Good News Oct. 3, 2025
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center It’s been a lively week at the Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center! 15 talented participants got to create and take home their own handmade soap. The gym was a hub of activity, with 134 pickleball players and clinic attendees, 2 volleyball players, and 18 basketball enthusiasts hitting the courts. Our self-paced programs continue to draw interest—109 guests used the fitness room, 12 took part in walking fitness, 10 participated in table tennis, and 9 gathered for games of Mahjong. Anticipation is growing for the 2025 Senior Games, with 208 participants already signed up and gearing up to compete!
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Pool
JM Berlin Rotary Skate Park Last week at the J.M.B Rotary Skatepark we had 55 skateboarders and 15 BMXers visit the park. This week we had 288 lap swimmers and 382 patrons for recreation swim. 127 high schoolers from the lemon bay high school swim & Dive team. 147 water aerobics classes.
Recreation
Tringali Park Recreation Center The Recreation Center had another energetic week filled with great participation. Stride & Stretch saw its highest turnout yet with 69 patrons, proving that stretching, stepping, and moving together is not only good for balance and flexibility—it’s also a lot more fun when the whole crew shows up! Meanwhile, Mahjong drew in 9 participants, combining strategy, focus, and a little friendly competition. The Fall Into Tringali Open House was a big success, welcoming over 500 community members. Families and friends enjoyed games, bounce houses, food trucks, and class introductions, making it a memorable afternoon of fun and connection at the park.
South County Regional Park Recreation Center
The SCRP pool has been busy with swim meets, swim practices and guests! They welcomed 503 recreation and lap swimmers this week as well as 77 patrons for water aerobics. The pool was bustling when 5 High School teams from the area competed for a full day meet. Two smaller swim meets also took place on Thursday and Saturday evenings.
South County Regional Park Recreation Center also saw it's share of action this week! The gym hosted 145 Pickleballers, 73 Basketball players and 6 for RC Planes. 12 patrons worked out with Heather in Pilates while 10 took advantage of the fitness center. Gardening season is about to begin and they staff has been working hard to prepare the public garden for the renters. Yuliana's Just Crafting Around program helped 16 crafters make beautiful fall wreaths and Centerpieces!
Recreation
Centennial Park Pool Centennial Park Pool has been making waves with an action-packed season of aquatic fun and fitness! A whopping 282 lap swimmers dove in to crush their cardio goals, while 144 recreational swimmers made the most of sunny days with splashes and smiles. The lanes were buzzing with team spirit as 113 Port Charlotte High School swimmers and 115 Sea Dragon Aquatics athletes trained hard and swam fast. And let’s not forget the 94 water aerobics enthusiasts who brought the energy, rhythm, and community vibes to every splash-filled session. From sunrise strokes to sunset workouts, Centennial Park Pool is the ultimate hotspot for swimmers of all ages and styles! The Pirate Invite Swim Meet made a massive splash on Saturday, 9/27, with an incredible 425 swimmers diving into the action! The pool was bursting with energy, cheers, and fierce competition as athletes from near and far battled it out in a full day of thrilling races and unforgettable moments. From powerful sprints to epic relays, every lane told a story of determination, team spirit, and pure pirate pride. With such an amazing turnout, the Pirate Invite wasn’t just a swim meet—it was a high-seas showdown to remember!
Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center Harold Avenue Regional Park had 97 for Drop-in Pickleball, 123 Basketball, 26 Table Tennis and 6 for Volleyball. There were 10 walking the park for Walking Fitness this week. We had patrons come in to get active with the instructor led classes, Silver Sneakers had 54, Zumba had 16 and Pilates had 6. Bonsai brought in 4 patrons tending to their trees.
Parks & Natural Resources
Land Management This week staff was very busy addressing maintenance issues. The past few years our area has experienced repeated, heavy storm activity. These storms, the associated high wind and salt intrusion as well as the very dry atmospheric conditions in the wake of the storms have combined to impact many of our trees. The legacy of these storms are many dead trees. Dead pines can be a source of food and shelter for many natives including; beetles, lizards and woodpeckers. For this and other reasons land management staff have left the trees in place to serve multiple ecological purposes. Over time, some of these tress pose a potential hazard to our guests and so staff spent time addressing the potential limb fall risks to maintain safety within our parks. In addition to these activities staff also conducted gopher tortoise surveys on multiple properties. Exotic/invasive treatments this week include snake plant removal and melaleuca treatment. Staff also completed an asset inventory for records and continued routine mowing operations on multiple properties.
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 5,846 visitors and issued 252 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: 38 patrons used curbside pickup 21 received homebound deliveries
Reference & Research Support Our knowledgeable staff answered: 273 general reference and technology questions 5 local history-specific inquiries
Libraries & History
Englewood Charlotte Public Library
We had quite the crowd at Catch 'em Card Club on Friday, and tons of card trading happened! On Friday, September 26, presenter Christopher Jimenez came to give a presentation on banned books at all three library locations. In this presentation, patrons were able to learn the history of book banning in the United States and how it predates the United States as well as how it’s been on the rise over recent years. Eye opening and engaging, this was a much needed presentation! Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
We have our very own snowbird mascot at Englewood! We have had our Yellow-throated Warbler return for the second season. Shoutout to Jim for the bird knowledge. Charles went over to the Tringali Fall event and joined the recreation center in letting our patrons know what we can provide for them. Our Dog Tales program had a new family that came to join the fun and made new friends. As always our newest guitar players worked their way through Tuesday night and our sewers made miles of progress on their newest creations.
Libraries & History
Port Charlotte Public Library
Congratulations to Joe Guerzo!
This week at the Port Charlotte Library, Preschool Preppers made painted butterflies and played the spinning game. Wednesday’s Teen Anime Club enjoyed rice balls while watching anime and learned the viral Soda Pop dance. Friday’s L.E.G.O. Club built castles and knocked them down with catapults, and Saturday’s tweens bedazzled their favorite books! Our display case is now showcasing photos and items to help patrons get excited about the upcoming airshow.
Libraries and History’s Joe Guerzo won a scholarship to attend the Annual Oral History Association Conference in Atlanta, GA on October 15 . It’s his 2 scholarship award in two years. Joe started the Charlotte County Oral History Program in 2017. It features interviews he conducted with longtime county residents. He also recorded the recollections of many local citizens on the topic of Hurricane Ian. He continues to work independently on the subject. Many of his interviews can be found here: Oral History th nd
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker