Good News
January 29, 2026
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center Recreation
We are enjoying the cool weather at Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center! 113 participants stayed active in the fitness center and 207 enjoyed pickleball and our clinic. We had 10 crafty patrons in arts & crafts making custom terracotta lighthouses, while 9 joined line dancing to keep moving. Friendly games brought people together with 38 playing mahjong and 25 taking part in table tennis. Our instructor-led programs are going strong! Our Shine Dance Fitness program brought in 61 dedicated dancers, and Solo Latin Dance Workout had 2 lovely dancers. Our new programs have been gaining traction as well, with 7 coming in for Badminton, 4 creating friendships over Cards & Coffee, and 2 sharing snacks for Bites 'n Bunco!
Recreation
Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center
Good news from Harold Ave, numbers are strong all over the board! Pickleball experienced a surge in numbers with 154. Drop-in Basketball had 72, Table Tennis 32, Volleyball 10, Silver Sneakers raised the bar with 82 and Chair yoga had 20. The Spot’s Outdoor Canvas Painting enjoyed the sunshine with its 6 participants. Aikido is wrapping up soon and getting ready for the next session. We want to say a massive THANK YOU to all of our basketball league participants, we had 630 come out and watch the championship games Saturday. Congratulations to the 15U Raptors, 12U Lynx and 10U South Carolina for bringing home the W!!! Way to go teams!
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center
This week brought some exciting milestones at the Rec Center! Boogie Chair hit its highest participation since Tringali opened in April, welcoming an impressive 67 participants—proof that a good groove goes a long way. Stride and Stretch and Easy Does It Mat Fitness, both taught by our very own Joe Moore, combined for 130 participants, keeping everyone moving, stretching, and feeling their best. We also launched our brand-new Craft and Chat, which kicked off with 2 participants, reminding us that every great program starts somewhere.
South County Regional Park Recreation Center South County Regional Park Recreation Center is in full swing with winter programming. Pickleball Women's league and Men's League both have 16 who started this session. Baller Basics is teaching 13 kids beginner basketball skills. Homeschool PE taught Pickleball this week. Aspen's Sculpting Saturday's made cute coasters that resembled fruit! The final day for this Tot's Music and Movement session was Sunday. The little one's had so much fun singing and playing on their last day. 8 stretched and strengthened in Pilates with Heather. In the gym, Pickleball saw 140 and Basketball had 31 for pickup games.
Recreation
South County Regional Park Pool South County Regional Park Pool saw 386 patrons enjoy the recreational and lap swim this week. The weekend had particularly lovely weather bringing many families from the community. 18 participated in Water Aerobics.
Centennial Park Pool Centennial Park Pool experienced a busy day as swimmers took advantage of the opportunity to get their swims in before the cold weather started back up again. The pool welcomed 399 lap swimmers and 64 recreation swimmers, along with 39 participants in water aerobics classes. Organized programs were also active, with 65 swimmers training with Sea Dragon Aquatics and 10 Port Charlotte High School swimmers completing their practice. Even as temperatures dropped, the pool continued to offer a warm and inviting environment, as it remains heated year-round for the comfort of all users.
J.M. Berlin/Rotary Skate Park Despite the chilly temps, our riders and skaters showed up strong! Our BMX riders are at 51 and just edging out at 55 y our skaters. Great job to everyone for keeping the energy high. Stay warm, keep riding, and let’s keep the momentum going into February!
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool
Good News from Ann and Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool. We had 38 dedicated lap swimmers, 2 rec swimmers and 24 water aerobics participants.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management
This week staff was engaged in lots of outreach operations. Either speaking with the public at Cedar Point Environmental Park, talking with future leaders at 8 grade career exploration day or talking about birds with the Florida Master Naturalists land management staff were leading conversations. These community outreach events are vital to the ongoing relations with our community. The successes of our work are dependent on a strong relationship our neighbors. Additional operations include trail maintenance with the CHEC volunteer work crew at Cedar Point Environmental Park. Nearly half a mile of trail vegetation was trimmed and cut back to maintain sightlines and improve safety. Operations continued at Amberjack Environmental Park after midday and the work with CHEC volunteers. In total over a mile of trails were trimmed. th
Parks & Natural Resources
Coastal This week, Coastal Staff went on a ride along with Land Management to a potential new Bald Eagle nest on Prairie Creek Preserve. While staff didn’t observe any Bald Eagles during their site visit, the nest itself looks to be in great shape. Coastal staff will periodically pop over to check on this nest tree to see if the Eagles do nest this season. Coastal staff also completed all of their required preseason mailings for the upcoming Shorebird/Seabird and Sea Turtle nesting seasons. Over 487 postcards with educational materials were mailed out to Palm Island, Knight Island and Don Pedro Island residents.
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 6,353 visitors and issued 169 brand-new library cards
welcome to our newest members! Curbside & Homebound Services: Convenient services remain popular:
35 patrons used curbside pickup 19 received homebound deliveries Reference, Technology, & Research Support: Our knowledgeable staff answered: 96 general reference questions 199 technology questions 3 local history-specific inquiry
Libraries & History
Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
We had a new Project Linus donation this week! All of these donations come homemade from our patrons, many of whom participate in programs like In the Loop. On Friday, Jan 23 we also had our Stillness and Scraps program where patrons were able to learn more about junk journaling. This time, we focused on how to use your journal to create personal writings and reflections. In Youth Services: In Toddler Craft we made melted snowmen, played in "snow" (baking soda and shaving cream), and watercolor painted ice!
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
At Port Charlotte Library, Homeschool Hangout kids learned about the rock cycle and how to identify rocks vs. crystals. Murdock Stones graciously donated all the stones used in our experiments. Did you know that if you dip limestone in vinegar, it will fizz? This classic acid experiment helps geologists identify calcium carbonate in rocks! Patrons have also been enjoying our Winter Concert series on Thursday evenings. Last week, keyboardist and singer Oksana Andrishko kicked off the series with her vocal and instrumental talents and selections. It was a perfect remedy for the unseasonable cold weather. The audience definitely gave her a warm reception. This week, Jazz guitarist Steve Rand serenaded a delighted audience with a wide array of jazz, jazz-rock and smooth jazz song numbers. His instrumental and vocal prowess made Thursday the best musical night of the week.
Libraries & History
Englewood Charlotte Library
Our Social Sewers are concentrating on new projects for the new year. Toddler craft had a fun ‘Under the Sea’ theme this week making a seahorse or an octopus. Miss Holly’s Preschool Prep students are learning more than just their letters; they are getting good at raising their hands, being kind to each other, and making new friends.
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