Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 10, 2012
Contact:
Virginia State Parks to participate in "National Kids to Parks Day" May 19
(RICHMOND, VA) - Every state park across Virginia will offer special kid-friendly programs on Saturday, May 19, as Virginia State Parks partner with the National Park Trust for "National Kids to Parks Day."
"National Kids to Parks Day" is intended to encourage children and their parents to spend more time outdoors.
Events include hay rides at Caledon Natural Area and Occoneechee State Park, special kids activities at the Douthat Lake Run Car Show in Douthat State Park and a Swamp Stomp at Staunton River Battlefield State Park.
Hungry Mother and Grayson Highlands state parks will celebrate the opening of their TRACK Trail programs, featuring family-friendly trails that use colorful signs and fun activities to introduce children to nature. Claytor Lake State Park also offers a TRACK Trail. The TRACK Trail program is part of the Kids in Parks Initiative sponsored by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
Other special activities include a "Story Hike" at Twin Lakes State Park and bird Olympics at First Landing State Park, as well as crafts, guided hikes and geo-caching in other parks across the state.
For a complete list of events, vist: http://1.usa.gov/IFd6NO,
For more information about "National Kids to Parks Day," visit www.kidstoparks.org.
National Kids to Parks Day has been endorsed by Department of the Interior's Youth in the Great Outdoors, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, Western Governors' Association, Children's National Medical Center, Boy Scouts of America, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, America's State Parks, National Recreation and Park Association, Children & Nature Network, and the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in support of the First Lady's Let Move Outside! initiative.
The award-winning Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
For more information about Virginia State Parks activities and amenities or to make reservations in one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.
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