Along with many other cities in California, Signal Hill has officially proclaimed July to be “Parks Make Life Better!” Month. Signal Hill City Mayor Tina Hansen officially designated next month as such Tuesday evening. At the beginning of the Council meeting, she presented Community Services Director Pilar Alcivar-McCoy with a proclamation to publically declare the importance of parks in our lives. Reading from the proclamation, Mayor Hansen said that the City wants to “urge the citizens to use and enjoy our parks and recreational opportunities.” I couldn’t agree more.
I grew up spending time in parks. Whether it was our very own Signal Hill Park, then called Hinshaw Park (named after our second mayor), Bixby Park down by the beach or Recreation Park across from Wilson High School, each of the open spaces was refreshing and a small chance to enjoy a bit of urban nature. Now with even more green spaces so close by (including Raymond Arbor Park— which is just a half-block from our home) the opportunities to get outside and wiggle my toes in the grass are greater than ever. Thanks to groups like the California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS), individuals and families are kept informed of great ways to utilize our public outdoor spaces. According to the CPRS website (cprs.org), they have created a California campaign to help raise the status and awareness of parks by assisting all 525 California’s park and recreation agencies to unite and deliver the branding message of “Parks Make Life Better!” The objectives of the branding are to build loyalty for parks and recreation services, heighten the profession’s bargaining power and independence, stimulate growth, attract talented people to the profession, involve the public and gain greater resources and support. It looks to me that they sure are on the right track.
In the summer, with parks morphing into more of an entertainment venue than during any other time of the year, many of us actually take advantage of our local parks. I know how much I enjoy the Long Beach and Signal Hill concerts in the park, as well as the extremely well-attended movies in the park sponsored by Signal Hill Petroleum. Last year, I saw the new Yogi Bear film on the blow-up screen at Signal Hill Park. What fun— and popcorn too.
Let’s all do our best to get out and enjoy our public park land this summer. It’s a bit of fresh air and nature located just under our noses!
Speaking of parks, I remember having a fabulous experience in 1984 at the beautiful El Dorado Park in East Long Beach. After months of anticipation, I got my tickets and went to see the athletes compete during the archery portion of the Olympic Games held right here in Long Beach. I also went and watched some of the fencing competition at the Long Beach Arena. It was so exciting at the time, and I am sure it is an experience I will never forget. I still find it difficult to believe it all took place 28 years ago.
This year, with the Olympic Games taking place in London, I will most surely be relegated to watching the events on the big screen in my living room. Since most of our readers are in the same boat— no plans for a trip to London to watch the festivities in person— I am excited to announce that we will publish a very special section saluting the 2012 Olympics on July 13 that will include details on the individual sports, local stories concerning the Olympics, a very extensive and easy-to-follow television guide and grid, as well as a couple pages of activities for kids or kids at heart. So, if you have an Olympics-related story (a recent tale or a story from long ago) or Summer Games photo you’d like to share with us, please do so. We’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at newspaper@signaltribune.com or give us a call at (562) 595-7900. Also, if you are a business owner and would like to advertise in our Olympics section, send us an email to advertising@signaltribune.com .
