"The Kootz" Concert on Tuesday to Kick Off Township's Park and Recreation Celebration

Bernards Township's theme this year for nationwide Park and Recreation Month is “Rock Your Park!” The Bernards Township Parks & Recreation Department will kick off Parks and Recreation Month on Tuesday, July 5 with our Summer Concert Series to begin with The Kootz, rocking Pleasant Valley Park with classic pop and rock music.

A calendar of planned events is online.

Each July since 1985, America has celebrated Park and Recreation Month. A program of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the America’s Backyard initiative, the goal is to raise awareness of the vital impact that parks, recreation, and conservation have on communities across the nation. In support of the initiative, the Bernards Township Committee on June 14 designated July as Parks & Recreation Month.

Parks and Recreation Month will feature the annual Summer Concert Series on Tuesday evenings in Pleasant Valley Park off Valley Road, Movies & Games in the Park on Wednesday evenings at Harry Dunham Park off Somerville Road; and Plays in the Park productions of Ridge Light Opera’s and the Trilogy Repertory Company’s "A Midsummer Nights Dream" on select Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at the Pleasant Valley Park Amphitheater.

Family Fun Night will be held at Dunham Park on July 13, when all residents are invited to join the Parks & Recreation Department’s summer staff for an evening of family fun including an interactive DJ, carnival games and relay activates.

All of the events are free. 

Also in July, Pleasant Valley Pool Members and their guests can enjoy several special events and activities: arts & crafts every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, starting July 5, a middle school dance on Monday, July 11; Noodle Night on Thursday, July 21; and Family Night with an Interactive DJ on Monday, July 25. A limited number of memberships remain for the 2011 season.

The Coakley-Russo Memorial Golf Course will hold its third Tournament of the season on Saturday, July 23, a Mixed 4-Person Team Scramble. Members and their guests must register by July 8. The course will also host Junior Golf Days every Tuesday and Wednesday in July, where experienced junior golfers are welcome to play at the regular guest fee without member accompaniment. Memberships remain available for the 2011 season for both township residents and non-residents.

The fun continues through the summer, ending with our annual Labor Day Children’s Bicycle Races in downtown Basking Ridge on Monday, September 5.

For more information on all these events and what the Parks & Recreation Department has to offer for you to “Rock Your Park” visit the township website.