Good News
February 5, 2026
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center Recreation
We had a great week at Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center! We had 35 players on the courts for basketball, 123 participants stayed active in the fitness center, and a record-breaking 289 enjoyed pickleball and our clinic! We had 5 crafty patrons in arts & crafts making adorable Heart on a String portraits, while 12 joined line dancing to keep moving. Friendly games brought people together with 41 playing mahjong and 18 taking part in table tennis. Our instructor-led programs are going strong! Our Shine Dance Fitness program brought in 66 dedicated dancers, while Tai Chi brought in 17. Our new programs have been going steady as well, with 3 coming in for Badminton, 3 creating friendships over Cards & Coffee, and 5 sharing snacks for Bites 'n Bunco!
Recreation
Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center
What a great week here at HARP! Pickleball brought in 154, Table Tennis had 32, and drop-in Basketball slam dunked with 75. Volleyball had 10 people. Aikido has new faces, with a total of 5 people! Intro to Flag Football showed up with 14 players. Pilates still has a strong core with 20. The Spot Outdoor Painting featured 6 artists, while Diamond Painting shone with 5. Legos built a solid reputation with 11 builders. Line Dancing is coming up, and we cannot be more excited! Yeehaw!
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center It was another busy and high-energy week at the Rec Center! Pickleball absolutely dominated the courts with 205 participants (at this point, the paddles may need their own fan club). Stride and Stretch kept the momentum going with 121 participants, while Boogie Chair brought the fun with 53 participants. Easy Does It Mat Fitness rounded things out with 28 participants, proving that taking it easy is still very popular. The Big Kahuna Bash was a big success, welcoming 75 people who came out to dance the night away—conga lines, limbo, and all! With great music, food, and drinks, the event brought plenty of smiles, laughter, and island-style fun to the Community Center.
South County Regional Park Recreation Center South County Regional Park Recreation Center was especially busy with patrons enjoying more indoor activities this week. 266 people played pickleball in the gym while 70 played pickup basketball. 18 took advantage of the fitness center. 18 worked on their flexibility in Simple stretching class. Homeschool PE had the kids giggling with the gym games they played this week. 7 plane enthusiasts flew their RC planes with us this week. Emily's Baller Basics program worked on the kids basketball skills.
Recreation
Centennial Park Pool Despite the chilly weather outside—and with Punxsutawney Phil recently predicting six more weeks of winter— Centennial Park Pool still saw strong and diverse participation. Lap swimmers led the way with 123 patrons braving the cold for their workouts, while 21 recreation swimmers enjoyed the facility at a more relaxed pace. Organized groups were also well represented, including 18 swimmers from Sea Dragon Aquatics and 5 swimmers from Port Charlotte High School. Additionally, 2 patrons took part in water aerobics, showing that even a groundhog’s gloomy forecast didn’t dampen enthusiasm for staying active in the pool. J.M. Berlin/Rotary Skate Park Huge respect to the BMX riders holding strong at 41, and wow, skateboarders charging ahead at 54 on our second week of our short month of February. Nothing like a tough week to show who’s really in it. Big props to everyone for pushing through, staying warm, and keeping the wheels rolling. Keep rocking out there!
South County Regional Park Pool
South County Regional Park Pool surprisingly had 143 swimmers this week who enjoyed a brisk weather swim. 6 joined in for water aerobics
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool Good news from Ann and Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool we have a few brave souls who came out in the cold weather. We had 42 dedicated lap swimmers and 1 water aerobic paticipant.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management
This week staff continued routine maintenance operations at multiple properties. Staff trimmed vegetation on over half a mile of trail on multiple properties. Also approximately 12 acres of vegetation was mulched. With the season in full swing land management staff have been preparing multiple presentations as part of our educational outreach programs. Multiple properties have been treated for a variety of exotic/invasive plant species. Nearly 5 acres of exotics have been treated this week. Staff also took the time to attend career development training. David Smith recently completed the interagency fire course to become a prescribed burner in the state of Florida. Land management staff conducted interviews for the vacant Equipment Operator II position. Pending pre-employment screening an applicant was selected to fill the vacant position after a long search.
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 7,051 visitors and issued 230 brand-new library cards.
Welcome to our newest members! Curbside & Homebound Services: Convenient services remain popular:
23 patrons used curbside pickup 9 received homebound deliveries Reference, Technology, & Research Support:
Our knowledgeable staff answered: 124 general reference questions 294 technology questions 1 local history-specific inquiry
Libraries & History
Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
On Thursday, Jan 29 we had Birding 101 we had Jim from Englewood come and teach all about the basics of birding! In a wonderful presentation with pictures that Jim had taken himself, patrons were fascinated with raptors and songbirds alike.
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
Our Preschool Preppers learned how a quilt is made with the letter Q and exploring their basic shapes. We made paper quilts, mixed our playdoh, and built colorful cities together. We had a record 16 teens attend our Wednesday evening Anime Club! It was a silly hidden challenge night, and everyone did random and silly things for their friends to guess their challenges throughout the night. Challenges ranged from randomly powering up before doing a mundane task to clucking like a chicken whenever someone said the word “no.” Lots of laughs abounded. Our teens and tweens enjoyed sharing the new skills they want to learn this year! So far, learning to drive, playing soccer, and mastering musical instruments are the leading skills desired. What skills do you want to learn? In another display, we ask our patrons to vote on which winter Olympic sport they would be excited to try. Our winter concert series featured violist David Pedraza, who played for a full house.
Libraries & History
Englewood Charlotte Library
We started a new monthly program at the Englewood Charlotte Library sponsored by the Friends of the Library – Drums of Unity. Joe Licinski, a local Englewood resident, has been playing the drums since the age of ten, and has performed on Broadway as well as on numerous studio recordings. He joins us on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 1 pm to demonstrate how everyone can find joy playing the drums. Anna Silverman, Master Gardener Volunteer, demonstrated how to design a succulent and cactus-based planter. The class provided an overview of helpful tools, soil, and water considerations, design, and plant selections. Chris Parent from Empath Health gave attendees the opportunity to explore self-care strategies, connect with others, and learn about resources that could make the care-giving journey a bit lighter. We had babies and bubbles in Family Story Time and students learned about the letter R in Preschool Prep.
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