Message from Councilman Matt Adams | June 7, 2024
I wonder in amazement how our Recreation Department staff pulls off so much programming so effortlessly. It is now the busiest season for our team, with the warm weather, summer programming and plenty of outdoor events on the schedule.
Partnering with other local groups, the Recreation Department creates the sense of community in Scotch Plains that defines us, often behind the scenes and with little fanfare.
On behalf of the entire community, thank you for all that you do!
Whether it is the many programs being planned through May, June, and July, summer camp, or working with the Township Council on plans for renovations to our entire portfolio of parks, our Parks and Recreation staff is getting it done!
Here are just a few of the exciting community events coming up:
June 12 – Patrick’s Downtown Race to Summer 5K
Everyone looks forward to this unofficial kick-off of summer, in the heart of downtown Scotch Plains. The Patrick’s Downtown Race to Summer 5K was started in 2015 by a local group of runners who wanted to see a great event to promote our downtown. They partnered with another group of local residents who previously put on the Patrick J. Allocca Memorial 5K.
Patrick’s Downtown Race to Summer 5K raises money to support charitable recipients and causes and donated more than $20,000 through funds raised from last year’s race to various groups and individuals including Camp Clover, a summer bereavement camp for children, Play for P.I.N.K, the Scotch Plains Rescue Squad, the Scotch Plains Fire Department, Immaculate Heart of Mary Food Pantry, the Frazee House restoration project, SPF Scholarship Foundation, local families in need, and more.
The race is one of the qualifying events that are part of the Mayor’s Wellness Challenge. Register here.
I hope to see you on the course, and at the after party on the Village Green!
June 22 – Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth (short for June 19th) “commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States” (history.com). On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers landed in Galveston, TX with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were free – 2 ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Every year since 2021, our wonderfully diverse community has come together at the most fitting venue to celebrate: Shady Rest Golf and Country Club, the very first African-American country club in the United States. It is a true national treasure sitting proudly at 820 Jerusalem Road.
Recognition is due to Social Justice Matters (SJM), which is once again coordinating the Juneteenth celebration. SJM is an important local non-profit organization, celebrating 13 years of local service. This group of volunteers is fully committed to active inquiry into matters of race and creation of equitable communities. This celebration would not take place without their efforts.
Join me for a day of reflection, fun, culture, and celebration for the whole family.
June 29 – Independence Day Fireworks
One of my favorite evenings is right around the corner! It seems like the whole town converges on the Shady Rest course at sundown to witness a fantastic display of American pride. Please join us!
Summer Concerts
We are planning free Thursday summer concerts on July 11, July 18, July 25 and August 1, all beginning at 7 p.m., on the Alan M Augustine Village Green, right next to town hall.
On top of all this, Recreation Department continues to manage summer sports, senior activities, and major renovation projects at our parks.
As you may be aware, this year’s municipal budget included appropriations by the Township Council for all new courts at Kramer Manor, the installation of permanent pickleball courts at Brookside Park, (and yes, basketball will remain), and the initial phase of long overdue site work at Haven Park to bring those facilities in line after too many years of neglect.
The Recreation Department is collaborating with the Township’s engineering firm to conduct site surveys at each of the three parks that will shortly be under construction. This is the real pick-and-shovel work of this type of construction project that allows for everything else to happen.
From there, site proposals will be produced for consideration by the Department, Recreation Commission and the Township Council. We cannot wait to show you all of these exciting plans!
In all, this is a very time-consuming, labor-intensive, process. However, it is what makes the very successful renovation projects we have completed to date, like the ones at Southside Field, Greenside Playground, and Green Forest Park, come to life.
I am truly excited by this transformative time for our community. I hope to cross paths with as many of you as possible as I enjoy our many parks and events with my family this summer. Help contribute to the great sense of community that we have in Scotch Plains. Join us for an event, have strolls in our parks, and enjoy all that this time of year has to offer.
And, when you see a member of our Recreation Department staff, please let them know you appreciate just how much they do to make Scotch Plains great!
