James City County Parks and Recreation is putting on its second annual summer solstice celebration “Project 547: Longest Day of Play.”
There will be 19 different activities throughout the day, from nature walks to a four square tournament, according to Sarah O’Reilly, program coordinator for sports and outdoors. O’Reilly said the day will be a mixture of old favorites and new activities.
“Sunrise yoga was a really popular program from last year, so we’re definitely doing that one again, then we’ve got some new programs like pool battleship, which will be held at the rec center in the evening, and is essentially trying to sink each other’s canoes in the pool,” O’Reilly said.
She said the event’s name comes from the fact programming will begin when the sun rises at 5:47 a.m. and end at 10 p.m.
“We’re going from sunrise to sunset,” said Christopher McKnight, JCC parks coordinator.
O’Reilly said the event is a way for people to check out what parks and rec has to offer before committing to a class subscription or membership.
“Everything is free, so maybe someone who is like ‘you know I want to give kayaking a try but I don’t know’,” O’Reilly said. “They can come out try it and see if it’s right for them.”
“We have activities going on in so many different park locations that people have either heard of in name maybe or have been invited to and didn’t go,” McKnight said.
“We’re trying to bring new activities to those spots and do them at new times that typical recreation offerings aren’t being offered.”
McKnight added the event is aimed at people of all ages and ability levels. One example is “Ooey, Gooey Fun,” which involves water beads and slime.
“It’s a sensory activity for participants with disabilities,” McKnight said. “So we are trying to bring all of the members of James City County population together to celebrate the summer solstice through the different styles of activities that we offer.”
Want to attend?
Events will take place from 5:47 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday at various locations around the county. See a full list of free events at jamescitycountyva.gov.
