Musco Lighting, Inc. presents the Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference and Tradeshow in partnership with Professional Turf Products
Join the Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association along with the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council and the Arkansas Therapeutic Recreation Society in Fort Smith for the annual conference and trade show February 8 through 10. Enjoy the newly renovated rooms of the Holiday Inn City Center. Make your reservations by January 17 to receive the low conference rate.
Monday afternoon the pre-conference activities kick off with the annual golf tournament held this year at Sebastian County’s Ben Geren Regional Park Golf Course. The tournament will begin at 1:00. Also at 1:00, you may choose to take a trip to the newly opened Lake Fort Smith State Park and tour the facilities and enjoy the view. Fort Smith’s River Park Glass Pavilion will be the site of a fish fry Monday evening along with live entertainment you won’t want to miss; then spend some time enjoying the night life in Downtown Fort Smith or hit the mall and do a little shopping.
Tuesday morning, Kenyatta Wright, motivational speaker and recreation enthusiast starts the day with a pep talk that will get us out of our chairs and into the game. Kenyatta played middle linebacker for Oklahoma State University, and he played for the New York Jets. He led the Jets with 32 special teams tackles in the 2003 season. Choose from over twenty educational sessions during the day with speakers discussing the benefits of recreation, the importance of urban forestry and how to maintain it, and recreational therapy. Why does it pay you and your community to be fit? Do trees really matter? What is the payoff?
Join a trip to the Janet Huckabee Nature Center in the afternoon, but watch out for the rattlesnakes and wild Canada geese. You might choose to visit the equipment rodeo to see the latest in lawn care. Visit the many vendors who provide the tools we use every day from lawn care equipment and playgrounds, to engineers and architects planning the latest in parks, trails, sports fields and aquatics.
Tuesday night we end the day with the annual awards banquet and auction. Funds raised each year are used to fund scholarships for deserving students in the parks and recreation field. After the auction, we will see you on Garrison Avenue.
Wednesday we continue with over ten educational sessions. Behave yourself and don’t lag behind, we will tour Judge Parker’s famous courthouse and gallows where justice is swift.