Good News Dec. 12, 2025
This week at Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center was full of fun, fitness, and friendly faces! Our Arts & Crafts group of 6 added created beautifully made frosted fairy light bottles. The courts stayed lively with 11 basketball players and 20 indoor soccer enthusiasts showing off swift footwork and teamwork. Pickleball was the star of the week once again, drawing an impressive 178 players this week! 14 Mahjong players enjoyed strategic gameplay, and 12 table tennis fans kept the rallies going strong. Our Solo Latin Dance Workout added a splash of rhythm with 3 dedicated dancers, while 17 participants brought upbeat energy to Dance 2B Fit. Walking Fitness welcomed 3 steady-paced participants, and the Fitness Center saw 117 visitors committed to staying active. Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center
South County Regional Park Recreation Center
South County Regional Park Recreation Center has officially started the festive season. 106 Pickleballers and 65 basketballers came out for open play this week. Pickleball league is going strong with the 16 players enjoying the friendly competition. 9 brought their RC planes to fly high in the gym. 17 worked on their core with Heather's Pilates class and 6 took advantage of the fitness center. Makayla had a fantastic turnout of 16 for her Holiday Ornament craft event. Crafters enjoyed hot cocoa while they painted and glued, sparkled and tied their way into the holiday spirit.
Recreation
South County Regional Park Pool enjoyed the 310 patrons who came out for lap and recreational swim this South County Regional Park Pool
Harold Avenue Regional Park saw 62 for Drop-in Pickleball, 34 Basketball, 26 Table Tennis and 22 Volleyball players. Aikido brought in 5 patrons learning the art. Intro to Sports had 17 kids learning how to play baseball. There were 10 walking the park for Walking Fitness. Our instructor led programs are keeping the community active each week. Silver Sneakers had 55, Zumba had 7 and Pilates had 5. The basketball league is back in full swing with 390 for practice, 650 in attendance for the games and 64 volunteer hours logged. Good news from Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool! We had 118 dedicated lap swimmers, 212 fantastic recreation swimmers, 107 energetic participants for water aerobics, 6 happy scuba participants and 12 loyal sea dragon swimmers . Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool
week. 49 worked out with the lifeguards with water aerobics.
Centennial Park Recreation Center Good news! This week we’re closed to the public as we focus on deep- cleaning and organizing the facility. We’re getting everything ready so we can start the new year fresh and in great shape.
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center
Centennial Park Pool On a crisp winter morning at
Centennial Park Pool, the calm surface steamed gently as 99 dedicated lap swimmers carved steady paths through the chilled air, their strokes echoing in the quiet. Nearby, 8 bundled-up recreation swimmers drifted leisurely, enjoying the contrast of warm water against the frosty season. Along the shallows, 33 energetic water aerobic participants moved in unison, their breath rising like tiny clouds as they powered through each routine. At Centennial Park Pool, the energy was high as 85 Sea Dragon Aquatics swimmers trained alongside 3 seasoned Sea Dragon Masters athletes, their strokes slicing cleanly through the water. The chill in the air only added to the excitement as the team hosted a spirited winter swim meet, welcoming 8 competing teams and a total of 185 participants. Lanes buzzed with activity, cheers echoed off the walls, and the cold outside felt far away as swimmers, coaches, and families gathered in a warm wave of competition and camaraderie.
The Recreation Center stayed lively this week, with 80 Stride and Stretch participants showing enough flexibility and enthusiasm to make the rest of us consider touching our toes again someday. Pickleball brought in 98 spirited players, keeping the courts buzzing, while 5 dedicated adult basketball players held down the hardwood like true regulars. We also launched our newest class, Sew Easy, where 5 participants stitched, chatted, and proved that creativity pairs well with good company.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management
This week staff continued routine maintenance operations consisting of trail maintenance, mowing and exotic treatments. Additional operations include material deliveries for anticipated seasonal repairs/maintenance of parking areas. During one delivery a culvert collapsed impacting access to Prairie Creek Preserve. Dustin and staff responded immediately and were able to come out and get our preserve reopened to the public. Staff treated nearly 8 acres of exotics on multiple properties and mulched another 13 acres.
Parks & Natural Resources
Coastal
This week Coastal staff found a new Bald Eagle’s nest on Manasota Key! This now brings coastal staff’s Bald Eagle nest total to 36 for the whole County. Staff has all finished a pre season printing and folding, and now waits for the first of the year to send off all preseason educational materials in preparation for Shorebird and Sea Turtle nesting seasons.
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 5,101 visitors and issued 103 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:
28 patrons used curbside pickup 2 received homebound deliveries Reference, Technology, & Research Support
Our knowledgeable staff answered: 108 general reference questions 192 technology questions 2 local history-specific inquiry
Libraries & History
On Dec 6, Punta Gorda Charlotte Library hosted the Escape The Holidays Escape Room. The room for adults and teens had participants solving clues in an post office themed Escape room. With only 30 minutes, it was a race to stop a letter to Santa from incorrectly getting mailed! We had some festive doggos for our December Dog Tales this past Saturday, and a family enjoyed going through our Where's Frosty Youth Escape Room! Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
Tuesday and Wednesday Preschool Preppers explored the letter K with paper bag kites, shape puzzles, and other fun activities! Zara couldn’t wait to show off the name snowman she made for homework!
We had a full house for Wednesday’s Dog Tales Afterschool program with a bunch of golden retrievers and one very happy bulldog.
Robert Redford fans gathered on Thursday around a butter cream cake at the Port Charlotte Library to honor the late actor and director. His life and accomplishments were presented and discussed. The program concluded with a screening of one of his last films—The Old Man and the Gun. On Friday, (almost) all Libraries and History staff were able to go on a history tour of our County, led by our fabulous historian and tour guide, Dr. Zoebelein. We posed for a picture in front of the Historic Cookie House in Englewood. Saturday’s annual Merry Makers Crafts and More program offered a sensory-friendly session for crafters including watercolor holiday cards and cute pom-pom hat ornaments. Big thank you to Grant for being our library Grinch! He was the nicest Grinch you ever could meet! Families enjoyed making various crafts, getting glitter tattoos, and coming together to celebrate the holidays. We are preparing cookie goodie bags for our homebound library patrons. PCL received about 75 packages of cookies donated for this purpose; Suzanne, Alyssa, and Spencer will be making deliveries all through next week.
Libraries & History
Englewood Charlotte Library
Charles facilitated a great program this week featuring Jason Robertshaw from Mote Marine. Mr. Robertshaw talked about our coral reefs and Charles handed out some ‘turtles’ made with our 3D printer. Miss Holly visited Vineland Elementary with a story and a fun holiday craft. The holidays are in full swing here in Englewood!
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