April Showers Bring…

"Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come.
   — Thomas Carlyle

It's that time of year when an increasing number of pleasant days begin to draw more and more people outside. Whether it's a stroll in the park, rowing on the pond, hitting a few balls at the baseball diamond or a playground adventure, April is the opening of a long season of outdoor fun.

In my own neighborhood, spring has certainly arrived, with flowers poking up through the brown grass and leave, and a noticeable crescendo of morning birdsong.

The forest preserve is conducting its annual prescribed burns to help manage the woods and meadows; and volunteers and employees alike are out doing trail maintenance. (And a good thing, too! Yesterday's bike ride got a bit too bumpy for comfort.) Park employees are adding mulch to the playground surface, and schools are sprucing up their outdoor fields for soccer and baseball.

Of course, around these parts, there will still be plenty of unfavorable days that will keep people's fitness and recreation indoors. And there will always be those whose favorite activities take place inside four walls no matter what time of year it is.

Whether April's showers have you stuck inside reading this issue, or you've taken it outside to enjoy the first flowers of Spring, we've got a great roundup of stories to supply plenty of ideas for your communities and facilities.

First off, I'd like to direct your attention to our special supplement covering playgrounds, parks and site furnishings. There, you'll find out how important nature is to the health and happiness of urban dwellers, along with the latest trends in multigenerational playgrounds and a closer look at how to select site furnishings.

Within these pages, you'll also find feature stories covering trends in splash play areas; climbing facilities; waterfront transformations; and action sports parks. And that's just the beginning. We also have expert contributions on playgrounds and design solutions, along with case studies focused on sports facilities.

The world of recreation, sports and fitness—whether inside or out—is tremendously innovative, with an almost infinite number of possibilities to provide something for everyone.

How are you gearing up for the busy summer season?

Cheers!

Emily Tipping
Editorial Director,
Recreation Management

emily@recmanagement.com