The Athens-Clarke County
Leisure Services Department's

E-Newsletter

Make Your Voice Heard!

The Leisure Services Department has begun the process of developing a new comprehensive master plan! A huge part of the process is knowing what the community values and discovering where we need to focus our efforts in the future.

You can help us by sharing your thoughts at www.accgov.com/activateathens or you can do so in person at one of the many scheduled sessions.

Our partners from BerryDunn will be out in community at your favorite parks, festivals, and events all summer! There's an ever growing list on the Activate Athens website, as well.

For more information, please call 706-613-3800.

Juneteenth Holiday Hours

The Leisure Services Department will observe the Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday, June 19. Parks will operate under regular hours of operation, facilities will be closed.

In observance of this holiday, department summer camps will be not take place on June 19.

Pools and splash pads will be open from 1:00 – 5:30 p.m. Admission is $1 per person. The Bishop Park pool is closed for the summer.

All facilities will re-open Thursday, June 20, under regular hours of operation.

For more information, please call 706-613-3800.

Firefly Bridge over

Trail Creek Awards

The Leisure Services Department’s Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek project has garnered attention and multiple honors, including a national award.

These accolades recognize outstanding efforts in public engagement and design all highlighting the Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek. This project involved the redesign of what was commonly referred to as the R.E.M. Murmur Trestle. The iconic bridge that was featured on the back cover of the R.E.M. EP “Murmur” was built in 1888. The trestle was part of Georgia’s first state-chartered railroad, which opened in 1841 between Athens and Augusta.

The project has been honored with five awards, three state, one local, and one national.

As part of the 2023 Georgia Transportation Summit which includes the Georgia Department of Transportation, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and more than 1400 transportation leaders, the Georgia Partnership for Transportation Quality (GPTQ) for Preconstruction Design recognized the Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek as a finalist in 3 of 10 categories.

The ACCGov Leisure Services/SPLOST Team with Design Team Kimley-Horn were awarded “Best Project in the Context Sensitive Planning and Design” including Public Participation Plan category. This award recognizes the important role the planning process plays in determining the best overall solution, in other words the Department won an award for amazing community engagement to create a new design for this iconic bridge.

Additionally, GPTQ honored Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek with a second award, the “Grand Prize Award” presented to the project best overall out of the 10 award categories.

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia presented the project with the first place “Engineering Excellence State Award for Structural Systems.”

The American Council of Engineering Companies designated Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek as a “National Recognition Award” winner.

Locally, Historic Athens presented the project with the “Innovative Solutions in Rehabilitation Award” for 2024 during their 55th Annual Preservation Awards ceremony. The award recognizes projects that exhibit sensitive and create solutions to older or historic building without compromising integrity or character.

"Traditions Highway" Exhibition Opens at the Lyndon House Arts Center

Lyndon House Arts Center announces Traditions Highway featuring photographs by Irina Rozovsky on June 13 - August 31, 2024. Artist Reception is set for Thursday, June 13 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Traditions Highway is a presentation of photographs taken by Irina Rozovsky between 2017 and 2021 along Georgia State Route 15, a road that runs the entire length of the state. The photographs are accompanied by vernacular paintings Rozovsky collected from small shops along the same highway and a text piece composed of verbiage from roadside signs. A reflection of and on the rural south, the works bring together the hopes and realities of a lived experience that is tied to the history of place.

Russian-born, Athens-based photographer Rozovsky has work in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, as well as the High Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among many others. She and her husband, Mark Steinmetz, run the photography workshop space The Humid.

For more information, please call 706-613-3623.

In the Summer Sky

Join Sandy Creek Nature Center staff for a a planetarium program in the Sky Center and journey through the night sky, exploring the great beyond.

Attendees will learn what constellations, stars and planets are visible in the summer night sky! No children under 5 will be admitted. Children younger than 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

This program is for ages five and older and is scheduled for Saturday, June 15 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. at Sandy Creek Nature Center. The fee is $5 for ACC residents and $7.50 for non-residents. Online registration is underway.

For more information, please call 706-613-3615.

Learn to Swim this Summer!

Make it a safe summer at the pool!

The Department offers swim lessons for children three years and older at the Heard Park, Lay Park, Memorial Park, and Rocksprings Park pools including “Swim School” and “Parent/Tot Swim School.” Each session fee is $33 for Athens-Clarke County residents and $50 for non-county residents. Space is limited.

The Department’s Kinderswim program is a free initiative started with the goal of helping ACC children learn how to swim. The program is offered to Athens-Clarke County 5-year-old children at no cost. The lessons are broken into three, 45-minute classes a week for three weeks, for a total of nine lessons, and are available at all of the Department pools, except Bishop Park. Online registration continues. Space is limited.

For more information, please call 706-613-3589

Star Spangled Classic

Celebrate Independence Day at the Star Spangled Classic on Saturday, June 29 at Southeast Clarke Park at 4440 Lexington Road! Complete details and map are available at www.accgov.com/fireworks

Free activities, including carnival rides, inflatables, a photo both, and more, begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be set up on the Lexington Road fields.

A special concert by the Original Splitz band will take place from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

A food truck court will be onsite with items for purchase.

Fireworks will be launched at approximately 9:30 p.m. from the Lexington Road side of the park.

Onsite limited parking is first come, first served and is available through the Lexington Road park entrance.

Additional parking is located at the Lexington Road Wal-Mart with complimentary shuttle service to the park by Athens Transit. Parking locations will open at 5:30 p.m. Once parking is full at Southeast Clarke Park, no more cars will be permitted. All ACCGov park rules will be enforced including no alcohol, personal fireworks, grills, or smoking. Pets are not allowed at this event.
Event attendees should respect private property when choosing a viewing location and not park on the side of roads to view the fireworks. The park will close at the end of the show. No overnight parking allowed. Traffic patterns in the area will shift at the conclusion of the event.

The ACCGov Animal Services Department will offer their annual "Foster for the Fourth" program, again, this year. Apply to foster at www.accgov.com/animalservices

If postponed by weather, the Star Spangled Classic will take place Sunday, June 30.

This event is sponsored by the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government and presented by the Leisure Services Department.

Summer Camp Online Registration Continues

The Leisure Services Department summer camp registration continues online at www.accgov.com/myrec.

Take a moment and review the diverse selection of mini camps and day camps planned for the summer. Space is extremely limited.

For more information, please call 706-613-CAMP.

What a Catch!

Sandy Creek Nature Center hosts Family Fishing at the Claypit Pond.

This program is for ages four and older and is scheduled for Friday, June 21 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Children younger than 13 must be accompanied by a registered adult. Bait and cane fishing poles are provided.

The fee is $5 for ACC residents and $7.50 for non-residents resident. Online registration opens one day in advance.

For more information, please call 706-613-3615.

ACCGov Leisure Services Online Registration

The Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department offers a diverse selection of activities highlighting the arts, environmental science, recreation, sports,
and holiday events for adults and children.

All registration takes place online at www.accgov.com/myrec .

ACCGov Leisure Services Scholarships

The Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department offers scholarship to qualifying Athens-Clarke County children.

Scholarships allow participants to pay less than the program fee.

For more information, including required documentation,
please visit www.accgov.com/scholarships

Georgia Recreation and Park Association

Agency of the Year

Populations: 80,000 - 150,000

2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2019, 2021, 2023

The Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department

205 Old Commerce Road, Athens, GA 30607

www.accgov.com/leisure

706-613-3800