playkettering.org For more information, call 937.296.2587. GENERAL INFORMATION 3 Dear Kettering Friends: Can you believe we’re already gearing up for fall? Time flies when you’re having fun, and we certainly had fun this summer. With plenty of camps, sunny days at Adventure Reef Water Park, summer’s best music at Fraze Pavilion and relaxing in nature at our beautiful parks, Kettering is never dull during the summertime. We still have plenty of fun times ahead of us in 2023. Take advantage of the warm, early fall sunshine to enjoy a walk, bike ride or day at the playground. Be sure to soak up as much outdoor time as you can before there’s a chill in the air. Kettering is a beautiful place to spend time outdoors, and we’re working hard to keep it that way. As a Tree City USA and Arbor Day Foundation Growth Award Winner, we’re committed to environmental stewardship and caring for our urban canopy. Earlier this year, we kicked off our Heritage Tree campaign and celebrated Kettering’s trees at our TreeFest and Tree Love events. In keeping with our mission to bring environmental education to the wider community, EcoFest is back for a second year! Scheduled for Saturday, September 16 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Lincoln Park Civic Commons, our second annual EcoFest will inspire visitors of all ages with interactive, fun displays on beekeeping, gardening, green energy, recycling and much more. This event is free to the public and all are welcome. Some very big news to share – the wait is over for Gentile Park! Kettering will soon be home to 22 beautiful parks. We held a groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremony at the future site of Gentile Park, near the intersection of Peach Orchard Road and Maddix Drive, on July 20. It was exciting to welcome our community to the site, and we appreciate all of the input we received during the planning process. Our Rosewood Arts Center renovation is also coming along nicely. The Glass and Metals studios are opening very soon, and Phase III will be completed by the end of this year. Our newly updated theater space will open within the coming months. Thank you to all who participated in our survey to help determine amenities for the Lathrem Garden at Indian Riffle Park. The project is now underway, and amenities will include a new shelter, additional seating, a renovated shuffleboard court, an outdoor fireplace, a pollinator garden and adult swings. It’s going to be an incredible space! Of course, our number one priority is the community’s well being. Through the ‘We Are Kettering’ project, we, along with all of the Partners for Healthy Youth stakeholders, have been hard at work making sure Kettering’s kids have the emotional support tools they need to succeed in life. ‘We Are Responsible,’ ‘We Are Respectful,’ ‘We Are Safe’! As always, please feel free to reach out to PlayKettering on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, via www.playkettering. org or by email to [email protected]. We hope to see you this fall! All my best, Mary Beth O’Dell Director DIRECTOR’S LETTER
