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Community Corner

Recreation for Generations

Huntley Park District planning for present and future with generations in mind.

staff got together about a year ago, and started brainstorming ideas for a new slogan that would carry their parks and recreation program into the future.

After bandying about many ideas, athletic supervisor Jeff Ryder came up with the idea of “Recreation for Generations.”

Everyone loved it, and decided that was the branding they would pursue as they plan and program for future generations in the community.

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“We thought it fit us as a whole because we have parent-child classes, adult exercise classes, a senior citizens club, and fill all of the voids in between with youth athletics, tot rock, preschool, fitness for adults, adult softball, adult basketball and more,” said Debbie Kraus, the  ’s recreation supervisor. “We hit the whole gamut.”

In the past year, the park district has started to publicize more and more their new slogan in the community in hopes people will start to identify the district with it, because it really does match up with what they already do, and what they hope to achieve in the future, Kraus said.

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They’ve put it on their website, they’ve added it to paperwork, and every other page in their widely read parks brochure. It lists all of the activities for every generation in the community — and displays the slogan.

“We’re hoping to brand it more and more and keep moving forward with it,” Kraus said.

And people are starting to take notice, Kraus said.

Many have remarked that they like it, especially given that the Huntley-area community as a whole runs the gamut of generations, from young couples, to families with preschoolers, to those with high schoolers, and of course to Huntley’s Sun City community.

The multiple generations in the community are what the district keeps in mind as it plans for programs, and as it plans for its future in the community.

In their present brochure, they have a “Fall Fun with a Grown Up,” program, that allows children as young as 18 months to read stories, sing songs, learn finger plays and do art projects each week alongside a parent or grandparent. It is just one example of the activities they’re offering for the youngest crowd in the community.

They also have Winter Escape Camps that provide fun, such as field trips and crafts, for grade school-age children over winter break.

For the crowd a little bit older, they have guitar lessons, digital movie-making and more in their latest brochure.

They have a high school basketball league in the brochure, as well as the adult basketball league.

And then they have a special section just for adults and seniors, which includes Pickleball, senior volleyball and bingo.

They’re even offering a program for families with pets — a special Dog-tober Fest this weekend.

And as they plan for the needs of the park district community in the future, they will continue to keep Recreation for Generations in mind.

“It just fits the ,” Kraus said.

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