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Guelph/Eramosa to host park pop up events throughout June

Free park pop-up event will be filled with activities to inspire children and youth to get more active

GUELPH/ERAMOSA – The Township of Guelph/Eramosa will finally be hosting its park pop up in-person after doing it virtually its first year due to COVID.

“This is our second year acquiring this funding, which means it’s our second year doing it. Last year was our first but we did things virtually then like virtual fitness classes because of COVID, but we also did a township-wide scavenger hunt. So, this will be our first time doing this in-person,” explained Kristen Chiasson, township’s parks and recreation administrative assistant.

Throughout the month of June, the township’s park and recreation department will be going to four different parks within the township every Wednesday to host its park pop up event.

The event will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Starting on June 8, the event will be at its first park location which is at the Cross Creek Park; the following Wednesday, June 15, it will be at Valentino Park; on June 22, it will be at Memorial Park; and on June 29, it will be at Rockmosa Park.

The free event will be filled with activities such as spike ball; Kanjam, which is a frisbee game; an obstacle course and relay race; and a giant inflatable soccer target. There will also be freebies as a fun incentive for those who came out and participated in the activities.

Chiasson explained the pop up event is to commemorate parks and recreation month, which is in June, and inspire children and youth to be more active.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do this event without receiving funding from ParticipACTION’s Community Better Challenge which is in partnership with the Government of Canada,” she said.

“There were more people who applied for this funding this year, which means the funding we got was smaller but that also means everyone got a piece of the pie.”

ParticipACTION is a national non-profit organization that inspires and supports Canadians to make physical activity a vital part of their everyday life. Its community better challenge funding goal is to track the activities of the whole community in June, which will go towards the community’s total score.

After June 30, 50 finalist communities will be invited to submit an application explaining why they deserve to be Canada’s Most Active Community.

One community will earn the top prize of $100,000 and title of being Canada’s most active. There will also be prizing for the most active community in each province and territory.

“We took the money we got and researched the types of activities that are fitting for every age group from toddlers to teenagers,” Chiasson explained.

“On top of the park pop ups, there’s an app people can download that tracks all of their activities such as steps, their active minutes they get from fitness classes or exercise. Everything we get from the app will contribute to our total score.”

She noted the pop-up event is a great initiative and will hopefully inspire many people to be more active.

For more information, interested participants and residents can check out the township’s website.

Vancouver disc golf advocates hope pop event garners support for more courses | CBC News

One of Vancouver’s pitch and putt golf courses replaced golf balls with flying discs on Saturday to showcase a sport that advocates say has been growing in popularity — especially over the pandemic — and needs more space in the city.

The Van City United Disc Golf Club partnered with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation to create a temporary disc golf course at the Rupert Park Pitch and Putt.

Club member Gagan Singh said the 192 Saturday tee times available at the course for $20 per player were booked up in less than 10 minutes after online reservations went live.

“There is huge demand,” he said about the sport which has players aim and throw discs at poles or steel-chain baskets.

The goal of the sport is to hit a pole or land the disc in the basket with as few throws as possible, just like golf.

The sport is known for its low barriers such as reasonable cost and easy-to-acquire skill level.

“It’s a sport that you can play for free. It’s actually very low cost,” said Singh. “It’s a sport that people can play together in the sense that you can play with your kids.”

A backpack full of discs for disc golf. While some players like to have many discs to play, the sport requires only one, which advocates say helps make the sport accessible. (CBC News)

At the Rupert Pitch and Putt course on Saturday many players said they were drawn to the sport during the pandemic began because it’s a low-stress activity that lets them safely gather with other people outside .

“It’s a lifelong addiction,” said Chris Robson who has been playing for 22 years.

WATCH | Disc golfers crowd Vancouver pitch and putt to showcase sport:

Disc golf advocates in Vancouver hold pop up event to showcase sport

Disc golf players in Vancouver want the city to add more courses to meet demand 2:17

Vancouver has three free disc golf public courses: Jericho Hill on the grounds of the Jericho Hill Community Centre, Little Mountain in Queen Elizabeth Park and Quilchena on Magnolia Street.

Disc golf proponents like Singh and Robson say that development plans are threatening the future of the Jericho Hill course and Quilchena is outdated because the course is set along park pathway which can create unsafe conditions for walkers, cyclists and other people using the park.

“In the last year and a half, it’s exploded,” said Robson about the growing popularity of disc golf in Vancouver. “We need more resources, we need more space.”

He hopes the pop up event will convince the Park Board to invest in updating the courses it has in the city and even adding more to meet demand.

Several Parks Board staff members participated in the Rupert pop-up event as did some commissioners such as Dave Demers.

“It’s a great sport, it’s super accessible,” he said. “It’s like a walk in a park with a goal. It’s a lot of fun.”

Demers said that the Park Board is looking at how to do more pop-up events in different areas of the city in the future.

“There is obviously a great demand,” he said.

What about private courses?

Singh says he is also hopeful that private courses may eventually emerge in the city. That could provide amenities some players are looking for and ease the burden at public courses.

“There is an appetite for paid courses. You get access to a bit more privacy, you get access to food, access to concessions and access to washrooms.”