Since 1985, people in the United States have celebrated Park and Recreation Month in July to promote building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation, and to recognize the more than 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals — along with hundreds of thousands of part-time and seasonal workers and volunteers — that maintain our country’s local, state and community parks.

The services park and recreation professionals provide are vital for our communities – from protecting open space and natural resources to helping fight obesity and providing activities and resources for all people. This has been especially true throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Park and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the exponential value of parks and recreation!

As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic , we thank you for your continued support and patience! Many of our summer programs and activities are full, but we still have openings in limited programs, such as camps. We also offer fun weekly programs that do not require pre-registration, such as our beloved Puppet Wagon and Rec on the Go that visit various neighborhood parks weekly. You can watch a ball game at the newly renovated Johnson or Mueller Park, take the kiddos to the wading pools or splash pad, play on one of our many playgrounds, grab some friends and plan a sand volleyball game, pick up softball, kickball, tennis or pickleball, have a picnic in one of or many parks or attend a Community Concert at German Park. Is the heat getting to you? Try ice skating, playing hockey or working out in the comfort of the AC in the Civic Center or attend a fitness class. Drop in rates are available for a very low cost. The Opportunities are endless!

Excitement continues as we near completion of the Rec Center! The facility has been completely transformed into new, bright and beautiful spaces such as the 3,000 square feet wellness center, new group fitness studio, indoor playground, Turner Gymnastics Academy and of course, the new Aquatic Center featuring one of a few Ninja Cross systems in the US. The Vogel Fieldhouse is getting a facelift with new flooring and curtain system that will allow better visuals to promote safer walking on the track. Our bright and fresh new locker rooms will provide space for men, women and families to use before and after activity and we look forward to offering additional programming opportunities.

The New Ulm community has been beyond supportive of our Park and Recreation Department and it shows! We have been blessed with very generous donors who banded together to fund the brand new amphitheater at German Park, Barb Haroldson’s donation to fund the splash pad at North Park and the many tax payers who make purchases that contribute to the half percent sales tax to fund the new RENU projects. If you have not seen some of these new or enhanced facilities, you must check them out! The newly improved safety and accessibility features of Hermann Heights Park and spectator improvements at historic Johnson Park make these facilities look so bright and open! We cannot forget about our area businesses and non profits who provide time, talent and funding for programs and facilities.

No matter how you enjoy Parks and Recreation, we would love to see it and share with others! July is the perfect time to see what the City of New Ulm Park and Recreation Department has to offer and then shar your stories about what parks and recreation mean to you on our Facebook Page or on other social media using #OurParkAndRecStory.