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“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it
covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings,
till the summer comes again.” ― Lewis Carroll
As the Special Events Coordinator, the
change of the calendar has much signifi-
cance to me. It is a time to look back at the
past and a chance to look forward and make
plans and goals for the future. I often find
my mind focusing on an upcoming event or
reminiscing on ways to reach
out and invite folks to discov-
er, or rediscover, all the
great possibilities offered at
Washington Township Park.
When I started this position
last winter, the Park was
blanketed in snow. My goal was to learn the
back ground and history of the parks’ estab-
lished & successful programs created by my
predecessors. It has been rewarding to be
able to work as a team, yet be able to put
my imprint on events like Ghost & Goblins
and the 2014 Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair.
I am thankful for this present moment and
the chance to pencil into a new calendar
year, events and workshops that will add at
least one new public event per month.
Our ambition for 2015 will be to reach out
to underserved audiences in our township
by creating events that occur monthly as
well as continuing the festive group events.
One example includes biweekly workshops
for young children (ages 3-5) and their care-
givers to explore nature and
science hands-on during A
Walk in the Woods every
second and fourth Tuesday
from 10am to 11am. The
naturalist will begin in the
Pavilion Center with seasonal
science concepts then travel outside to ex-
plore! Another initiative is to continue de-
veloping community relationship as we part-
ner with other organizations including the
Avon Public Library, Hendricks Regional
YMCA, and Avon Town Hall Park. We hope
you will join us for the four seasons of activi-
ties we are planning. The Park is to be
shared with all of our friends and families
big and small, two wheels or more, two legs
or four. See you soon out on the trails!
Letter from Special Events Coordinator
Holiday in the Park
Recap of Last Issue Events
Interactive Hikes
The Park will once again have the distinct honor of
hosting the Father Daughter Date Night dance put
on by Project A.N.G.E.L. on February 28th from 6-
10pm at the Pavilion Center! Tickets support din-
ner & dessert, dancing with a DJ and a flower for
each daughter! Project Angel is asking that you
come adorning a beautiful mask of your choice to
be sure you take full advantage of a keepsake pho-
to taken by “I Just Snapped” during the dance! The
cost for each father/daughter pair is $40 but you
can purchase additional daughter tickets for just $7
so no one is left out! For more information and to
purchase tickets, please call Project Angel at
317-441-3596 or visit their website at
www.hcprojectangel.org/events
“The Park is to be
shared with our friends
and families, big &
small, two legs or more!”
A Tri-annual Update on Events Happening in the Park
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On December 20th, Santa came to Washington Township Park for a visit at our
first annual Holiday in the Park event! The event was a great success, and we
look forward to amping it up for next years’ event!
There were a lot of great things that surrounded
our first annual Holiday in the Park event, and we
hope that you check out our blog post about the
event, which you can access through our website!
The event held a special focus for our staff at the
Park. With the Director’s professional experience in
Accessibility and a member of our staff closely tied
with the world of individuals with disabilities, we
knew we wanted to provide an experience for those
kiddos who are all too often overlooked when it
comes to Park programming. Sensory Santa, as we
called it, was an opportunity for those kiddos wish-
ing to see Santa but needing some type of accom-
modation in order to ensure they would take full
advantage of the experiences offered. A quiet
space, a lack of lines full, a sensory box full of items
meant for exploration, and a Santa full of patience
and a peaceful exuberance set the tone for
an extremely successful event. In addition
to Sensory Santa, the Navigators 46, an all-
inclusive, co-ed scouting group that offers
an alternative to traditional scouting organ-
izations, were with us to graciously offer
breakfast for the parents and kiddos during
the first Santa experience! We look forward
to next year and hope to see you there!
“I know the Sensory Santa was our FIRST
EVER Positive Santa Experience! We will
definitely be back! Thanks a ton! You have
no idea how much it meant for me to see
my Daughter able to enjoy Santa!”
– Veronica Seago Warner
Rampage Run utilizes differing terrain and
distances to create three courses that allow
athletes of all abilities to compete on a level
playing field. Top trail runners will not only be
racing amongst each other, but will face off
against intermediate runners, and even begin-
ners! For more information and to get regis-
tered visit http://dashnbash.com/
We are fortunate to be hosting two Cancer edu-
cation events at the Park. Indiana University
Health West Hospital has partnered with Hen-
dricks Regional Health to offer Cancer Connec-
tion Hendricks County, a Becoming the Healthi-
est You education series, on a quarterly basis at
the Washington Township Park Pavilion Center.
The first topic, Coping with the Stress of Cancer
will be held on February 17th from 6-9pm. It is
important to us that we provide education as
well as recreational programs to our community,
we hope you’ll join us!
On February 15th from 2-5pm at the Pavilion
Center, Melissa Cain of Melissa Cain Art Studio
will be in the Park to provide a Cookies & Can-
vas event! You’ve heard of Wine & Canvas,
well this is the family friendly version of the
event! Families are encouraged to come as a
group to partake in this fun and creative way to
spend a Sunday afternoon! Registration infor-
mation is available by calling 317-745-0785 or
emailing [email protected].
Reserve your space today!
Do you remember back in the day the good ‘ol sign hanging from
the treehouse saying, “no girls allowed” or “no parents allowed”?
We’re bringing it back, but now, it’s advantageous to all parties
involved! We want to thank the parents of the Washington Township community for all of their
support and dedication to making our Park and Township such a great place to be! Friday, January
30th from 6:30pm-9:00pm we will be opening the Pavilion (pre-registration required) to your
kiddos for a FREE night of fun & activities! While we hope that you’ll use the time to get out and
enjoy some recreating of your own, we also understand that sometimes all you REALLY want is a
night at home in the peace & quiet. However you decide to use your time, it is all yours! For more
information and to reserve a spot, call 317-745-0785 or email [email protected]!
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There are so many benefits to getting out and exploring nature; it enriches
your mind, it calms your thoughts, and well, it just does a body good (oh
wait, that’s milk .. but we think it applies here too)! We are making an effort
to provide three new activities to you, our Parkies, in 2015 - all are free and
require very little of your time, but will offer great rewards!
‘A Stroll in the Park’ is conducted once every four weeks and will be aimed at
providing a seasonal interpretive hike for individuals of all ages!
‘Tyke Hike’ is a program geared towards our preschool age Parkies ; the intent of the program is to be able to engage
them in an interactive/hands-on nature experience each time! The program will be led by either our Special Programs
Coordinator or select special guests and is held every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month!
‘Second Sunday for Seniors’ is a program offered the second Sunday of each month and will aim to provide senior citizens in our community with op-
portunities to enjoy a variety of seasonal activities! The location will vary based on the activity!
For more information on these events or to let us know that you would like to attend, please call 317-745-0785 or email mcrabtreeda-
[email protected]. We look forward to seeing you out and about exploring nature with us!
“Sunshine is delicious, rain
is refreshing, wind braces
us up, snow is exhila-
rating; there is really no
such thing as bad weath-
er, only different kinds of
good weather.”
John Ruskin
This years Ghosts & Goblins event in the Park was a HUGE
success! We grew in attendance numbers from the year be-
fore, which means we grew in smiles (and rotted teeth I’m
sure) as well! From the cute to the gory, all came out to show
their Halloween spirit and trick-or-treat along our trail, play
games, enter the costume contest and enjoy concessions from
Project Angel or enjoy some of Geno's homemade kettle corn!
A HUGE thank you goes out to all of our amazing sponsors;
without each of you this event could not success, thank you!!!
Avante Garde School of Cosmotology, Park Square Manor,
Springleaf Fiancial, Avon-Washington Township Public Library,
Danville Chiropractic, Speck’s Pet Supply, Carpenter Realtors,
Orange Leaf, Avon Chiropractic, Imagination Station, ATA Family Martial Arts, Tastfully Simple,
AJAA, Harmony Baptist Church, Mystique Salon and Day Spa, Applehouse Preschool Cooperative,
Chuck E Cheese, Community Chiropractic, First Merchants Bank, & Kiwanis Club.
Birds in Winter Workshop
On January 31st from 9am-11:30am, the
Park will be holding an event all about
birding! Introduction to birding in the
winter months will be presented by Josh
Hill, Audubon Society member and Indi-
ana Certified Naturalist. This hands-on
presentation also includes learning tech-
niques to attract winter birds to your
backyard with Carrie Vanover of Avon
Wild-birds Unlimited. All ages are wel-
come to attend this free event but regis-
tration is required, so sign up fast! For
more information or to register please
call 317-745-0785 or email
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upcoming
January Every Monday
Insanity & PiYo FREE Workout
Pavilion Center
6:00pm (Insanity) 6:45pm (PiYo)
Friday, January 16th
Family Film “The Incredibles”
Pavilion Center
6:00pm—8:00pm
Saturday, January 24th
A Stroll in the Park
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
Tuesday, January 27th
A Walk in the Woods
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
Friday, January 30th
Whipple Tree House (No parents allowed!)
Pavilion Center
6:30pm—9:00pm
Saturday, January 31st
Birds in Winter Workshop
Pavilion Center
9:00am—11:30am
February Every Monday
Insanity & PiYo FREE Workout
Pavilion Center
6:00pm (Insanity) 6:45pm (PiYo)
Sunday, February 8th
Second Sundays for Seniors
TBD
2:00pm-3:00pm
Tuesdays, February 10th & 24th
A Walk in the Woods
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
Sunday, February 15th
Cookies & Canvas
Pavilion Center
2:00pm-5:00pm
Tuesday, February 17th
Coping with the Stress of Cancer
Pavilion Center
6:00pm—8:00pm
Friday, February 20th
Family Film “Maleficent”
Pavilion Center
6:00pm—8:00pm
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upcoming
February (cont.) Saturday, February 28th
A Stroll in the Park
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
Saturday, February 28th
Father/Daughter Dance
Pavilion Center (Aspen Room)
6:00pm—10:00pm
March Every Monday
Insanity & PiYo FREE Workout
Pavilion Center
6:00pm (Insanity) 6:45pm (PiYo)
Date TBD
IDNR Trails Accessibility Training
*Registration open to IPRA members
Pavilion Center & Park Trails
8:00am—4:00pm
Sunday, March 8th
Second Sundays for Seniors
TBD
2:00pm-3:00pm
Tuesday, March 10th & 24th
A Walk in the Woods
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
Friday, March 20th
Family Film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Pavilion Center
6:00pm—8:00pm
Saturday, March 21st
Western Indy Frozen Frisbee Tournament
TBD
10:00am-2:00pm
Saturday, March 28th
Rampage Run (Race Maker Production)
Park Trails
9:00am—11:00am
Saturday, March 28th
A Stroll in the Park
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
11:30am—12:30pm
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upcoming
April Every Monday
Insanity & PiYo FREE Workout
Pavilion Center
6:00pm (Insanity) 6:45pm (PiYo)
Friday, April 3rd
“Up” Family Film
Pavilion Center
6:00pm—8:00pm
Saturday, April 4th
Optimist Club Easter Egg Hunt
Sledding Hill/Upper Park
TBD
Sunday, April 12th
Second Sundays for Seniors
TBD
2:00pm-3:00pm
Tuesday, April 14th & 28th
A Walk in the Woods
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
Saturday, April 18th
IDNR GoFishIN—Family Fishing
Pavilion Center Pond
9:00am—12:00pm
Wednesday, April 22nd
Earth Day in the Park
TBD
TBD
Saturday, April 25th
A Stroll in the Park
Pavilion Center/Park Trails
10:00am—11:00am
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Whipple Walk three times a year!
Avon High School’s Eco Club was in the Park to help clean up their adopted portion of White Lick Creek.
Events Update
Upcoming Events
Summer Camp Registration Details
Master Plan Update
Marni Crabtree Davison Special Programs Coordinator [email protected] (317) 745-0785, option 2 Plans and administers Park programs
Contact us at 317-745-0785 www.washingtontwpparks.org
Washington Township Park
311 Production Drive
Avon, Indiana 46123
Nikki Montembeault Park Director Accessibility Coordinator [email protected] (317) 745-0785, option 3 Stephani Massa Events Coordinator [email protected] (317) 745-0785, option 1 Rentals at the Pavilion Center (weddings, birthdays, confer-ences, etc.)
Washington Township Park Newsletter