Good News
January 22, 2026
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center Recreation
This week at the Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center was very busy! 129 participants stayed active in the fitness center and 217 enjoyed pickleball. We had 11 creative patrons in arts & crafts making adorable fairy garden houses, while 35 joined Dance 2B Fit and 9 joined line dancing to keep moving. Friendly games brought people together with 25 playing mahjong and 20 taking part in table tennis. Our instructor-led programs have been a hit this week! Our Shine Dance Fitness program brought in 67 dedicated dancers, Tai Chi had 13 happy participants, and Solo Latin Dance Workout had 6 lovely dancers. Our new programs have been gaining traction as well, with 4 coming in for Badminton, 4 creating friendships over Cards & Coffee, and 4 sharing snacks for Bites 'n Bunco! We also had the honor of hosting the Florida Department of Health for their first A Matter of Balance class. We look forward to having them here for the next 8 weeks!
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center
Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center
We were super busy this week at the Rec Center! Boogie Chair kept things moving with 44 participants, proving that dancing from a chair is still dancing. Zumba brought the energy with 30 participants who didn’t miss a beat, while Pickleball completely took over with 172 participants, confirming once again that the courts are the place to be. Stride and Stretch followed strong with 110 participants, helping everyone stay flexible, and our new mat class welcomed 27 participants, showing that easing into fitness is a very popular idea.
Harold Avenue Regional Park has been busy in the new year. Pickleball had 132 players, Table tennis with 41, Volleyball scoring at 24, Aikido staying solid with 6. Intro to Sports shifted to Flag football with a turnout of 16! Silver Sneakers keeps going head to toe with the flow, bringing in 44, and Zumba had 13 signing in. Pilates is ab-soultely on top of things with 13, Walking Fitness is keeping the steps in the right direction with 12. Tiny Picassos had well-rounded number of 12 tots making clay animals. The Spot Outdoor Canvas Painting class had 7 enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Lego: Heroes Versus Villains has clicked together, bringing in 7 youths building a character. Co-ed basketball is finishing up this weekend with the final playoff games on the Saturday. Good luck to all the hoopers!
Recreation
Centennial Park Pool At Centennial Park Pool, the numbers cut through the air like the cold itself: 139 lap swimmers slicing steadily through the water, 43 recreation swimmers lingering with stiff fingers and rosy cheeks, and 12 water aerobics swimmers moving in unison as steam rose faintly off the surface. Even with the chill settling in, Port Charlotte High School brought out 12 determined swimmers, while Sea Dragon Aquatics dominated the lanes with a formidable 70 athletes, their splashes echoing sharply against the concrete. The pool hummed with motion and resolve, a cold-weather gathering where discipline, breath, and rippling water kept everyone warm enough to stay in.
South County Regional Park Recreation Center
South County Regional Park Recreation Center is having a blast with their current programming. Homeschool PE and Tot's Music and Movement is still going strong helping kids stay fit and active. Baller Basics started up with 18 children learning basketball skills from Emily. Yulianna's "Just Crafting Around" program had 14 patrons come out and make beautiful Terrariums! Pilates stretched out 13 while 7 made use of the Fitness Center. "Coffee and Cards" is starting to see patrons who enjoy a hot beverage while socializing. The gym has been busy with 269 Pickleballers, 44 Basketballers and 11 RC plane flyers.
J.M. Berlin/Rotary Skate Park Strong finish to a cold second week of January! BMX riders holding strong at 48 and skaters catching up at 39. Keep vibing and stay warm!
South County Regional Park Pool South County Regional Park Pool had a chilly week this week. Even with the brisk temperatures there were still 219 who came out for recreational swim and 19 for water aerobics.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management
This week staff continued maintenance operations. Nearly 2 miles of trail were trimmed at Prairie Creek Preserve. While onsite staff met with FWC to discuss IPMS working group site nominations for the upcoming cycle. This meeting helps staff to prepare proposals and gain funding for treatment of exotic/invasive pest plant management. Additional exotic/invasive management including workday operations picking rosary pea seed pods. Staff also conducted a gopher tortoise survey at GC Herring Park. In mid county staff focused on some habitat management by mulching approximately 20 acres. This operation is an effort to enhance habitat for both Florida Scrub Jays and gopher tortoises.
Parks & Natural Resources
Coastal
This week Coastal staff participated with Land Management in the 8 Grade Career Exploration Event at the Punta Gorda convention center. Staff was able to explain to the 8 graders their job duties and help get them excited about a potential career in the coastal and marine fields. th th
Libraries & History
At a Glance: Weekly Roundup for Charlotte County Libraries & History
Here’s a quick look at what’s been happening across all our library locations this past week: Library Visitors & New Cards: Charlotte County Libraries welcomed 6,729 visitors and issued 194 brand-new library cards
welcome to our newest members! Curbside & Homebound Services: Convenient services remain popular:
33 patrons used curbside pickup 11 received homebound deliveries Reference, Technology, & Research Support:
Our knowledgeable staff answered: 132 general reference questions 234 technology questions 5 local history-specific inquiry
Libraries & History
In Kid's STEAM we learned about ice and its properties. We melted ice cubes, tried to see what substances (salt, baking soda, baking powder, sand) would make ice melt the fastest, and made shake a bag ice cream. In Preschool Prep we learned about the letter P, the number 14, played with a parachute and made a stuffed animal fish fly! Lastly, we had our first Train 'em Card Club of the year and had 11 people learning and playing the Pokémon TCG. 🙂 Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
Many of us tend to overeat during the holidays. Certified nutritionist and wellness consultant Marlo Signoracci explained what causes food cravings and what techniques can be used to stop those post-holiday cravings. Preschool Preppers dove deep into learning during O is for Ocean and Octopus. We learned to share like Rainbow Fish, made sailboat dioramas, and played color bingo while matching colored fish and their tanks. Miss Ashley joined Pete the Cat and over thirty families for Thursday morning’s Family Reading Experience at Liberty Elementary. The kids enjoyed making pizza corner bookmarks to go along and read- aloud of Pete’s Perfect Pizza Party. Joe Lacinski returned with his Drums of Unity for kids and families on Saturday. Everyone enjoyed making beats and learning about West African stories together.
Libraries & History
Englewood Charlotte Library
Almost 100 hungry folks stopped by to attend Chef Warren’s cooking demonstration. This month the theme was Thai food and he made a couple of different coups, some friend rice and some Pad Thai with samples for all. Kids danced through the bubbles at Family Storytime with Miss Holly. Our Preschool Prep students are hard at work learning their letters and how to color in the lines.
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