enthusiasts alike utilize every sports field available during the months of April- November. Year 2016 generated about $ 20,000 in fees collected for field use, which helps to offset annual maintenance costs.
Recreation Programs
Summer Recreation Programs remain popular, garnering 604 registrations for more than 50 programs for participants ages pre-K through adult. Programs included: Pioneer Camp, Fencing, Home Landscape Series with Plumline Nursery, Brick4Kidz, Minecraft, Theater Camp, Ready-Set-Run 5K Camp, Princess Camp, Safety City and more. Ninety-one( 91) children registered for the Playground
Program and visited 598 times to five( 5) different parks over seven( 7) weeks. New instructors brought new activities to the program and even more fun games are planned for 2017. The program is offered for four( 4) hours each day and no pre-registration is required. It’ s a great way to have safe, supervised fun with friends in the summer!
Students became strong, safe swimmers and advanced through required levels during the six( 6) weeks of Red Cross Swim Lessons offered at the Franklin Regional Middle School pool. The 152 registrations received filled up limited lesson spaces very quickly. Thank you to Franklin Regional School District for its partnership in this program.
Summer’ s youth journeyed through time at the Sampson Clark Toll House and learned the history of Murrysville, Forbes Trail and our Toll System while at Pioneer Camp. Campers also enjoyed cooking on an open fire, learning daily chores, visits from General Grant and a Native American Indian, and a trip to historic Hanna’ s Town. Members of the Murrysville Historical and Preservation Society donated their time and talents to ensure a wonderful camp for everyone. Thank you to all and the Department is excited for more historical fun this summer!
Be an MVP!
The Murrysville Volunteer Program debuted with a mission to increase volunteer awareness and engagement in both community and municipal roles. The Program’ s emphasis is to establish a robust volunteer matchmaking service to meet the needs of our community, as was recommended in Murrysville’ s Comprehensive Plan. The Volunteer Program has specific goals to ensure the vision is achieved; these goals include raising community awareness needs for community volunteering, streamlining existing volunteer efforts to increase volunteer participation, serving as a conduit for residents who are interested in volunteering, enhancing relationships between local service organizations and the Municipality, and increasing knowledge of Municipal operations and volunteer opportunities. More information can be found by visiting the Municipal website at http:// murrysville. com / volunteerin-murrysville /, by searching Murrysville Volunteer Program on Facebook, or by calling 724.327.2100, Ext. 115.
Department Information
Information regarding Murrysville Recreation Department Programs and Events can be found by visiting http:// murrysvilleparecreation. com /, in the Penn-Franklin Newspaper in our bi-annual supplement, or on Facebook at Murrysville Recreation Department. The Department can also be reached by phone during normal working hours at 724.327.2100, Ext. 131 or Ext. 115. urrysville MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE NEWS
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