Printer Friendly Version - Westbrook Parks & Rec Programs Aim to Make Summer Safe as Well as Fun

Westbrook Parks & Recreation is offering a slate of programs for the summer with adjustments made to comply with state requirements and keep kids and adults safe, says Parks & Recreation Director Rich Annino. Photo courtesy of Rich Annino

Westbrook Parks & Recreation is offering a slate of programs for the summer with adjustments made to comply with state requirements, keep kids and adults safe, and avoid canceling the fun.

At press time, the first free summer concert, by Number Nine, a Beatles cover band, was about to take place on the Westbrook Green on Friday, July 3.

While the state has limited outdoor gatherings to 100 people, past summer concerts haven’t drawn that many, according to Parks & Recreation Director Rich Annino. But as he is on site for every concert, he’ll keep an eye on things and ask groups to move apart, if necessary.

“If, for some reason, we have an issue with the number of people who show up for the concert, I’ll come the following Friday with spray paint and we’ll mark where everybody can put their chairs” in order to practice social distancing, Annino said. “People are very aware they shouldn’t be on top of each other. We’re just assuming they’re going to use common sense.

“We’ve had our beaches open since May and what I’ve noticed is people are adhering to the rules,” he added.

The concert series will continue each Friday evening through Sept. 4. The final concert, by the Eddy Forman Orchestra, was originally to be held inside, in the Mulvey Municipal Center, but it will likely also be held on the Green, according to Annino. COVID-19 has been found to spread more readily indoors.

The concerts will begin at 6 p.m. in July and at 5:30 p.m. in August, with the Sept. 4 concert beginning at 5 p.m. The full schedule is available at westbrookrec.com.

Parks & Rec has gone ahead with its kids’ camps, limiting the number of children who can attend and following the protocols established by the state. The youngest children, ages three to five, meet three days a week in the Community Room at the Westbrook Public Library. Daisy Summer Camp, held at the elementary school, is for five- to nine-year-olds, and older kids between 10 and 14 meet at the middle school.

The two older camp groups have one beach day each week—parents drop off and pick kids up at the Westbrook Town Beach.

Counselors take the temperature of each kid as they arrive to ensure no one has a fever, sanitizing happens throughout the day, and all counselors wear masks. Children are not required to wear masks. Enrollment is limited to 30 children per camp session.

“It’s been very successful,” Annino said. “We’re getting compliments from parents. After the first week went through without a hitch, a lot of people are signing up. Parents were waiting for this—they were happy we opened up.”

As bus travel is not permitted, the usual Friday field trips had to be omitted; the silver lining is that the cost is lower.

Kids’ sports camps are being offered for soccer, field hockey, and baseball, and tennis classes and lessons are available for all ages, children through adult. Pickle ball lessons and twice-a-week league play have been happening through May.

“We supply gloves at each site so that people [aren’t] actually touching the ball against their skin,” said Annino. Tennis and pickle ball were among the sports that were permitted in Connecticut’s Phase 1 re-opening because they don’t require players to cluster together.

While nearly all the programs are available for residents as well as non-residents (usually for a small additional fee) a summer soccer league for Westbrook high school students was recently approved by the town’s director of health and the state and will begin practice in early July.

In addition, adults can sign up for Essentrics, described as an “aging backwards fitness class,” Zumba, and yoga.