Good News January 8, 2026
Recreation
This week at the Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center was full of energy! 73 participants stayed active in the fitness center, 124 enjoyed pickleball, and 15 hit the court for basketball. We had 7 creative patrons in arts & crafts making beautiful flower resin pendants, while 16 joined Dance 2B Fit and 5 joined line dancing to keep moving. Friendly games brought people together with 19 playing mahjong and 14 taking part in table tennis. Our new Shine Dance Fitness program brought in 24 excited dancers on the first day! Tai Chi had 3 happy participants. Wrapping up the week, we welcomed 35 campers to week 3 of Winter Break Camp. Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center
J.M. Berlin/Rotary Skate Park
Starting the New Year strong here at J.M Berlin Skatepark with 39 BMX riders and 50 Skaters. Happy 2026 everyone!
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center
Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center Now that the holidays are over, our activities are rolling out and we are ready for 2026! Pickleball had astronomical numbers at 137, basketball brought in 37, table tennis had 13 paddlers, volleyball with 18, Aikido had 6 regulars, Jazz and Hip hop has been going smoothly with 6, Silver Sneakers had 23, Chair Yoga had 19 stretching for health, Zumba is stepping with 6, Pilates aren't planking around with 5 and Walking Fitness is still going strong with 10 walkers each week. Our 2-day camp had 15 kids enjoying the last few days before going back to school. They got a sweet treat of homemade cotton candy! The Co-Ed Basketball League is wrapping up with the last week of regular season games. The playoffs start next weekend. Stay tuned for the final results!
The Rec Center stayed busy this week, with 146 Pickleball players keeping the courts hopping, 88 Stride and Stretch participants proving that flexibility and dedication are clearly in style, and Boogie Chair welcoming 25 participants who showed that moving to the music is always a good idea. Trivia Tuesday also brought in 6 participants, reminding us that a little friendly competition isn’t limited to the courts. Our Little Kids, Big Countdown event was a big hit, welcoming 250 attendees who came out to enjoy food trucks, bounce houses, crafts, and an exciting balloon drop that had everyone counting down together.
Recreation
South County Regional Park Recreation Center
Good news from Ann and Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool we had 249 dedicated lap swimmers, 203 pleasant rec swimmers, 71 wonderful water aerobics participants, and 80 driven collegiate swimmers. Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool South County Regional Park Pool South County Regional Park Pool had lovely weather this week for swimming! 255 Patrons took advantage of the lap filling the deck with focus, teamwork, and championship-level intensity. Their presence highlights the pool’s reputation as a premier training venue and sets a powerful tone for a dynamic and successful year ahead.
We had a busy week with break camp. 31 kids made New Years hats and played games. In the recreation center 84 got their pickleball games in on Saturday, 6 came out for open Basketball and 9 brought their planes for RC Planes. The new Tot's Music and Movement program enjoyed 8 young children for an hour of singing and dancing with scarves and rhythm sticks. They played on provided equipment and for a fun socializing hour full of adorable giggles.
Centennial Park Pool
The new year is off to an exciting and high-energy start at Centennial Park Pool as we welcome an impressive lineup of traveling collegiate teams. This week alone, the Roger Williams College swim team brought a remarkable 500 swimmers to our facility, joined by the Grinnell College team with 350 swimmers, and the Canadian travel team Blue Machine adding another 300 athletes. These visiting teams chose Centennial Park Pool as their training destination to kick off the year,
and recreational swim while 16 participated in Water Aerobics.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management
With the Holiday season behind us our work has shifted to maintenance routines. Staff conducted work at ACDRP directed on the control of rosary pea. Staff collected multiple bags of hand-picked seed pods to combat the spread of exotic/invasive rosary pea. Additional operations include exotic/invasive work at Oyster Creek Environmental Park. Species treated include B. pepper, Java plum and carrotwood. Staff treated nearly an acre of exotics. Staff conducted vegetation trimming operations on multiple properties and nearly 2 miles of trails were trimmed on multiple properties including Prairie Creek Preserve and Ann and Chuck Dever Regional Park. Pictured is a harmless scarlet kingsnake, an open view of the harbor, a little blue heron and a rose rush.
Parks & Natural Resources
Coastal This week Coastal Staff has begun stuffing their preseason goodies bags with educational materials and fun coastal goodies to help keep everyone in Charlotte County’s sea turtle lighting zone prepared for shorebird and sea turtle nesting seasons rapidly approaching. Staff includes items like County created brochures and steps to ensure your beachfront lighting is sea turtle approved, Sea Turtle Conservancy flyers and postcards, coasters, window and wall clings, and a sea turtle light card reader. Staff is also excited to have observed their first full eaglet of the season poking its head over its nest rails to observe its surroundings. Welcome to the world little one!
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 4,907 visitors and issued 142 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:
22 patrons used curbside pickup 23 received homebound deliveries Reference, Technology, & Research Support Our knowledgeable staff answered: 77 general reference questions 165 technology questions
Libraries & History
Along with the Read Between the Lines reading challenge we are challenging our patrons, as super star readers, to grow our galaxy as they read this year. For each book they read they can fold an origami puffy star to put in our jar, and by the end of the year, we will see how many stars we have in our jar. We had our first Dog Tales of 2026 where 32 people came to read, pet, and otherwise love on our four- legged friends, and we are already 3D printing a pleathura of pokemon for our I Choose You program that we are having in February! It's a busy start to the new year for sure. Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
On Tuesday, Dec. 23, Miss Ashley and Guitar Joe joined Charlotte County Public Safety’s 26 annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Tuesday bringing smiles and musical cheer. th Later that day, Port Charlotte teens attending the Anime Club Holiday Party enjoyed fresh fried rice, made candy sushi, and played games including a surprise secret Santa with blind gifts. Our dedicated language tutors and students met with Allison to practice English conversation skills. We snagged a picture of the nurses at Advent Health. They were happy to receive a platter of cookies that were leftover from our Cookies for Kindness program. Our local firefighters and police station also received a platter. We hosted our final program of 2025 this Wednesday with our 6 Annual Noon Year’s Eve Party! Families gathered to share pizza, crafts, and memories while Guitar Joe helped us ring in the New Year with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. th Families have been gathering in the library to enjoy food and board games during Read and Feed over winter break.
Libraries & History
Young readers joined us on Tuesday 1/30 to listen to a local author read her book and enjoy some snacks and crafts. Autor Leilani Williams is originally from Hawaii and now splits her time between Santa Cruz and SW Florida. Her book ‘The Happy Tiki: A Snow Day Adventure’ features a lovable guy that leaves his life at the beach and heads to the mountains to enjoy some wintery fun. Ms. Williams loves sharing the Happy Tiki’s sense of adventure and zest for life. Happy New Year everyone! Englewood Charlotte Library
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