Get ready for a full summer under the “new normal”

From Mark Frank, Parks and Recreation Director

After 15 months of masked, socially distant and small-group programming Parks and Recreation is thrilled to be looking ahead to a summer of relative normalcy.  There are a number of new and exciting things the department is excited to highlight, that should serve the community’s recreational needs better than ever.  Here are few initiatives and services that are new for 2021.

Camps

Parks and Recreation will be offering our two municipal camps “Camp Patoma” and “Camp Goodwill” at regular capacity.  Campers will not be required to wear masks unless indoors and, aside from some enhanced cleaning and sanitization, and no field trips, we plan to operate camp similar to how it’s always run.  There are some exciting new options for camp families including a free lunch option thanks to a partnership with Holliston Public School and continued funding from the USDA. Similar to the program at school, bagged lunches will be prepared and delivered to both Camp Goodwill and Camp Patoma daily. 

The camps have a new look this summer as well!

We are also offering a plethora of alternative camps including Sports Camps through Skyhawks Sports, and Challenger Sports, Lego camps through our partners at Snapology, Cooking classes in partnership with our exceptionally talented cooking instructor Sandhya Jain and much more.  Go to our brochure:  https://www.townofholliston.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif706/f/uploads/2021summer_2.pdf    Or our registration page for more information:  https://holliston.activityreg.com/ClientPage_t2.wcs

Scholarships

The Parks and Recreation department has awarded over one thousand dollars in scholarship money for families in town who are not in a financial position to pay for programming.  If your family needs help, please call the office for details on our scholarship process 508-429-2149.

Beach Updates

Thanks to funding from the CPC, we have a new dock in place at Stoddard Park.    The new sand we were able to have spread on both beaches last year is still plush and soft, and with plans to be grooming the beaches weekly, we aim to keep them that way. 

We will be doing boat rentals again this summer.  Kayaks, canoes and paddle boats will be available to rent for 1.5-hour periods at $10/rental.  We will be doing these on a first come first served basis to start and then making them available from our online reservation system for those who want to pre-reserve.  Stay tuned for updates on that. 

Concerts

We are thrilled to be bringing back our Summer Concert Series for 2021.  These concerts are sponsored by and supported by our friends at the Holliston Newcomers and Neighbors and we encourage those attending to stop by the table they set up to learn more about this fantastic resource for families in Holliston. Concerts run from 6:30 – 8:00pm.

• Tuesday night 6/29 featuring the cover band “Off Label” as well as ice cream from T.C. Scoops!
• 7/13 Mo Bounce will be here,
• 7/20 has The Missy Maxwell Project,
• 8/3 with Knock on Wood for National Night out with the Holliston Police Department.

Courts

The Parks and Recreation department is excited to be expanding and improving upon our hard court services this summer.  We recently resurfaced and replaced the rims at the Goodwill basketball courts.  This renovation should provide a better playing experience for all users.  We are also introducing Pickleball courts at the Patoma tennis courts.  These temporary courts are partly in place to help us gauge demand here in Holliston and guide us on a more permanent pickleball solution down the road.