Good News Nov. 6, 2025
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center It’s been a week of fun at the Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center! 6 talented participants got to create and take home their own unique beaded decorations. The gym was a hub of activity with 77 pickleball players and clinic attendees, 6 dedicated walking fitness participants, and 15 basketball enthusiasts hitting the courts. Our self- paced programs continue to draw interest—53 guests used the fitness room, 7 dancers came for Line Dancing, and 14 gathered for games of Mahjong. Senior Games is finished this week with great success with 186 participants this week attending Tennis, Track & Field, and RC Sailing!
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center
South County Regional Park Recreation Center
South County Regional Park Recreation Center continued with fall break camp this week. 25 kids enjoyed a costume party and fall themed crafts and games. Yuliana's Just Crafting Around program hosted 16 crafters who made beautiful trays. In the gym they saw 24 pickleballers and 16 basketballers. 7 Gentlemen brought their remote-control planes to the gym for some high-flying fun. Pilates stretched and strengthened 5 participants.
he Recreation Center was buzzing with activity this week! Pickleball packed the courts with 118 players, filling the air with the sounds of volleys, laughter, and friendly competition. Stride & Stretch kept the energy high with 68 participants, all stepping and stretching their way to better balance and flexibility. Over at the tables, Mahjong continued to grow in popularity with 14 players, enjoying strategy, focus, and plenty of friendly banter. To top it off, the Monster Pickleball Bash was a huge hit, bringing in 67 participants for a day full of festive fun, exciting matches, and just the right amount of spooky spirit.
South County Regional Park Pool
South County Regional Park Pool saw 192 lap and recreational swimmers this week. 36 braved the cooler temps and joined in on water aerobics. Swim teams have had a consistent presence at the pool. Depth Finders offered scuba lessons in the dive well this weekend as well!
Recreation
Good news from Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool! We had 130 dedicated lap swimmers, 123 happy recreation swimmers, 50 energetic participants for water aerobics, 40 swim team members practicing, 3 eager swimmers for swim lessons, and 7 scuba divers. Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool
Centennial Park Pool A recent count at the pool shows a total of 196 swimmers participating in various activities. Of these, 115 are lap swimmers, who focus on structured, fitness-oriented swimming sessions. Another 54 swimmers use the pool for recreational purposes, enjoying the water for leisure and relaxation rather than intensive exercise. Additionally, 27 swimmers take part in water aerobics classes, combining fitness and fun through guided, low-impact workouts in the water. This diverse mix highlights how the facility serves a wide range of interests and fitness levels within the community. The pool has been bustling with activity, hosting a wide variety of swimmers and programs. There are 14 divers who focus on skill, precision, and form as they train for competitive diving events. Alongside them, 129 high school swimmers dedicate their time to developing endurance and technique as part of their school swim teams. The facility also welcomed 139 swimmers participating in a swim meet, showcasing competitive spirit and athletic achievement. Additionally, 110 “Sea Dragon Aquatics” swimmers train regularly, representing a strong community- based swim program that emphasizes growth, teamwork, and performance. Together, these groups reflect a thriving aquatic community with opportunities for athletes at every level.
Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center Harold Avenue Regional Park had 88 for Drop- in Pickleball, 37 for Drop-in Basketball, 20 Table Tennis and 2 for Volleyball. Walking Fitness had 10 patrons outside enjoying the beautiful fall weather this last week. The instructor led classes saw a few patrons getting active, Silver Sneakers had 15, Zumba had 9 and Pilates had 9. Bonsai brought in 12. The Fall intersession break camp wrapped up last week. We saw a steady 13 kiddos each day enjoying crafts, a variety of sports like gaga ball, and an awesome Halloween costume party to close out camp! The Co-ed basketball league started back up at Harold. We had 390 ballers throughout the week for practices. The Jamboree kick off is this Saturday and games start next Saturday.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management This week staff continued the efforts to control exotic/invasive plant species across multiple properties in Charlotte County. Peace River Preserve, Prairie Creek Preserve, Tippecanoe Environmental Park and Charlotte Flatwoods were just some of the properties treated. Species such as B. pepper, Caesar weed and rosary pea are some but definitely not all the species that staff have treated this week. Additional operations in habitat management include overstory reductions on Prairie Creek Preserve and Tippecanoe Environmental Park. Reducing pine density per acre has many ecological benefits including, opening the understory for the development of plants previously shaded. Reduced pine density can also boost overall pine health by lowering the susceptibility to pine beetle attack. Other operations include burn preparations and trail maintenance.
Parks & Natural Resources
Coastal This week Coastal staff finished GPSing all of the coastal shorelines, including the cut off portion of Stump Pass Beach State Park, for the County’s beach renourishment project and end of year data analysis. Staff still continues their Bald Eagle monitoring, and out of the 35 Bald Eagle nests being monitored by County staff, 19 are officially considered “Occupied”. While this may mean we have no eggs just quite yet, the Eagles are working hard on their nests with sticks and other nesting materials, and some Eagles have also been observed courting. Staff also helped the Florida Master Naturalist Program while one of the teachers is out for a bit with a birding field trip at Ollie’s Pond. Some species observed were Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black-and-white Warbler, Green Heron, Tricolored Heron, Common Gallinule, Purple Gallinule, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and Red-winged Blackbird. Staff also gave the Freshwater Bird presentation for the FMNP, going more in depth on the birds observed during the field trip.
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 6,148 visitors and issued 147 brand-new library cards At a Glance: Weekly Roundup for Charlotte County Libraries & History
welcome to our newest members! Curbside & Homebound Services Convenient services remain popular:
30 patrons used curbside pickup 1 received homebound deliveries Reference, Technology, & Research Support Our knowledgeable staff answered: 94 general reference questions 209 technology questions 0 local history-specific inquiry
Libraries & History
Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
Saturday, Nov 1 was an exciting day for the Punta Gorda Charlotte Library. We had the local astronomers come for a solar observation. Using specially designed telescopes, they are able to look at the sun and safely examine sunspots and solar flares. That same day the local photography group came to hang up their photos, showcasing both their work and the resources in the area.
We had the spookiest Halloween yet with a Halloween themed Family Storytime and Library Trick o' Treating! This year we had 130 people come for some sweet treats before kicking off their regularly scheduled trick o' treating. 🙂 Lastly, on Saturday, we had Dog Tales!
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
This week in Preschool Prep, we celebrate the spooky season with Halloween parties, pumpkin crafts, and class photos in our costumes! Mikayla and Jazzmin dressed up like their colleague Grant for Halloween. Saturday was a busy day for us. What’s Cooking was all about the stuffing; attendees learned about traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, as well as stuffed bread rolls, celery stuffed with crab, and more. Meanwhile, at the library, the Friends bookstore held their fall book sale, which sold about 130 $5 bags of books; and the West Coast Car Club held a classic car show, where 65 beautiful vintage automobiles were on display for the public to enjoy. Each car paid a $10 entry fee, which raised $650 for the Friends of the Library. Our library displays have changed for the month. In our display case downstairs, we have our own mini classic car show. Upstairs, we have a Thanksgiving turkey slowly growing out some tail feathers. Each feather has a message of gratitude written by our patrons.
Libraries & History
Englewood Charlotte Library
No scares this Halloween at the Englewood Charlotte Library! This past week, we wrapped up our Rock the Stacks guitar program with 7 of our kiddos now proficient in basic chords. Our storytime families enjoyed some bubbles and ghoulishly great reads with Ms. Holly and our Preschool Preppers made some more learning gains this week. Our Thursday night Magic the Gathering group continues to grow and expand and we would like to invite anyone in the county that has an interest in the game to feel free to join us. The more the merrier! The quilters are also once again hard at work as well. Keep your eyes peeled as we get closer to the gift giving holiday season to see what they will create!
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker