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Few Good Men
Six Markham Park mountain bikers, three of
them members of the Broward County Parks Mountain Bike Patrol, were
recently on a biking trip to Colorado and Utah when they heard about a
fellow rider in trouble. So, they did what any nationally certified patrol
group would do – they staged a rescue.
“As soon as we were told about this rider out on the trail,
our training
immediately kicked in on what to do,” recalls Dave Williams,
one of the Broward riders, who are members of and trained through the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s National Mountain Bike Patrol.
Williams and his buddies promptly set about administering
first aid to the rider, who had bitten off more than he could chew by
attempting an ambitious 27-mile mountain descent on the Porcupine Rim Trail
without adequate preparation and supplies. A potential heat stroke was
averted, and the riders took their new friend and his bike back to his
hotel in Moab, Utah. Later, the recovering rider even joined them for
dinner.
Williams is matter of fact about the rescue. “Once a bike
patrol, always a bike patrol,” he says. He credits regular CPR and first
aid training every two years with preparing him and his fellow patrol
members for just such situations. The purpose of Broward’s bike patrol
group, he explains, is “to assist, educate, and inform mountain bike riders
on the trails.” It’s a 100 percent volunteer group, he says, with about 40
active members who ride at both Markham and Quiet Waters parks.
?: Parks Mountain Bike Patrol Liaison, 954-357-8185.
“A
Place To Learn”
According the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum’s Website,
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki means “a place to learn,” and on Saturday, October 17, those
words will have special meaning at Native American Heritage Day at
Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day,
the nature center, in conjunction with the museum, will focus on storytelling
and other free activities, including a lecture, designed to enhance your
knowledge of the Seminoles and their rich history in South Florida. The Broward County Library is also
providing a bibliography on the subject.
?: Secret Woods,
954-791-1030.
BCT: Route #6.
Games
People Play
Fern Forest Nature Center wants you to get game – as in chess, backgammon,
and checkers, to name just a few. We Have the Place, You Have the Game! invites
you to bring your favorite board game(s) to the park’s picnic shelter and
make new friends with similar interests. The program is held from 2 to 4
p.m. the last Sunday of the month from October through May and is suitable
for all ages. Please note, however, that the facility is not appropriate
for playing cards or dominoes.
?: Fern Forest,
954-970-0150.
BCT: Routes #31 and #42.
It’s
Party Time!
Can’t make it to the Caribbean? Then enjoy a taste of the islands right
here in South Florida. Starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 10 and
ending at 11 p.m. on Monday, October 12, Central Broward Regional Park in
Lauderhill will host a series of related events featuring live
entertainment as well as Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, Creole, and vegetarian
cuisine. It all starts with the All-Inclusive University Fete, a.k.a.
U-we Fete, on Saturday, followed by D Red Light Fete on Sunday
and concluding with Carnival Last Lap on Monday. The list of acts
appearing is too extensive to include here but features some of the top
names in the field. Sponsored by the Caribbean American Cultural Society
Inc.
?: Central Broward Regional,
954-321-1170, or www.universityfete.com.
$: Call for fees.
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BCT: Routes #18, #36, #40, and #81.
Friday
Night Fun
The Parks and Recreation Division’s Special Populations Section, in
conjunction with the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI) Broward County, will present a free Friday Night Social for
adult mental health consumers. The event takes places from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
on Friday, October 9, at the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park in
Hollywood.
?: Special Populations,
954-357-8170/8160 or NAMI Broward County, 954-722-5445.
BCT: Route #12.
Ghosts
and Goblins and More, Oh My!
Celebrate Halloween a day early at Ghosts and Goblins
Family Fun Night, at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek. The
popular annual event, for ages 2 to 11 accompanied by an adult, includes a
costume contest, games and prizes, arts and crafts, photos in the Pumpkin
Patch, and an age-appropriate story time. Refreshments will also be
available for purchase. It all happens between 6 and 8 p.m. on Friday,
October 30.
?: Fern Forest,
954-970-0150.
$: Nominal fees for arts and crafts and photos in the Pumpkin
Patch.
BCT: Routes #31 and #42.
Spectacular
Spiders
Little Miss Muffet was sitting on a tuffet (a low stool) when she had a
memorable encounter with an arachnid that scared her away from her curds and
whey. Avoid such a fate by learning more about our eight-legged friends at Along
Came a Spider, a free, family-friendly program at Secret Woods Nature
Center in Dania Beach. From 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, you’ll
have your own encounter with some of Florida’s spiders and find out how
these amazing arachnids fit into the scheme of things.
?: Secret Woods,
954-791-1030.
BCT: Route #6.
Bow
Wow, Splish Splash
Pamper your pooches by letting them play at four water parks on dogs-only
days, when Broward County Parks and Recreation Division presents the K9
Water Festival Series, for dogs ages 4 months and up. The events take
place at Splash Adventure
at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach
(October 31 and November 1), Paradise Cove at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines
(November 7 and 8), Tropical Splash
at Central Broward Regional Park in
Lauderhill (November 14 and 15), and Castaway Island
at T.Y. Park in Hollywood (November 21
and 22). Admission is $3 per dog per 50-minute session, with sessions beginning
on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
?: Parks Animal Care Section, 954-938-0617, or parkpaws@broward.org.
$: $3/dog per 50-minute session.
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This
Just In!
Vista View Park, a newly expanded version of which will be reopening to the
public on Friday, November 13, has just been voted Best Use of Tax
Dollars in the Reader’s Choice edition of the Davie and Southwest
Ranches Town Times magazine. Look for details on the park’s reopening
in the November issue of eHighlights.
?: Vista View,
954-327-8797.
Advisory
Board Notice
The public is invited to the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board, which is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October
7. The meeting will take place at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center,
3501 S.W. 130th Ave., Davie. For more information, visit www.broward.org/parks/abmeeting.htm.
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